High end custom guitars...what are your experiences???

[THEBEERHAMMER]

So I'm looking for a new guitar after the EGC fiasco and Ive been really unsure about what i want. Everytime i check something out and i like it theres always one big glaring thing that i cant get over. Anyway the past couple days my dad and i had some spare time and he wanted to look at new cars so i decided to go with him and look at guitars. We went into north carolina and I got to check out some really crazy vintage stuff as well as customs from fano, grosh, melancon, suhr, echo park, motorave, blah blah blah. Anyway there wasnt a whole lot that spoke to me but the pieces i did like i REALLY liked. Most notably the motorave. The belaire was....well if the neck and pickups had been to my specs it would have been absolutely perfect. It was one of the few expensive guitars ive played that felt and sounded like they were that far beyond the prices of other guitars.

This got me thinking....i mean....i know its pretty high end but right now I could totally do it. Especially with the wait list being what it is.

Now as alot of people here know I recently had my first experience with the world of custom guitars through kevin burkett at EGC and it was without a doubt the worst interaction ive ever had with another person regarding business in my life. In the end i got most of my money back but i def dont think it was worth what i went through and i dont think i could do it again without losing my shit.....which leads me to two options. Forever buying off the rack stuff, or buying from pretty high end builder who have established their reputation with thousands of interactions and guarantee customer service. I think there are pros and cons of both but id really like to hear from those of you who have gone the higher end custom route and have some insight into the process? I know i could just go read through TGP and i plan on doing that eventually but for now im curious to see what ILF has to say?

[MaxMaps]

breux

Though my bass is not super high end I did end up choosing it from one of the best bass only stores on the west coast. I did not choose the color of my G&L but the hardware, body style and woods are exactly the options I would choose from if I ordered it from the Fullerton factory.

I think there are instruments out there that are good combinations of workmanship and availability. That is why I love G&L so much, amazing instruments with a lot of different options too choose from with a turn around time that does not go into the multiple year category.

For me I have to hold it in my hands to make the final decision. If I was you I would just play as many different guitars as I could get my hands on and buy the one that fits the best. You are definitely not doomed to be buying off the rack forever, however custom does not equal the best instrument for you.

[AxAxSxS]

If I was you I would just play as many different guitars as I could get my hands on and buy the one that fits the best. You are definitely not doomed to be buying off the rack forever, however custom does not equal the best instrument for you.

Totally agree with this. If you get to play it and fall in love before you buy, you can't go wrong. If you have to wait for a year and then an aspect does not meet your expectations, it will be crushing. I know the EGC thing was a bit worse than normal for not meeting expectations but I cant help but think that that experience will color your future interactions with builders. If you look for a flaw you will find it. I think you can spend the same amount and get a beautiful vintage piece from the golden age of guitar building that will be above and beyond the norm as far as quality and sound.

[hollowhero]

I've had nothing but good experiences with my custom ordered heritage and g&ls. The only drawback is that because of their size, they're not quite as flexible with specs and custom stuff as some of the one man operations.

There's always going to be some risk with custom ordering stuff sight unseen, but like AxAxSxS said, you shouldn't let one bad experience taint your view of the awesome world of custom guitars.

[one bad monkey]

If you go the custom route, you need to be crystal clear about two things.

1. You know EXACTLY what you want out of an instrument, and you're going to said builder because they can provide that.
2. You believe in that builder and have a good rapport.

I'd say the second one is probably the most crucial, as that is going to affect your entire dealing (and from the sounds of it, you know that). Take some time and interview the people that are in the running. It can be as simple as just talking to them on the phone or email, but get an idea of how they work. I did this when getting my custom ukulele (that's right, I have a custom uke), and the email exchanges from the builder I went with were great. The level of trust between both of us (as in, he trusts that I know what I want, and I trust that his experience will help with any issues that may arise from my wants and allow him to make suggestions) was very high and it resulted in an instrument that is amazing.

[cheesecats]

in my experience, custom orders usually disappoint. my best guitars are stock models ordered over the internet.

[Bellyheart]

Get a Nelson

[THEBEERHAMMER]

Get a Nelson

Id like one at some point but for right now they dont have a model that is geared towards what im looking for.

[MEC]

1. Plan roadtrip to visit blooghost
2. Stop at Rebel Guitars on the way
3. Hope that Wotan and EVIL don't kill each other

[THEBEERHAMMER]

1. Plan roadtrip to visit blooghost
2. Stop at Rebel Guitars on the way
3. Hope that Wotan and EVIL don't kill each other

As cool as that sounds I think it would probaby be a giant waste of time for me to visit rebel. It seems like just about every guitar he stock is ordered with a giant baseball bat neck.

