When Theres 1000's Of Guitars To Audition, Why Have One Built?

[Shadowfox]

I was able to get my custom Furch at the price of a 814 Taylor. Plus the build time wait allowed me to save up the money and it was a great deal.

I thought if I'm buying a very expensive guitar, why not take some risk and spec it in a way I wouldn't be able to afford. Alpine/Cocobolo is expensive lol.

[fazool]

Bizarre question.


So, I did super quick calculation of a small number of body sizes, scale lengths, top wood choices, etc, etc,etc and I came up with 12,960,000 combinations (using only standard common choices)


soooooooooooo


good luck

[hairpuller]

Well, there's the expense. And then there's the problem of it not sounding exactly what I envisioned it to sound like! That would kill me.

For me, it's been better to search for guitars in the specs I like and then play them hoping the looks and sound match up. If not, I may owe shipping back to the shop/individual, but that I deal with.

scott

[1Charlie]

I do find it interesting to observe the number of custom builds on the used market. Especially those with personalized inlay.

This points to numerous instances in which the original owner failed to bond with their commissioned guitar. It happens, despite the luthier's best attempt to achieve a perfect match to the owner's specs.

Having said that, I am considering a custom build that would require me to sell two fine guitars. Why? It would be cool to pick out the exact pieces of wood I want, watch the construction process as it proceeds, and have an instrument that was made just for me. Perhaps twice as cool as the two guitars I would need to sell. Perhaps not.

It is a roll of the dice.

[BrunoBlack]

Because I want exactly what I want. I’ve ordered a Custom Built guitar 5 times. It was a terrific experience each and every time. All of these guitars are outstanding. I think working with a familiar luthier makes the process pleasant and fairly certain.

[gfirob]

I had a custom guitar built once and it was a disappointment. I have played enough guitars to appreciate how random the business of quality is, even among high end guitars. You have to sift through a lot of them to find the true gems, and you can just never tell if a custom job is going to come out aces or not. Why take a chance? And anyway, how much more fun is it to play a lot of guitars in search for the one that rings your bell (and there is one out there that will ring your bell).

[AZ Slacker]

1. You can have it built to your exact spec's including any customization in appearance you might want.

2. You've played the makers models and like the sound and want that sound for your own.

[TBman]

If I wanted to spend $8,000+ on a guitar, but wanted some unique looking appointments I would visit many luthiers to see what their guitars sounded and felt like. I think many people do this so I'm sort of leaning to the possibility that having a custom build isn't that much of the guessing game it might at first appear to be. I think once you get familiar with the sound of different builders guitars it's probably not much different than ordering a custom Martin or Taylor.

I've never been through the experience of a custom build, but if I wanted one I'd be sure to do my homework to minimize any surprises.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

The OP poses a very interesting question. While not guitar related per se, I have a few anecdotes related to custom instruments.

About 20 years ago friend, a professional flute/piccolo player ordered a custom piccolo for $6500. He had offered to sell me his old piccolo for $2000 for my daughter when the new pic arrived. When his pic finally came it was a major disappointment. I know it ended up going back to the maker and he continued to play on his old piccolo. Consequently, he could not sell me his old pic.

About the same time I had ordered a custom trumpet. I put down my deposit and waited 13 months for the build. When it arrived it was beautiful. But the truth is that, again, good as it was, it wasn't what I was hoping for. I played it for a few years, then sold it and went back to a stock instrument.

While custom guitars are different in as much as a lot of is is the visual beauty of the wood the visual design elements of the instrument, it's still a crap-shoot whether or not you'll get a player that will melt your heart or an expensive wall ornament. IMO there are enough custom guitars all ready out there to try that elminates the need to take an expensive chance, no matter the reputation of the builder.

JMO

To repeat, how many 13 fret off the shelf guitars can you name? I have two that are custom built. Not to mention one has a 14 inch radius (try finding a lot of those).

[zmf]

Originally Posted by EverettWilliams

The process is delightful (getting to know a luthier and getting involved in materials selection and design) and I like supporting artisans pursuing their passions.

Sometimes the process is the desired result.

That's a relaxed and measured way to view the process, but I'm not sure that, after developing that relationship, if I could mask disappointment if the end result was not what I had hoped for.

[rpguitar]

Working with a luthier and designing/creating an instrument "together" (kinda) is a romantic notion and can be fulfilling, but this is not a case where the journey is the reward. If you are a musician first, then the destination - the instrument - is the reward. For the time and cost involved, it had better be a good one.

I've had a half dozen instruments built. I still own 5 of them, but none of them are my top choices today. They were all something I was fixated on at the time, not necessarily something that I'd want for all time. Of course you don't always know that until hindsight kicks in. Because they are custom made, the resale can be more challenging, and sometimes you feel a little guilty too.

At this point I focus more on the classics, which have ultimately served me the best over the long haul. There are a few things I'd still consider having made, but they are oddball combinations that simply can't be found on the open market.

[Osage]

I've only ever ordered one custom built guitar. It's an electric. I ordered it about 12 years ago from a builder who was fairly new and who was doing some very innovative things that I just couldn't find on an off the shelf guitar. It was built to my specs but was in his style. He was pretty unknown when I ordered it so it was inexpensive. I love the guitar and it was my main electric for a few years back when I was gigging a lot. The builder is now well known and his prices are four times what I paid and when his used stuff shows up, it sells fast. There's also a 2-3 year wait for his custom builds now. The whole experience was fun and I got a guitar that I played quite a bit and that has gone up in value.

[Silly Moustache]

I have had three custom guitars built by local builders, but two were back in the 70s because I wanted guitars "like" I'd seen in pictures - for instance a 12 string like a D12-20 which was simply not available to me at the time. (it was, sadly a failure).
Another was from the same struggling luthier who obtained some BRW and told me he was longing to use it in a build. I ordered an SJ200 style with it - the back was stunning but the guitar wasn't.

The last one was a 00-twentyeight style built for me (ordered and paid for by my wife for my 50th birthday.
It was a style that I'd seen Stefan Grossman playing but was impossible to find in the UK at the time.
We have so much choice now that it is less necessary, but should you want something unusual, or superior to the mass produced form, why not?

[brencat]

I’ve custom spec’d and ordered two guitars in the 8 years I’ve been playing. One a Martin, the other a Collings. Neither stuck around long. No fault of the dealer in both cases. I think grabbing a dealer custom where they spec and order multiple runs of 10 or 20 at a time is the best way to go. Maybe you don’t get every last spec you want, but you get to return the guitar if you don’t like it. Can’t do that with a one-off.

[BoneDigger]

I wanted something different and was able to personally sit down with a local luthier and discuss wood types, etc. I also wanted something that was mine and mine alone, so I designed the inlays as well. The guitar is fabulous and is sinker redwood over walnut. I love the tone and the design.