Custom Guitars - What To Choose? Options

[Cosmin Lupu]

I have bumped into a lot of interesting custom guitar manufacturers and I must say, the prices are the first thing that hits me between the eyes like an angry knuckle

Now joking aside, we all know Bernie Rico, Black Machine and these new guys that thefireball has posted: http://www.skervesen.eu/ making fanned fretted instruments, but the question is - would you invest the money in a custom made instrument, or would you look for one on the market that suits your tastes and your wallet's size?

I for one think that with a little tweaking I can get what I want from a regular guitar and not spend a huge amount to get a custom one - I really feel my words Not just saying it.

What do you guys think?

Cosmin

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[PosterBoy]

I agree with you to some respects Amp but there are exceptions like Danocaster, he doesn't make the necks and bodies in house, but works very closely with the company who does it, and is very specific about what he wants.

Fender Custom shop isn't much different, even the masterbuilt guitars, the builder isn't making the neck and body just selecting them from a big pile.

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[klasaine]

Fender Custom shop isn't much different, even the masterbuilt guitars, the builder isn't making the neck and body just selecting them from a big pile.

Except that the 'big pile of necks and bodies' are made by Fender at the factory right there. And they definitely will shape/re-shape them to your specs and desires.
I think the point that 360's making is, "don't pay $3500.00 for someone to bolt together a neck, body and electronics you can buy on-line for well under a grand". (Un-finished bolt neck and body from Musikraft - w/tons of standard options - is $380.00 total. And these are licensed by Fender.)
IMO, around $2000.00 is the most one should pay for a well 'put-together' and maybe well relic'd axe with parts of your choosing.

*And it speaks again to a 'possible' potentiality of one needing/wanting to sell it later. If your custom axe was made with Warmouth, USACG, Musikraft parts you will not be able to recoup the cost.

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This post has been edited by klasaine: Jun 8 2013, 05:35 PM

[Amp360]

klasaine,

That is what I'm saying. There are a few companies out there selling 'custom built' guitars that are just parts finished, bolted together and setup. Spending over $1000 on one (some are close to $3000+) to me seems dumb.

The Fender Masterbuilt guitars (which used to be Custom Shop until they started using the CS logo on all the other stuff) are hand made from beginning to end by one person. They're not made by selecting a neck and body and adding parts.

The Masterbuilt program allows you to specify pretty much anything you want and they'll do it. You could order a AAA flame maple top on a Korina body with a set neck and get it made. The builder does every step from making the body/neck to finishing, fretting, wiring, etc.... Years ago CS guitars were all like this.

The regular CS guitars (Team Built) are usually limited run guitars based on a certain year or set of specs that's not in the regular lineup. A lot of times lighter wood, pieces with better grain, etc... are chosen for these. They make all of them together and they're machine made and hand assembled. They get a little more time with setup, fretwork, etc... and are nice guitars.

Personally, I'm not that into custom made guitars. I think that unless you want something completely off the wall then chances are there is something out there that exists for you to buy. The custom made guitars that I have owned have all either been built to make a live situation easier or to look cool (which is the dumbest reason to order something. Most of them I wouldn't have ordered if I wasn't getting some kind of deal from the manufacturer.

I can tell you that if I were going to drop serious money on a custom made guitar I would spend the extra money to get it built by someone who had been doing it for a while. Going with Fender/Gibson, etc... costs more but your chances of resale are better. Builders like Ed Roman (he passed away but his shop has some well known people - Ron Blake, etc...), Jol Dantzig, etc... are solid choices as well. Having the local repair guy do it may or may not get you what you want. Also, someone who has done a ton of builds for a lot of players will be able to give you a lot of input into your design.

The other thing about custom made guitars is that people assume that from the player's perspective they know what they want. Sometimes it is the case and people are really happy with what they get. I have seen the opposite happen a lot of times too, where someone designs their dream guitar on paper but it doesn't end up sounding and/or playing the way they thought it would, or maybe it does and the player finds a LP and a Strat are better for what they're doing. Also, tastes can sometimes change and what is your dream guitar today may be less interesting tomorrow.

As with anything YMMV.

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This post has been edited by Amp360: Jun 11 2013, 02:54 PM