Small/Custom Luthiers

[egan.]

Some of you may have noticed my allegiance to Roscoe guitars. There was a review this month in bass gear magazine and while it's a generally glowing review for the brand I think more than anything it's a testimony for what is great about small luthiers (like our own Stinnett) and even small companies in general. You can check it out here.
In an era when you can get a pretty good instrument for next to nothing I think it's important to understand there are still differences and ultimately advantages to the craftsmanship of custom instruments if you can swing it.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Absolutely. I'm still in love with my Gordon-Smith. It spent ten days in a cardboard box, endured a 250km move in between, and when I got it out yesterday, the fucker was still in tune. When I compare it with my previous main guitar (Schecter Hellraiser C-1), it actually feels like it's made by someone out of wood. Love it.

 

[Sacha]

It totally varies based on the company though. I've had a good experience (although it too 4x longer than quoted originally) and a pretty bad experience. The bad one was with a pretty well respected (at the time) luthier as well. I think a lot of these guys may not be the best business men and when their name gets out there and demand explodes they just can't handle it.

However it's true nonetheless that most off the shelf guitars just don't compare. The guitars I've played that have that hand built attention and care just have a 'soul' to them that can't be matched.

 

[Soundlurker]

I love browsing through a couple of local luthiers' pages

http://dikaguitars.com/
http://dikaguitars.com/files/2010/07/18/nalbantov.jpg
http://dikaguitars.com/files/2010/07/18/docc1.jpg
http://dikaguitars.com/files/2010/07/18/martin2.jpg
http://dikaguitars.com/files/2010/07/18/emo1.jpg
http://dikaguitars.com/files/2010/07/18/sa6o2.jpg
http://dikaguitars.com/files/2010/07/18/niki.jpg

http://www.kdbasses.com/
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2889/s7300013p.jpg
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5167/s7300123.jpg
http://www.kdbasses.com/images/Earthquake-Front_b.jpg

 

[26]

It totally varies based on the company though. I've had a good experience (although it too 4x longer than quoted originally) and a pretty bad experience. The bad one was with a pretty well respected (at the time) luthier as well. I think a lot of these guys may not be the best business men and when their name gets out there and demand explodes they just can't handle it.

agreed,... had a bad, or let's say expensive one, too, years ago. Fortunately i was under the lucky ones, who at least had a guitar delivered after they paid.
From what i read in music magazines back then, the guy really was on the run in the end.

The guitars I've played that have that hand built attention and care just have a 'soul' to them that can't be matched.

and yes, that's what i like about them also.

 

[STINNETT]

Most small time luthiers are also devilishly handsome.

 

[26]

sounds like an adventurous life.