The title isn't meant to put anyone off from having a guitar made/assembled but to ask you to really think about the process.
It's also not about recommending certain people but about the whole concept of having a guitar made. Once you have the recipe you can have the cake baked. It's then just choosing the right baker.
It is not as easy as you think!
If you know you want a 54 Blackguard Tele that you can't find in the shops then you already have the spec. It will have a maple neck, black pick-guard and vintage tuners. Opening the case when it arrives shouldn't be an unpleasant surprise! It won't have die cast tuners for instance.
If you start with a blank sheet it is much harder to get the guitar you really wanted. I think the problem is that we don't really know what our own spec is.
I believe that you must get the fundamental specs Right.
Changing bridges and tuners and pickups can all be done after if you find you prefer something different. Body shapes, wood and neck material can't be.
For instance, let's make it simple, if you want a Tele made/assembled imagine going in to a shop with 50 Tele's of all varieties on the wall.
What do you go for first? Is it a maple or rosewood neck? What does your instinct go for?
Ok, let's say it is rosewood, suddenly there are only 25 Tele's to choose from. Do you want a bound or unbound body? Now you are down to 20. Do you want a Thinline? No, so now you are down to 15. Do you want a humbucker in the neck? No, so now you are down to 10.
What colours do you go for?? Now you are down to 5. You have honed in to what you really want in a Tele. No compromises being made.
You choose your favourite colour and you play it. If it shouts out at you then BUY it! You have in your hands your perfect Tele!
Having your own spec guitar made is an unknown quantity first time around. It is a great journey and one I have made 8 times now. I only slightly blew it once.
You have freedom to choose but choosing wisely is not easy. For instance, your mate has a cheap Strat copy but the neck is to die for!! It fits your hands like a glove so you can take measurements at various points of neck depth, you can take the shape of the neck at various points using a radius comb and have the measurements of your ideal neck. You know it will come back with a Tele headshape.
Hang on though! The frets are a bit small so you will get bigger frets fitted and have the radius changed from 7.25 to 9.5 because you can. You have just fundamentally altered how that neck will feel to you! Your web may fit the back of the neck perfectly but when you wrap your fingers around it the feel will be different. It won't be the neck you fell in love with.
I've been around guitars for a very long time although I am new here. One thing I am certain about is that I know what I like. The other thing I am certain about is that I don't know what I like! It changes all the time although I do have certain parameters.
This Forum has some great builders, finishers, pick-up guru's, parts suppliers and I am hoping they will add to the conversation.
Each can pass on their experience of getting the customer the right outcome based on what you are wanting made. The further "out" you go the less chance of it having any appeal to someone else. Make sure the Flying Vee with a bolt on Tele neck and three single coils with a Floyd is what you really want because you could be stuck with it playing Jazz on it in your old age!
Please join in to help others see things they may never have thought about. It's a great journey that just needs some thinking about.
Cheers.
Comments
The other issue for me these days, is why would it be necessary anyway? The choice and quality of guitars on offer seems to make the whole idea redundant....
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
As far as spec went after 35 years of gig'ing I knew exactly what would work and that's what I went for .... kind of different to what you want. The pickups are EMG's for example, not the nicest of clean tones but more suited to cutting through dense mixes and isolating me from dodgy generator wiring and keeping the noise down in venues fitted with dimmer switches and fridge pumps.
Sims guitars in Kent made mine, only took about 3 months and was about 2K which I thing is very reasonable considering the quality of work and hardware. The rest of my band all had Sim's guitars made too. Highly recommended
Have you thought about assembling your own guitar, or buying one that is near spec and modifying it?
I wasn't trying to convince anyone who knows they will never have a guitar built to change their minds. No point.
I was hoping to encourage those that DO want to go that route to really think about it and through the help of all the builders/finishers/ pick up guys to see a clearer route to getting what they want.
@Roland ; Yes I've built lots of partscasters over the years and had great fun but they were always commercial parts put together that anyone else could easily do. I have good mechanical skills so it was easy but never unique...which leads me on to.....
Sorry @meltedbuzzbox I am rather a special butterfly actually.
I really have no issue with people commissioning builds. I think your post was well construed and highlights a lot of potential issues.
I would never discourage someone from it, but it has to be something special. I don't see why you would get someone to make you a tele/strat/Les paul as there are so many readily available in almost every guitar store.
All my opinion of course.
It shows in his builds. He is not just a carpenter.
Anyway, this thread is not about him but I do feel you are correct.
Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.
Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.
Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com. Facebook too!
Close, but I'd want a wrap round bridge/tailpiece ... and of course the quality is Epiphone rather than Gibson.
So I intend in the end to have exactly what I want made for me ... simply because its not something a mainstream maker will do.
Secondly with my pickup maker hat on ... I'm used to working with people all the time to get exactly what they want ... bearing in mind their rig, effects etc ... seems the most natural thing in the world.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
It was love at first look and still is today. The Rhoads shape fits me even. The serial: RR2772
Much later l joined a Jackson guitar forum and presenting my dream guitar: did you order it like that?
I learned that Jackson had done my guitar for me as it was custom shop serial! Later I learned that was the policy at the time for that kind of order anyway.
But building you got to know what you want and I might copy my partscaster to be 100% US Fender Stratocaster some day as I can't think anything more perfect as is.
You know what you want and why you want it and being "in the trade" you will take advice from whoever builds it for you to achieve it.
A dear departed friend had a Vee made and although they aren't my cup of tea really it sounded phenomenal!
What I have down though is personalise it, has Rutters saddles, Callaham neckplate, Rutters knobs, strap buttons and string guide, decent pots and switch. Callaham slot screws and a hugely expensive Bakelite repro guard.