Doug Clark: Time is on Eben Cole’s side in his quest to make the perfect guitar

As clichéd as it may sound, Eben Cole’s dream of selling his own line of handmade electric guitars really did begin with a bang.

Cole said it was 3 a.m. or so when some drunk or inattentive driver lost control and took out a good chunk of the front of his business, Cole Music Co., at 816 W. Garland.

The fool somehow kept going. No culprit was ever nabbed, said Cole, adding that he knows the vehicle was green from the paint it left behind.

Cole, 41, recalled the shock of coming to work and confronting the carnage. Luckily, none of his hanging guitars were damaged by the crash.

There was little Cole could do besides secure his business and wait until repairs were completed enough to open again.

Facing some down time, Cole made a stop before heading back to his north Spokane acreage. He bought an armload of quality wood and decided to fulfill a long-held desire to build an electric guitar.

That was three years ago. The merchant/luthier is now several weeks away from unveiling his first run of original Cole-made electric guitars.

And I can’t wait.

I learned unintentionally about Cole’s extraordinary craftsmanship one day last fall.

I went into Cole Music looking for something I’ve always wanted, a good 12-string acoustic.

Cole has been in business 10 years. He’s known for stocking vintage and unusual instruments with “a vibe,” as he calls it.

And sure enough, he had an early 1970s Martin 12-string for sale.

Now we’re talking.

I was all but sold until I started nosing around. That’s when I noticed four electric guitars hanging from a rear wall.

The instruments had a gorgeous natural finish that brought out the rich grain and colors of the wood. They sported dramatic black asymmetrical pick guards and chunky Fender-like headstocks.

But they weren’t like any Fenders I’d ever seen.

So I took one down, parked on a stool and started picking a Beatles tune.

Amazing! This was the best-playing, off-the-shelf electric guitar I had ever strummed.

“Who made this?” I asked.

“I did,” said Cole.

I wanted one. I told Cole this, totally forgetting about my reason for being there.

Then things turned weird.

The shopkeeper wouldn’t sell me one. He said his guitars were prototypes and not for sale.

I tried 15 different ways to tell Cole that I didn’t give a rip if his guitars were consigned by Chuck Berry’s love child.

Cole, however, wouldn’t budge and I’ve since learned why.

“I won’t sell anything with my name on it unless it’s right,” he explained to me the other day.

Cole has his father to thank for instilling him with this perfectionist philosophy.

Gene Cole, now retired, was a well-respected Spokane violinmaker and instrument repairman.

The son said he remembers seeing his dad actually run one of his violins through a band saw because it didn’t turn out quite the way he had envisioned.

“Ultimately, I am marketing directly to me,” Cole explained. “That’s why I’m working to make things absolutely perfect.”

It’s impossible not to admire that kind of character.

Cole has a business partner, Scott Mueller, who shares this creative vision.

Their plan is to not only put out high-end electric guitars, but eventually sell hand-built amplifiers and effects pedals, too.

The non-guitar playing world has no idea just how much these two are up against.

Custom instrument makers already face long odds in competing against the major brands.

In addition, they face formidable competition from more established and better-advertised boutique brands.

Then there’s the financial aspect. Cole guitars will sell for about $2,395, which ain’t cheap.

Unless, of course, you factor in all the many, many laborious hours that it takes to create one of these beauties.

Cole, however, is undaunted by the obstacles.

He’s in no hurry. He has nothing to prove.

In creating his Cole guitars, the luthier said he wanted them to be able to produce the sounds of his two all-time favorite models: The countrified twang and bite of the Fender Telecaster and the smoother, jazzier voice of the Gibson ES-125.

In the end, Cole convinced me to stop arguing and wait. His first official run of guitars, he vowed, will be better than anything he’s done before.

“We’re in no rush,” said Cole. “We decided to go the slow route and make something we’re really proud of.”

Contact the writer: