UK custom guitars?

Kalimna

I was just about to suggest about an amplifier too.
There are several respected UK builders who could do something depending on how much you spend on the guitar.
Adam

HeldByWire

Kalimna said:

I was just about to suggest about an amplifier too.
There are several respected UK builders who could do something depending on how much you spend on the guitar.
Adam

I'm happy with a little valve amp (the smaller the better actually, it'll be for home use and I only have a small house) but the more I think about it it would be daft to blow a lot of money on a guitar if I don't have an amp that does it justice!

Kalimna

Look at Honeyboy, Rift and Flynn amps to start with. They all have low-wattage amps that may suit.
Adam

Boromedic

It's a shame you're not in the market now, this Seventy Seven Stork Standard is a made in Japan R8 basically. As good as anything else you'll find, great spec, for an amazing price. I can vouch for the seller too, lovely bloke. I nearly bought it myself but I have a LP already:

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/128730/fs-multiple-guitars/p1

As for amps, check out MJW too (all the other makers above are also great) some lovely low wattage Marshall types. 

Good luck with whatever you decide fella.

Kalimna

Oooops. I forgot to mention MJW.

fandango

@HeldByWire - Firstly, welcome to tFB! Hope you like it here.

clarkefan said:

Be realistic is my first thought.

You'll never sell this guitar, for obvious reasons.  Only time will tell if you play it for the rest of your life or if it ends up as a pretty adornment on the wall of your man cave.

My own opinion is, tastes change.

So, my thinking is, do some research, show your Mum photos of the say 5 guitars you like, ask her which she likes the look of, give her some input, work from there.

It's a gift from your Mum, that's more precious than ordinary stuff like UK v China, etc, etc

Can I encourage you to make your Ma a key part of the backstory behind this guitar. The fact that it’s a milestone present from her, kinda makes it her decision at the end of the day. Steer her as best you can. And there’s been some good advice so far.

Elsewhere you mention Gordon Smith. I really like the idea of what they do. Established British builder, now overseen by Auden.

I made the mistake of jumping in and buying a guitar from a small builder - I won’t embarass them - but had a few problems with wiring, a duff tailpiece and bridge that didn’t match the nut spacings. Loved the body and neck design, but I lost faith/ patience with it and sold it.

if there’s a lesson, make sure you can do the touchy feely stuff before buying. Would Feline be prepared to allow you a chance to visit and chat, even though his main offerings are above budget. Maybe Auden/Gordon Smith would also be prepared to show you around. They might say yes.

I think it’s important to get a feel for overall weight, necks, etc as well as appreciate the quality of build. Drag your ma and family along for the ride*.

*Remember it’s also about the story.

HeldByWire

fandango said:

@HeldByWire - Firstly, welcome to tFB! Hope you like it here.

clarkefan said:

Be realistic is my first thought.

You'll never sell this guitar, for obvious reasons.  Only time will tell if you play it for the rest of your life or if it ends up as a pretty adornment on the wall of your man cave.

My own opinion is, tastes change.

So, my thinking is, do some research, show your Mum photos of the say 5 guitars you like, ask her which she likes the look of, give her some input, work from there.

It's a gift from your Mum, that's more precious than ordinary stuff like UK v China, etc, etc

Can I encourage you to make your Ma a key part of the backstory behind this guitar. The fact that it’s a milestone present from her, kinda makes it her decision at the end of the day. Steer her as best you can. And there’s been some good advice so far.

Elsewhere you mention Gordon Smith. I really like the idea of what they do. Established British builder, now overseen by Auden.

I made the mistake of jumping in and buying a guitar from a small builder - I won’t embarass them - but had a few problems with wiring, a duff tailpiece and bridge that didn’t match the nut spacings. Loved the body and neck design, but I lost faith/ patience with it and sold it.

if there’s a lesson, make sure you can do the touchy feely stuff before buying. Would Feline be prepared to allow you a chance to visit and chat, even though his main offerings are above budget. Maybe Auden/Gordon Smith would also be prepared to show you around. They might say yes.

I think it’s important to get a feel for overall weight, necks, etc as well as appreciate the quality of build. Drag your ma and family along for the ride*.

*Remember it’s also about the story.