[masked elwood]

i don't understand why it is so hard for you to find a guitar that speaks to you. one thing you keep mentioning is the pickup weren't right...those can be changed and should never be a reason to not buy a guitar. it seems that the biggest concern is a thin neck really. well that, and it has to have a certain 'look'.
this shouldn't be so hard.
custom guitars don't speak to me as much as a personalized one. an off the rack guitar tweeked to your specs might be a better option until you have ran the coarse with the tweeked guitar. i've seen you ask for suggestions for a long time now. seems that if you knew 100% what you were after, a custom made guitar wouldn't be such a problem. i mean, you have gone from an EGC to wanting a lee ranaldo jazz to whatever else at the moment.....none of those are even closely related. it seems that all you really want is a thin neck, special pickups and a kool look that no one else has.
going by your rather vague specs and constant changing of the style...i wouldn't want to build you a guitar either.
too bad that EGC has fucked you head up on this matter.
just buy a old guitar and fuck it up. save your money and eventually something will jump out at you and you'll be ready to pounce on it.

[THEBEERHAMMER]

i don't understand why it is so hard for you to find a guitar that speaks to you. one thing you keep mentioning is the pickup weren't right...those can be changed and should never be a reason to not buy a guitar. it seems that the biggest concern is a thin neck really. well that, and it has to have a certain 'look'.
this shouldn't be so hard.
custom guitars don't speak to me as much as a personalized one. an off the rack guitar tweeked to your specs might be a better option until you have ran the coarse with the tweeked guitar. i've seen you ask for suggestions for a long time now. seems that if you knew 100% what you were after, a custom made guitar wouldn't be such a problem. i mean, you have gone from an EGC to wanting a lee ranaldo jazz to whatever else at the moment.....none of those are even closely related. it seems that all you really want is a thin neck, special pickups and a kool look that no one else has.
going by your rather vague specs and constant changing of the style...i wouldn't want to build you a guitar either.
too bad that EGC has fucked you head up on this matter.
just buy a old guitar and fuck it up. save your money and eventually something will jump out at you and you'll be ready to pounce on it.

Honestly i have no idea about anything to do with pickups and wouldnt really know where to start. I live in an area that has....no good gear stores and its just like....you can forget craigslist. Everytime i see something i like and get to check it out its a dog. I played one really great ranaldo then maybe 3 that were absolute shit. Just total garbage. Im not a fan of vintage because i tend to buy hagstroms and old japanese semihollows and i end up loving every one but theyre really....breaky... The only guitars that blow me away and seem like they can hold up are the custom ones that i play. I want a semihollow because thats what i was going for with the egc...and because my favorite guitar was my white falcon. I would buy a white falcon but theyre three grand and thats custom territory. Also the necks on those new gretches seem really unpredictable. Oh also the only people who actually stock falcon dub cuts are musicians friend and zzounds and shit.
Also im not really looking for a....thin neck as much as a small neck. like my hagstroms, Those were the most comfy guitars for my hand size and its because the neck wasnt just slim but it was narrow too.

[masked elwood]

i have noticed anything wonky on the new gretsch necks...the old gretsch necks were the wonky ones. who cares if it's the price of a custom job if it's what you like?
have you played the new hagstrom viking? thin necks and semi hollow...and not expensive.

[Jwar]

I would totally buy a custom bass if I had the cash. I want a custom MTD like there's no tomorrow!!

Right now I own a Roscoe bass, which is the highest end bass I've had. They retail at upwards of 5k, depending on the options. The particular one I own is a Signature Century IV, with all kinds of upgrades. It was around 5k new. I bought it used for 1900. I definitely got a good deal too because it's the best damn instrument I've played.

Have a played cheaper instruments that wowed me? Sure, but nothing beats that sexy, sexy wood. Heh wood.

[Big Mon]

1. Plan roadtrip to visit blooghost
2. Stop at Rebel Guitars on the way
3. Hope that Wotan and EVIL don't kill each other

Could you imagine a Wotan/Beerhammer collab? Birth of new genre- CAPS-core, lyrics about pissing on folks and circumcision
One thing that I've had to learn the hard way is, there's no single Excalibur of a guitar that magically does exactly everything that I want it to. I've almost always tried to keep a few different guitars handy. This may be the case for you as well, Hammer.