PSA: SVL 61 Reserve on ebay

Danielsguitars · June 2018

robinbowes said:

I don't understand what the big deal is. He doesn't make the necks himself - but someone does, to his specification, with top quality wood and to a high standard. Do we expect makers to do *everything*? Should he wind his own pickups? Cold-roll his own steel trem blocks? Quarry his own iron ore and smelt the steel to make his machine heads?

Some of the comments on this thread are laughable, frankly.

The point is he didn't tell the customers and it's not laughable to me when you're shelling out 3k for effectively a partscaster, the perceived value is having something custom made by one person

robinbowes · June 2018

Do Fender Master builders make their own necks and bodies? Or do they assemble and finish from pre-built components? Do they tell the customers?

SidNewton · June 2018

robinbowes said:

Do Fender Master builders make their own necks and bodies? Or do they assemble and finish from pre-built components? Do they tell the customers?

I largely agree with you Robin. No one disputes the quality of his product but it's a little naughty to give the impression you're doing everything yourself when you're not, particularly considering the starting price for one of his guitars. Whilst it's not deception on the same scale as Vertex he should be more up front as to what you're getting for £3K.

Whether they are worth the money is, of course, for the buyer to decide. He's having the same level of input as one of Fenders master builders. There's a video on youtube of John Cruz banging one together in no time at all.

Fishboy7 · June 2018

They are described as 'hand crafted one by one' on the website.

robinbowes · June 2018

Fishboy7 said:

They are described as 'hand crafted one by one' on the website.

And?

They *are* hand-crafted.

dean111music · June 2018

id much rather a fender customshop now. At least there all made in factory and painted there

CloudNine · June 2018

robinbowes said:

Do Fender Master builders make their own necks and bodies? Or do they assemble and finish from pre-built components? Do they tell the customers?

Exactly. They are just assemblers too, and that fact is not at the top of the list of things Fender wish to point out when trying to sell you a guitar at those prices. Same applies with SVL by the sounds of it.

If I am paying that sort of money, I want it built from the ground up, wood selected for the exact properties the builder wants, preferably pickups wound as well. All the key things that go into shaping the sound of the finished product.

That is a 'builder', rather than an 'assembler' in my opinion.

Strat54 · June 2018

Error

svlguitar · February 2019

Strat54 said:

Wonder why SImon removed this comment about his suppliers, I can only assume he realised that its not great for business.....Simon are you watching this thread? The thing is he is talented enough to cut his own bodies and necks but I guess he just doesn't have the time. He seems to be a very busy and in demand chap, and who's going to turn down Pete and Jeff when the call comes in. Who'd not want to work for them? Plus of course where does it all end, next we would be saying he doesn't mill his own wood.....

Hi all.

I was given a heads up about this thread a while ago, I dont really have to defend anything as i have been very open about how I build my guitars right from the start, I mean there was even a quote from myself on USACG website up until recently saying how great there necks are, and how i've used them for years.

The big difference between myself and Mr 'Partsacaster' is how i choose my materials and parts. In the very early days of me building guitars I built everything 'woodwise' I carved necks by hand, rough saw and shape and route body blanks, radius fingerboards etc etc, I can do all of that, however that was when i was building one or two a year for myself and friends. When I left my job as a tech in a guitar shop it was to look after my Father who had become very unwell. I took this time also to start building a few more guitars. I had realised quite early on how tricky it was to hand carve a neck to exact customer specs, also replicating a great neck each time is a bit of a lucky dip. So i took the plunge and contacted USACG. This was back when Tommy was still manning the ship. I took my original measurements from Matt Schofield's 61 Strat neck and sent them off to Tommy. Over the next few years I tweaked and adjusted the basic spec. Each time I received a neck I would of course do all the final shaping, headstock trimming, final sanding and rolling of the fingerboard edges. I will then do a final fret dress and re-crown, smooth fret ends. I do all of my own finishing In nitro-cellulose of course.