I totally get what you're saying. Actually it was watching a video about the Kiesel factory that really gave me the idea for something custom, those guys just seemed so excited by what they were doing that it really appealed to me. Don't get me wrong I'm sure custom builders are like any other business, and I'm sure an element of anything like that is for the camera, but it still attracted me.

Feline are going to be out of my price range, which is a pity because they look glorious! Gordon Smith may well be a contender but unfortunately I live in Northern Ireland so a trip to them isn't a possibility. 

I might well just end up with a second hand Gibson, but I really would much rather buy something new, especially (due to my location) as I probably be buying blind. 

 It would simplify matters for me though to just stick up a WTB post here when the time comes and see what appears.

If I was buying used I'd hopefully be able to trust sellers enough on here to be honest with a used guitar (I will be avoiding eBay like the plague).

We shall see, it's not for ages yet, but it's important enough that it's probably going to be in my head until I'm holding whatever guitar I end up with in my hands!

Gadget

I had only been playing a couple of years when I ordered my first custom built guitar. I had some basic idea, as you seem to have, of what basic look, feel and intended use I had for it and being totally scratch-built, I was able to have direct input with the builder throughout the process to make sure that everything (neck profile, control location, hardware specs, colour, weight, woods, etc. etc.) were how I wanted them.

It's a special guitar, I still have it 30 years later and I have no regrets.

It was also UK built, but the luthier is sadly retired now.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

HeldByWire said:

I might well just end up with a second hand Gibson, but I really would much rather buy something new, especially (due to my location) as I probably be buying blind. 

I'm not sure why whether it was new or 2nd hand would make a difference if buying blind? Being new is not necessarily a guarantee that it'll be fault free. Do you just mean you could return it if you don't like it?

If you want to buy new I'd suggest the best bang-for-your-mother's buck in a Les Paul would be something like a Tokai Love Rock LS150. Couple of tasty looking ones here - http://www.thelittleguitarshop.com/electric-guitars/tokai-guitars.html

If you could find an extra £250 down the back of the sofa, the LS186 on that page looks a stunner!

DiscoStu

If you're open to non UK then take a look at Edwards, which is ESP's Japanese brand. They make some killer LPs. You can import directly from Japan but there are also UK/European sellers.

DiscoStu

Guitar Village have Edwards LPs for just over a grand. Note the body and headstock shape, they can do this as these are meant to 'only' be sold in Japan...

https://guitarvillage.co.uk/categories/guitars/electric-guitars/esp

monofin

A couple of independent UK builders that would come within budget are PR Guitars and Rees Guitars.
I have a PR SCR which is great. Never played a Rees but I like the ideas he has.
One of the guitars inmost regret selling is a Gordon Smith (Graf) but haven't played a modern Auden one.
Worth mentioning that without a "big" name on the headstock the depreciation is massive.

Good luck.with the search - that's the fun bit

Jonathanthomas83

hassleham said:

Be careful of Keisel, I gather there are a lot of quality control issues at the moment. It’s a long way to ship it back if there’s anything up with it!

Also, check out Stormshadow Guitar Works.

"At the moment", care to share a link?

I had a recent Kiesel and it was flawless. Genuinely.

Bigsby

HeldByWire said:

Are they well known with a good reputation?

I'm thinking if I could spend a little less on the guitar I could out a little more towards a better amp too.

They're been around since the 70s - generally had a good reputation for no frills working guitars, but they began to get a bit of a reputation for poor quality control in recent years. However, they were bought by Auden guitars, who worked hard to maintain the ethos of the original company, but seem to have done a good job in improving the QC. I've heard several dealers saying this, and I've noticed the brand popping up in some larger dealers recently. 

According to their contact page they're happy for you to visit the workshop to discuss your requirements, but they do ask you to phone first. I'm hoping to visit them in August, but I'm also hoping they'll have completed my order before then.... (I ordered through a dealer for a particular reason).

BTW, take a look at their Instagram page - there's a lovely single cut Graduate on there with a green burst:

Jonathangus

One option which I don't think's been mentioned yet - I won't pretend to know anything about vintage guitars, but according to Reverb's price guide at least, a 1979 Les Paul might fall within your budget.

HeldByWire

Jonathangus said:

One option which I don't think's been mentioned yet - I won't pretend to know anything about vintage guitars, but according to Reverb's price guide at least, a 1979 Les Paul might fall within your budget.

