Need info on custom build for my son (OMG electric1

[Wendell123]

I post this here , instead of the electric section because there are more builders here,,, I know about classical and acoustics,, but not much about solid body electrics.. my son likes metal,, the kind with lots of distortion and vocals that sound like they are gargling razor blades,
He wants a 7 string, and he told me the wood, the pickups, fingerboard, tailpiece
he wants... I could think of Carvin and Ambelic,, but no others
It would seem to me, that an individual builder like "Sam Smith, luthier" would have terrible resale do to little name recognition,
If you can think of any custom solid body builders i can pass along to him let me know,, my prayer is , by the time he can afford one, his taste will have outgrown the desire for one,
thanks,
W

[mikealpine]

Depending on budget and how exotic his tastes are in wood, Carvin is a good bet. He'd most likely want to change out the pickups when he gets it, as I'm not sure if they'll install pickups that you provide, but otherwise, I think they build a high-quality instrument. Resale on those is terrible, however. In most cases, unless you go with a custom Suhr or some other well-known boutique builder, you're going to take a resale hit anyway.

[ZekeM]

Personally I don't know why anyone would go into a custom build considering resale value. To me a custom build is just that, custom. Why would you spend the kind of money a custom costs just to sell it in the future?

[mikealpine]

Good point, Zeke. Still, you never know; musical tastes can change so what you buy today might not be what you want down the road, or maybe (since there are few guarantees) you don't bond with the instrument for some reason. I wouldn't buy with resale in the forefront, but it could be something to consider, even if just a little.

[J-F C]

http://www.pedersoncustomguitars.com

[iim7V7IM7]

http://www.cpthorntonguitars.com/

and

http://www.ronkirn.com/

[justonwo]

Tom Anderson would be one great place to inquire. What's driving the need for a custom guitar, though? What's wrong with the production 7 strings out there? Or what is he looking for that isn't widely available?

http://www.andersonguitars.com/produ...els/models.cfm

[JoeCharter]

Kevin Pederson makes the most beautiful "metal guitars for adults" IMHO. Not cheap.

Otherwise the hottest name in metal right now is probably John Suhr.

FWIW, one can play metal with any guitar. This is mostly a matter of aesthetics as once you kick in the distortion all guitars more or less sound the same.

[Wendell123]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Kevin Pederson makes the most beautiful "metal guitars for adults" IMHO. Not cheap.

Otherwise the hottest name in metal right now is probably John Suhr.

FWIW, one can play metal with any guitar. This is mostly a matter of aesthetics as once you kick in the distortion all guitars more or less sound the same.

Thats my thinking exactly,, I think my son thinks the 7 string models are kind of limited ,, he has a Ibenez,, but he wants something better,,,
I am very closed minded, i dont like metal, i dont like distortion,
I am fussy about classicals, but for steel string , a Taylor is fine for me,
But i have to allow him to like what he likes , and he will have to save
some money if he is going to play in the custom park,,,
To me solid bodys are a board with a neck attached, but that shows you how much i know about it,, If it were me i would go with Carvin, but?
W

[dk63]

Is your son handy with tools and patient? If so offer him up the idea of building his own custom from a kit. I'll throw in the name Carvin again as I used some of their products to rebuild a 35 year old bass guitar I have. They sell kits which he can customize and then assemble assemble. Carvin makes very good guitars and the kits are some of the same components. Doing this will allow him to do whatever he likes as far as the finish. If he isn't adventurous enough to do the finishing himself then you could check out a kit from Warmoth as they will do finishing for you and have a wide variety of body styles.

[japple]

Scott Walker makes some of the absolute best electrics I have ever seen. If and when I get an electric, it will be from him. http://scottwalkerguitars.com/

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Wendell123

Thats my thinking exactly,, I think my son thinks the 7 string models are kind of limited ,, he has a Ibenez,, but he wants something better,,,
I am very closed minded, i dont like metal, i dont like distortion,
I am fussy about classicals, but for steel string , a Taylor is fine for me,
But i have to allow him to like what he likes , and he will have to save
some money if he is going to play in the custom park,,,
To me solid bodys are a board with a neck attached, but that shows you how much i know about it,, If it were me i would go with Carvin, but?
W

Ibanez make guitars in every range from beginner all the way up to "custom shop" instruments. Apart from the hideous label, their Prestige line are top quality guitars for reasonable money.

Solid body guitars may all sound the same through heavy distortion -- they definitely all feel different and to a player that is a very important aspect, especially for an "involved" and technically demanding style such as metal.

All the guitars out there are fine for the most part -- and the best guitar is the one that would make your kid happy. If it were for my kid I'd get him whatever he wants. He'd probably want the same brand as his favourite player.

[Wendell123]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Ibanez make guitars in every range from beginner all the way up to "custom shop" instruments. Apart from the hideous label, their Prestige line are top quality guitars for reasonable money.

Solid body guitars may all sound the same through heavy distortion -- they definitely all feel different and to a player that is a very important aspect, especially for an "involved" and technically demanding style such as metal.

All the guitars out there are fine for the most part -- and the best guitar is the one that would make your kid happy. If it were for my kid I'd get him whatever he wants. He'd probably want the same brand as his favourite player.

Thanks for the advice,, my "Kid" is 25, and is paying for the guitar himself,
I told him, custom may mean wood, pickups and neck shape and width, but as far as sound goes, it is not like a luthier built acoustic,, you dont tap tune a solid slab of wood,

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Wendell123

Thanks for the advice,, my "Kid" is 25, and is paying for the guitar himself,
I told him, custom may mean wood, pickups and neck shape and width, but as far as sound goes, it is not like a luthier built acoustic,, you dont tap tune a solid slab of wood,

I do agree with you overall that a "better" electric guitar mostly means a nice chunk of wood with pickups. When a metal guy floors in the distortion, any particular aspect of the guitar's tone is lost.

That being said, we're on the AGF amongst guitar lovers -- and personally I would still want the best playing/looking/sounding guitar I could reasonably score, even if it's an electric.

Plenty of fancy 7-stringers here: http://www.abyssguitars.com/models/c...p_gallery5.htm

[royd]

Check out thegearpage.net which is aimed more at electric players. They have a forum for small company electric guitars and there are as many as there are acoustic builders... I dare say most would disagree that an electric guitar is a hunk of wood with pickups.