custom guitars

[DCLXVI]

by custom I dont mean ordering a bunch of options and add-ons from a manufacturer, I mean finding a luthier and having a guitar built from the ground up.

about 5 years ago I had a guitar built for me by a fellow up in canada, his line is called "timtone", and it was the finest instrument I have ever played. it took around 5 months to build, and I loved that that hunk of wood like a baby. I had it for a year, until it was stolen, I traced it down to a pawnshop, but too late. they sold it for 200, I paid close to 2500. I am just now recovering from my grief I think (er...making enough cash to have another one built ) and Im having fun surfing around the web checking out builders sites.
I dont think I could even tell the builder of my guitar what happened, because I know that he puts so much love and care into every one of his creations.

anyway, just wondering if anyone else has had the privelege of owning a custom built guitar?
if not, what would you get?
who would make it?
material? hardware? etc etc

 

[xenophobe]

I know this isn't what you're talking about, but 3 of my Jackson are custom built from the ground up. Jackson will build anything you can think of, as long as it's possible.

Each one made one at a time by one builder, from taking a rough neck blank, attaching the headstock and fretboard woods, shaping the neck by hand, adding the inlays by hand, installing the frets by hand, hand painted and polished, and carefully assembling each and every component by hand until that one guitar is complete.

Not many guitar companies do so many processes by hand like Jackson does. You can have this same quality with a USA Select guitar. While the USA Select stuff is made in batches of 10-30 guitars at a time, the process of manufacture is identical, just not with the individual attention to detail and "one at a time" level of handling a true Jackson Custom Shop guitar gets.

Jackson may be a large company, but their Custom Shop stuff is truly custom. Especially when it comes to one-off production guitars, their stuff is truly amazing, and Dan Lawrence's hand painted graphics are the BEST in the industry. Just go to GMWguitars.com and see his amazing work.

Many small time luthiers make EXCELLENT guitars, but I'd put Jackson up to most any of them, except for maybe high end Empire or McNaught.

One of my favorite peices from Jackson (no, it's not mine):

 

[plfffffft]

Originally posted by xenophobe
I know this isn't what you're talking about, but 3 of my Jackson are custom built from the ground up. Jackson will build anything you can think of, as long as it's possible.

Each one made one at a time by one builder, from taking a rough neck blank, attaching the headstock and fretboard woods, shaping the neck by hand, adding the inlays by hand, installing the frets by hand, hand painted and polished, and carefully assembling each and every component by hand until that one guitar is complete.

Not many guitar companies do so many processes by hand like Jackson does. You can have this same quality with a USA Select guitar. While the USA Select stuff is made in batches of 10-30 guitars at a time, the process of manufacture is identical, just not with the individual attention to detail and "one at a time" level of handling a true Jackson Custom Shop guitar gets.

Jackson may be a large company, but their Custom Shop stuff is truly custom. Especially when it comes to one-off production guitars, their stuff is truly amazing, and Dan Lawrence's hand painted graphics are the BEST in the industry. Just go to GMWguitars.com and see his amazing work.

Many small time luthiers make EXCELLENT guitars, but I'd put Jackson up to most any of them, except for maybe high end Empire or McNaught.

One of my favorite peices from Jackson (no, it's not mine):

that's fuckin beautiful

 

[plfffffft]

About how much would a custom Jackson cost?

 

[DCLXVI]

actually Xenophobe, thats still pretty close to what Im talking about, and that is one humdinger of a guitar. nice!
I really do appreciate Jacksons, Ive had several over the years, and the higher end models put the hurt on anything in thier price range. give me a cheap Jackson over an expensive Ibanez anyday...

if you like them, you may also dig these Bad Motherfuckas:

http://www.wayneguitars.com/ made by the man that invented shred guitars..

 

[xenophobe]

Personally, I love USA Jacksons for the fact, if a description is accurate, I don't even need to play one to know what I'm getting. Their consistency over the years and model ranges are so great, I don't have to worry about buying one sight unseen. There's only one or two manufacturers I can think of like this, Carvin being one and USA BC Rich being the other.

Gibson, Fender, PRS and Ibanez would have to be the worst manufacturers I can think of, bad setups aside, I truly have to search through a batch to find one I'd like to have... right now the Mexi-Strats are as nice or nicer than anything Fender is making now, with the exception of their "generic custom shop" stuff.

Yeah, Wayne makes some truly nice handmade guitars. A bit on the pricey side, since you can get something nearly identical from GMW Guitars for about $500 less... (GMW does a lot of factory work for Jackson, and other big names, and acutally uses original San Dimas Charvel templates for their bodies).

