First time reaction
 

Curious to all who got their first custom built guitar, what was your reaction compared to your previous guitar(s)? Did you stop giving less attention to your factory-built ones? Did it permanently stop your GAS or atleast temporary for a long period of time?

I have always played one guitar 100% of the time. If I got a new one, it invariably replaced the previous one, factory or custom, irrespective. But I have been pretty careful that each incoming guitar (very few, 4 in 30 years) was both better and better suited than the one before. No impulse purchases (I was on a seven-year waitlist) and no regrets or short honeymoons.

Well, it was actually the beginning of a 15 plus year journey of buying and selling other small builders instruments!:D

Slowly worked my way up the ladder to the cream of the crop.:guitar:

My first, and only, truly and fully custom specified and built guitar I’ve got, is an assymetric, fan fret, mad rw/euro spruce beauty built by Bruce Sexauer. I understand what you’re asking - for a while, it was the only guitar I played, and it did put every small shop and factory guitar into a secondary position in my mind. But - after the uniqueness and newness wore off a bit, I found that I missed the tone of my mahogany, or maple, and the feel of a 00 vs a slope shoulder, the fun of plugging in, or the jangle of a 12 string.

Nothing - no matter how perfect - can ever truly cure you of GAS. But I do find it much easier to greatly appreciate, but not feel any need to purchase, a large number of extremely nice guitars I see come up for sale here -

My first commission compared to my other guitars at the time was not at all what I expected. Admittedly, I didn't do enough research and self-examination before commissioning so the guitar, although lovely, did not fit me ergonomically and it was built "heavy" which did not suit my finger-style playing. Didn't take me long before I was back to my factory built guitars and had the commissioned guitar up for sale to fund my next. An expensive lesson.

Have to say, my GAS was not diminished! Exactly the opposite. I was charged up and ready to try again applying all the lessons learned. I was committed to finding out what I liked, what I didn't and finally get to a guitar that fit me perfectly.

My first fully commissioned guitar was built for me by Steve Kinnaird and Ryan Middlebrook, Kinnaird West as I like to call them. We went all out, an SJ with BRW and Italian Spruce. Heck the build thread got over 70,000 views here and took 3 separate threads to get it all in. My significant other and I along with Steve and Ryan designed all of the inlays and rosette together.

That guitar did/does everything for me, I love it, will never sell it and it means the world to me. It sounds great and is absolutely beautiful (well at least to Kathy and me). It should be the poster child of what a custom guitar can be!

Did it cure my GAS, no, it added to it. It was so fun and meant so much to me, it just gave me the longing to do it again and make more memories via guitars. I have way too many now, all special in their own ways and try to play them all.

Along the way has come the added benefit of adding some great luthiers to people I like to consider my friends! I consider this last gift to be better than the guitars.

It sounds like me talking here - right on!

Mine was a Sobell, about 17 years ago:

A. I immediately sold all my “factory” guitars and never bought another.

B. Playing acoustic went from a sideline to my no. 1 hobby overnight.

C. I got terrible GAS for luthier-built guitars; that cost me deep in the purse over the subsequent years. Loved ‘em all though.

Cheers,
Steve

I think my first custom introduced me to a whole new world where I had never been. It wowed me... I couldn't believe a guitar could be that good. So, it probably helped fuel the fire. It introduced me to a group of folks who I got to know better and better over the years... just a wonderful experience. There's nothing else like it.

My Lakewood M32 was a custom job.
14 years ago.
Not bought another steel string since. Never saw the point.

I would like a nice handmade classical though.

Exactly!
 

This totally sums up the entire custom experience for me.

Late '60s, early '70s - mainly to help a starving luthier friend. I had no idea how to specify a guitar and was really still learning. He built me an SJ200 type guitar with highly figured Brazilian B&S which when put together had a really obvious "devilish" face. Everyone who saw it said - oooh - that's spooky!
it was never"right" and the neck profile was totally wrong fr me.

I traded it, maybe for a Dobro ? Can't remember now.

He built me a 12 fret 12 string like the D12-20 Martin at one point too, but it collapsed quickly so he insisted on giving me my money back.

I think he's still building but he must be older than me.

Edit : I've just looked him up and he died last August ...he was a few months younger than me. How sad!

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...shall-obituary

Mine was a 12-fret McAlister "FA." It was built as a prototype with my input but not exact "need to have" specs. I was to be the 1st to evaluate with the option to purchase. After playing it for 20 minutes, I called then shop to tell Roy I wasn't sending it back.

I'm currently awaiting my first build but I was lucky enough to have one of his guitars on loan for a couple of weeks during the wait time. If the guitar I get is anything like that (and my hope is it's even better for me) then I can't imagine wanting to play my factory guitar instead of it at any point.

As far as GAS goes, I can't imagine wanting a new steel string guitar any time soon either. I am trying to figure out the right time to upgrade my classical though...

My first custom guitar was a build by Mike Baranik in 2006. It was similar to another of his guitars that I had played and been very impressed by, and the guitar Mike built for me (with a Jimmi Wingert inlay) continues to bring me pleasure 15 years later.

Did I stop playing factory built guitars? Yes. Nothing wrong with them at all, but I find the tone of my custom guitar(s) to be much closer to what I want.

Did it cure my GAS? No, it changed it. As I came to appreciate the subtleties of a fine, custom-built guitar I also got hooked on the differences between builders, woods, body sizes etc. So I have been fortunate to have more custom builds, all based on me doing very careful homework and playing a particular builder’s guitars before making a commitment. Every guitar made this way has been great and is still with me.

And as Tom said, the engagement with the builders is a real treat. From a day trip to Tasmania to look at wood with Laurie Williams, to hanging out with Mike Baranik and other Baranik owners, or working with Kathy and Jimmi Wingert….it is an absolute pleasure and something I very much look forward to doing again if I can.