Ah yeah I had thought about this a actually, but I'm in that same sort of boat, I don't enough about anything vintage or what to look for when buying a 40yo guitar!

crunchman

Gordon Smith have the brass nut.  That's one feature of the original that Auden seem to have stuck with.  The ones I remember playing had a relatively wide neck that was quite shallow as well.  Ideally the OP ought to get his hands on one before buying to check he would actually like it.

I'm not sure about getting a hand built British made Les Paul style guitar under £2000 from anyone with a good reputation - people like Feline, PJE, Rob WIlliams or Martyn Booth.

You might find a builder who will do it for that, but it would be a gamble on quality.

You can get British made guitars in budget, but not in the traditional Les Paul style.  Guitar Guitar have some Crimson guitars advertised at £1599.  The one I looked at was a set neck, but they are oil finished rather than the traditional nitro.  That keeps the cost down, but may not be what you want.

For me, the obvious answer is the boring one.  The Gibson Les Paul Traditional seems to go for around £1899.  Guitar Guitar have some in the "sale" at £1699.

HeldByWire

crunchman said: 

For me, the obvious answer is the boring one.  The Gibson Les Paul Traditional seems to go for around £1899.  Guitar Guitar have some in the "sale" at £1699.

Boring maybe, but the more I delve into this process, it's also clear that it may be the most simple. I know with that model or similar that I could probably find one to try at a local store in Belfast, and buying new does eliminate the S/H risk.

The only concern would be the recent reports of Gibson's quality control issues, but I realise that the internet can blow things like that WAY out if proportion!

bacchanalian

@HeldByWire I am also in Northern Ireland and agree with you that choice is somewhat limited here when compared to the mainland.  I don't think I would have the nerve to go for a custom build unless I was content that I knew exactly what I wanted. However, there is no shortage of used Les Paul's of all descriptions. Set up an eBay and Gumtree search limited to 75 miles from your house.

This is for sale at the moment

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gibson-Les-Paul-Standard-07-08-AA-Flame-Top/263775194335?hash=item3d6a3a0cdf:g:lvQAAOSwvBpbLirv ;

There is the Guitar Depot in Bangor which sold a nice Les Paul recently that later showed up in the classifieds here. Check them out on Facebook.  There is also pre-loved guitars N-I who always have lots of stuff on Gumtree and eBay.  They are in Ballinderry.  I am sure there are others.  There are also a few flippers but you can join the dots with Google. If you fancy a drive to Dublin there is Some Neck which always seem to have an interesting selection.

Having said all of that, we are lucky here in that there are a number of Lowden and Avalon trained luthiers who are world class. Occasionally you see an electric guitar made by one of them show up for sale but not often.

HeldByWire

bacchanalian said:

@HeldByWire I am also in Northern Ireland and agree with you that choice is somewhat limited here when compared to the mainland.  I don't think I would have the nerve to go for a custom build unless I was content that I knew exactly what I wanted. However, there is no shortage of used Les Paul's of all descriptions. Set up an eBay and Gumtree search limited to 75 miles from your house.

This is for sale at the moment

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gibson-Les-Paul-Standard-07-08-AA-Flame-Top/263775194335?hash=item3d6a3a0cdf:g:lvQAAOSwvBpbLirv ;

There is the Guitar Depot in Bangor which sold a nice Les Paul recently that later showed up in the classifieds here. Check them out on Facebook.  There is also pre-loved guitars N-I who always have lots of stuff on Gumtree and eBay.  They are in Ballinderry.  I am sure there are others.  There are also a few flippers but you can join the dots with Google. If you fancy a drive to Dublin there is Some Neck which always seem to have an interesting selection.

Having said all of that, we are lucky here in that there are a number of Lowden and Avalon trained luthiers who are world class. Occasionally you see an electric guitar made by one of them show up for sale but not often.

Ah nice to see another Norn Ironer Its just limiting over here in terms of having a store where you can try a whole load of different guitars. To be fair tho I've not been in Matchetts or Dawson's for years so they've maybe more than I think!

I'll have a look at the guitar depot, and a wee trip down to Dublin for a guitar would be quite fun! I've heard mixed reports about Pre-Loved guitars NI though. 

I never thought to search eBay by location!