I was actually slightly rattled when someone suggested I dont do my own finishing' I spend more time in my booth than in my house!!

My bodies were coming also from USACG but more recently I have been sourcing bodies from another mill that offered my old growth timber and sometimes even reclaimed timber, I feel very strongly about the state of our planet and work closely with companies that respect the ethics of the FSC and the more recent CITIES legislations.

It is very difficult here in the UK to source high quality tone woods, they tend to be very expensive and quite often very heavy!! In my opinion the very best timber comes from the Pacific North West of America, along with a little South American beauty of course.

My hardware comes from both the USA and UK, and each part is picked for tone and reliability. My screws are hand picked for look and function. All of my top nuts are cut by myself, by hand one by one, this job alone properly can take an afternoon. In fact as i have said many times before, the top nut is the make or break of your guitar! I pride myself on my nuts!!! I also don't change anything for the sake of cost, I will only use the very best I can source and buy, the cost of importing such things from the USA is highly expensive, but I just have to do it for the sake of tone.

My pickups are wound for me by the lovely Mr Mark Foley and my other electronics come directly from CTS and CRL, i mainly buy old stock capacitors for their sexy look and old school tone (when used)

I could bang on about who what and who doesn't do what on their guitars but i'm not going to. I pride myself on my work, and the fact I've been so very fortunate to work closely with some of the finest guitarists on the planet further reinforces my belief in what i do. When I worked in the back room of a music shop I could only dream of being a touring tech, but what I learned there and what I finally learned on the road goes into my guitars.

Somebody mentioned they were expensive... They are most certainly not! I've spent over 30 years of my life learning how to do what I do and finally I am getting somewhere with my craft, be it working on amps or building a guitar.

Anyway I've rattled on enough, I must get out to my shed

I'm not much of a forum guy so I may not check back in for a while

See you out on the road or in my shed!! I love them both

Simon. XX

Hello Forum,

WindmillGuitars · February 2019

@svlguitar Nice to see you stop by here Simon .. keep building AWESOME guitars

mgaw · February 2019

bottom line for me if is the guitar feels great, sounds great, plays great who gives a fuck......tiresome this nitpicking do the nitpickers have any real idea about running a business that is reliant on reputation hard earned through years of dedication and slog and a deep enthusiasm for the product?

I do and its very hard work...….seems very sensible to leave a degree of the work to a far better placed person who can deliver an excellent product which @svlguitar can QC and finish...

this place is great this type of bitching thread is a fucking downer

musteatbrain · February 2019

Possibly the best and certainly the lightest strat I have ever played is an SVL. I wouldn’t worry about the production details too much.
I have no affiliation with the builder, but from a sample size of 1, the guitar I played was noticeably better than Fender CS and if I could justify the money for another strat I‘d pick SVL without hesitation

SidNewton · February 2019

Fair play @svlguitar for clearing things up. Stop by again, your presence will be welcomed.......by most.

PS66 · February 2019

I own a 61 reserve and a Custom shop....both different but the SVL is a joy to play and with Mark Foleys pickups it sings.

dean111music · February 2019

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SVL-Guitars-61-Reserve-Montreux-White-Aged-Good-Condition-E-Guitar/264052682294?_trkparms=aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20160908105057&meid=f312b14e3aab4c83ac61440d2afe441e&pid=100675&rk=5&rkt=15&sd=123650741160&itm=264052682294&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci:225c0e15-3302-11e9-879b-74dbd180f45a|parentrq:fd8b3beb1680ab6b23c51253ffe81b72|iid:1

Well overpriced??

dean111music · February 2019

its used too.

JCA2550 · February 2019

Crikey!
Love my SVL 61 but £4k+ second hand?

robinbowes · February 2019

Two things:

It's in Japan, so possibly rare in that country.

Asking price != sale price.

BBBlues · February 2019

Prices start at £3k new, apparently.

SidNewton · February 2019

Stumbled across this yesterday

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PSA: SVL 61 Reserve on ebay

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