Anyone owned or at least played a Creston?

[popvulture]

I've been checking out Creston guitars off and on for the past couple of months—he's got some really gorgeous looking stuff on his website. There's also a little mini documentary about him that's pretty damn cool... he seems like a really interesting guy who kind of banters back and forth with customers about what he will and won't do. Might be a turn-off to some, but I find that interaction enticing. I emailed him as well, seems like a super nice guy. The guitars are pricey, seemingly hovering at or just under $3K.

Anyway, they're not guitars that you can really play anywhere—I guess he just sells them direct/custom or maybe through a very small handful of retailers. I was wondering if anyone's ever owned one or at least given one a test drive. Not that I'm really in the market for something like this at the moment, but always curious...

This is the particular guitar that really caught my eye—"Redwood Special":



And the little doc:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOXlxZxKK4[/youtube]

[voerking]

i have played them (although i have not owned one) and i think they are 100% awesome.

a guy i used to share a practice space with had this one:

glorious guitar.

and another friend got this one a few years back.


i am tempted to get one, myself, when i have some extra funds. i can't think of anything remotely bad to say about them.

[Hyphen Nation]

I have been looking at them for over a year. Really want one. Love the more raw salvage woods, and the custom painted ones. Really nice vision for his guitars. There's a beautiful 24-3/4 mustang with two WRHB's, tele bridge and bigsby trem that is gorgeous all around.

[voerking]

this just got posted today...here's my pal Nick playing the second guitar i posted above:
http://www.npr.org/2016/07/13/485826902 ... sk-concert

[Chankgeez]

Forsyth's a great guitarist!

[popvulture]

Ah, your friend's in the SMB! That's awesome!!!

It's no surprise to hear that the guitars are great—everything about them certainly indicates as much. I'm not going to be in the market for one any time soon, I don't think, but I'm definitely gonna keep it on the short list. A JM or Tele in that sinker redwood or salvage pine plank... fuckin' A that sounds lovely

[SPACERITUAL]

I have played two of them and they are very nice guitars. I have almost pulled the trigger a couple times but havent because at the last second something shinier came along. His builds are on par with some of the more well known and respected botique fender-style builders and i think alot of the time they are cooler. They also universally come out under $3000 though he may have raised prices lately I havent looked in a while. There is a really cool tele up for sale in the facebook group. Though one thing is absolutely hate is how he only has one headstock style. I cant stand strat headstocks on teles.

[popvulture]

Yeah I hear ya. I can do it on a vintage Tele Deluxe though

Speaking more broadly, a lot of times it's the headstocks that drive me away from smaller builders. I know they have to be slightly different in order to not step on Fender/Gibson's toes, but if they're too similar they just look kinda bootleg, and too different can be off-puttingly wacky.

It's admittedly kind of a dumb thing to get hung up on, but sometimes it just really makes or breaks a guitar for me.

[repoman]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOXlxZxKK4[/youtube]

I thought the part with the dude asking him for a Baritone and then Creston 'correcting' him to go for an A to A instead of low E to E was funny

thats a bass dummy