Jackson is one of the only major companies that has a Custom Shop where you can design EVERY aspect of the guitar, and if it's doable, they'll do it, and that's like drawing a body shape or headstock design out on paper, and having them make it, but waiting times are 12-18 months... That's the major drawback.

 

[warcorpse]

I love the shape of those Warriors, my next guitar will probably be a WR1 USA, just black though.

Jackson USA are the best guitars in the world, its true you don't even need to play it to know you will like it. The first time I played my RR1 was when UPS dropped it off.

 

[minDthEgaP]

Originally posted by DCLXVI
anyway, just wondering if anyone else has had the privelege of owning a custom built guitar?
if not, what would you get?
who would make it?
material? hardware? etc etc

I do not have a custom made guitar yet but I'd like to own a few Ruokangas guitars someday. Check out www.ruokangas.com

Here's a linkt to the ultimate Ruokangas guitar the Duke Millenium

 

[Sunbane]

I have a custom guitar...sort of. The thing is that I have no idea where it's from or what it is.

It's a Gibson-style Flying V that I bought at a pawn-shop for virtually nothing. It has a mahogany body and mahogany neck (set neck design). The headstock is the classic Gibson design for the V, although I think it's a bit smaller than the original. The fretboard is rosewood, 22 frets with dot inlays. I'm not sure about the scale length, but I have a feeling it's Fender scale. The neck is narrower at the nut than the typical Fender neck however.

The body was routed for a vintage style tremolo, so it's definately not a Gibson. It has place for just one humbucker, one volume and one tone control. The output jack cavity is located in the side of the lower wing (not on the front).

The "paintjob" is a homemade hack kind of thing, but I'm planning to have it repainted. There is no sign of any paint under it, so I suspect this was assembled from parts. The tuners are from Gotoh, the pickup is an EMG-81 and the trem is a noname Fender-style thing.

The guitar looks like a bastard child of Gibson and Fender, grown up in a punk-rock environment. It sounds good and plays really well, although the frets are now in need of some work.

I'd like to put a Floyd on it, but with all the routing that would have to be done, it would cost much more than the guitar itself to have it done. Maybe some day I might go through with those plans though.

Well well. If I had the cash to order a custom guitar built entirely to my specs, I would definately go for a Jackson. Probably a King V with a custom graphic. The quality of the Jackson instruments is the best I've seen - even the Japan-made models have very good craftmanship and a good, solid feel.

 

[xenophobe]

Someone on the Jackson board that I know just bought this beast of a KV...

A new creation by Dan Lawrence and the amazing works of Jackson:

 

[Sunbane]

UNHOLY MOTHER OF...pearl. (!!!) x)

 

[DCLXVI]

HOLY SHIT thats alot of inlay!!!

Im a big fan of fancy inlay work (trying to find someone do a goathead on my next guitar!) but I really just have to wonder if that much would affect the tone at all.
mother o' pearl is harder than wood, so would that give it a brighter sound maybe?

hmmm

 

[-DigmA-]

I mailed my own "custom quote" to them, the specs are the same like all the Jackson RR24s and it looks like this:

Hope for a cheap custom shop.
By the way, the guitars there doesn't really cost 500$ right ? If they do then I WILL BE SO HAPPY lol

 

[Valerie]

The cheapest a custom shop guitar from Jackson will get is probably $3,000. Also expect to wait for about a year to get it, after the month it will take to get the work order.

 

[The Emptier]

i would get jackson, or a custom from JEM GUITARS. its not affiliated with ibanez (i think) but it makes custom jems, its awesome. yeah probably a custom jackson stars. or even just a jackson stars

 

[Mathius Krunk]

If going for a custom guitar, why not find a luthier to do you something truly custom? Or never mind a true luthier, as just about any competent wood craftsman can build a solid-body electric guitar. You can even build it yourself given a minimum of proper power tools (planer, router, bandsaw, power sander).

I have built several guitars over the years myself, as well as had friends build instruments for me. It's not rocket science. Even fret and inlay work is not that difficult if you study the process and take your time.

There are plenty of books and videos available on the subject.

 

[genocide roach]

i was inches away from pulling the trigger on a custom 10 string benavente SCD. would have cost 5 grand. i still may do it, but just after my trip.
~gR~

 

[DemonJay]

Have you guys considered www.Warmoth.com? I used to work there.

 

[eric_kv2]

I've got and had a few jackson usa select guitars but I'm interested in Ran guitars since they can build esp and jackson copies for a fraction of the cost.
http://www.ranguitars.com/

A few guys on HCAF really like theirs.

 

[Pђoenix]

I'd love a custom ESP or Ibanez but I just don't have the money.