Michael Blank lives the same rock 'n' roll lifestyle today that he did as a young man, only now it involves more woodwork and soda.
After leaving his hometown of Mundelein at 16, Blank embarked on a trip on his Harley Davidson motorcycle that led him to California, where he remained for a summer before returning home to finish high school.
The Harley now sits in Blank's restaurant, called the Root Beer Saloon, in Alto Pass. It's here, in the rolling hills of southern Illinois, that Blank decided to put a lifetime of creative ideas to work.
Blank said his first thoughts of starting up the Root Beer Saloon came while visiting a bar in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Blank noticed an unusual tap at the bar that read "Sprecher" and asked the bartender about it. He told Blank it was root beer and poured him a glass.
Blank liked it so much that he drank three glasses before returning to his Harley with a sore stomach and an idea for a new and unique establishment - a root beer saloon that offered, among other things, root beer on tap.
Blank co-owns the Root Beer Saloon with girlfriend Cynthia Lucas. The restaurant is filled to the brim with antiques, rock 'n' roll memorabilia and other more unusual items.
Blank, an avid hunter, is also a taxidermist, and the Root Beer Saloon is full of animals he killed and mounted. Roughly 175 sets of antlers and more than 150 mounted geese, birds, ducks and other beasts decorate the inside of the saloon.
"In the next few months I'll put another 30 to 40 birds in here," Blank said. "This is probably the largest private collection of waterfowl in the country."
Hidden in the back of the saloon, a display case is nestled among the mounted animals. Hanging inside the case are two elegantly decorated electric guitars.
The instruments, part of Blank's most recent endeavor, Zuni Custom Guitars, are anything but conservative. Blank builds his guitars from exotic hardwoods and decorates them with materials such as deer antler and mother of pearl to express his eclectic lifestyle.
Twenty-five years ago, Blank ran his own sawmill in the upper peninsula of Michigan. He provided guitar manufacturers, such as Gibson, Washburn and Ernie Ball, with premium instrument woods and he specialized in different varieties of maple such as birdseye, curly and quilted.
As the wood became harder and harder to come by, Blank said he decided to stop selling it and instead decided to keep it to himself.
"Why sell the diamonds to a ring maker when I can keep the diamonds and make my own rings?" Blank said.
The first store to carry Zuni Custom Guitars is Shivelbine's Music in Cape Girardeau. Blank set up a display case several weeks ago in the store with four of the first Zunis inside.
Bill Shivelbine, who co-owns Shilvelbine's Music with the rest of his family, said all of the serious buyers who come into the store tend to gravitate toward the case and stare. Shivelbine said the major selling point of the guitars is the quality of wood.
"The wood is absolutely incredible," Shivelbine said. "Other guitars are envious."
Shivelbine said the way Blank has approached the marketing of his guitars is unique and wise. He also said Blank's overwhelming involvement in the production of the guitars adds to their value.
"Mike's story of cutting wood adds individual personality to each instrument," Shivelbine said. "The guy has been in the timber business for a long time."
Each guitar Blank makes is one of a kind. All the maple woods used in the guitars are personally harvested by Blank and Lucas. Together, the couple takes the wood step-by-step until they have the final product of a custom Zuni guitar.
"Cynthia knows more about guitar wood than any woman in the world," Blank said.
Blank's guitars are beginning to get noticed.
In its December 2007 issue, Guitar Player Magazine reviewed one of Blank's guitars, the Zuni Exhibition Sapphire. The review mostly praised the guitars and served as a testament to the quality and build of the instruments. The article noted that that construction of the guitars was seamless, and the quality of wood used was impressive.
Currently, Blank is building a guitar for legendary rock musician Ted Nugent. The guitar will feature deer antler inlays on the neck and a natural finish. Blank said he was sure it would to appeal to Nugent, who shares his passion for hunting and the outdoors.
Shivelbine said Blank and Nugent are a perfect match for each other.
"I know he's got a relationship with Nugent," Shivelbine said. "I can see Nugent killing a deer and sending Mike the antlers."
Jake Lockard can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 259 or jlockard@siu.edu.
