What Drives Your Custom Guitar Choice?

[Mark Hatcher]

Here's a question for the custom guitar buyer. What are your priorities when choosing a guitar? Here are some of the things I can think of but how would you prioritize these and other reasons you may have?

Sound
Playablility
Looks/style
Price
Builder's reputation
Investment
Special ergonomic needs
Quality of materials
Quality of build
Relationship with builder
Wait time
Whatever else that is important to you

Thanks!

[gstring]

I think price dictates the builder and the choice of builder dictates the order of importance for most other considerations.

dgd

[Haans]

Tone and playability.

[Sage97]

Since I've commissioned a few without ever playing any of the builders' completed guitars, the first attractions for me are reputation, feedback from other guitar owners, (you could say this is an indirect consideration of tone and playability), visuals and pricing. Next comes the phone conversation - I've got to have a feel for how collaborative the process will be. Last but certainly not the least - the return policy.

[JoeCharter]

I usually create some "segments" inside my head and then go for the most reputable builder within that segment that I could reasonably afford.

Visuals also play an important role in my view.

I also want guitars that are different in size, looks, materials and sound -- while other collectors may prefer a more homogenous group.

When it comes to high end stuff, I strongly believe that it's an emotional thing. Nobody needs a guitar that expensive...

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

When it comes to high end stuff, I strongly believe that it's an emotional thing.

That's a good point that it's an emotional decision. I suppose it's harder to know what drives that, what you think of the builder's guitars or the image in your mind of owning "that" guitar. If luthiers were bigger you might get away with calling it the "brand". Like Apple has a brand that drives millions of people to stand in long lines to get a new whatever Apple thing is out.

[sachi]

I became interested in Brad Daniels at Kolaya after seeing several examples of his guitars here at the AGF. So it was the aesthetics that drew me in, and I also noticed that the people who had played his guitars were quite pleased with how the sounded and played. So I got in touch with him, and over several weeks of emails in which Brad showed me that he was experienced and capable of understanding what I needed, I decided that I'd trust him to build a guitar for me.

At that point, obviously, I had not played a Kolaya. However, I'm testing one out now and will test a second in a week or so. So I not only am able to gauge how his guitars sound but I'll be able to pass on more information about how I liked those guitars so that Brad and I can choose the woods and other elements that will work well for my needs.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by sachi

I decided that I'd trust him to build a guitar for me.

Thanks Sachi

That's another good point. Sort of along the emotion line because it all leads up to you wanting to feel "trust" in the builder. That absolutely has to count!

Mark

[El Conquistador]

What is important to me in a guitar and what are my priorities in selecting a builder are two different things.

In terms of what I want in a guitar, I would rate them as such:
1.Playability (If it hurts to play it, I don't care how good it sounds, I won't play it)
2.Tone
3.Quality of build
4.Looks/style

However, in terms of selecting a builder;
#1. Price. I know I cannot afford a Traugott. So I first find a builder with a price structure I can afford. I suppose the upper 1% might be inclined to find theeee most expensive builder.

#2 It seems to me that builder's reputation includes sound and quality of build and ability to customize to your playability needs. In other words, the builder has a rep for building great sounding guitars and playing guitars and he has a sense of design that really gets your juices flowing. Also the builder's rep as being really easy to work with. Very responsive to messages, lots of pictues, etc.

#3. Wait time. I probably would not wait 10 years for a Manzer.

0% conern about investment.

I will also add a very high priority that is not on your list. Warranty, both in workmanship AND in the builders contingency plan (if any) if something were to happen that would either prevent or seriously delay construction of my guitar that I have already paid up-front money for. I want to know that the money I have paid has not all been spent, but, is in some kind of escrow account ala Tim McKnight and that there is a plan in place to refund my money. This would rank pretty high on my list.

My $.02

Steve

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by El Conquistador

What is important to me in a guitar and what are my priorities in selecting a builder are two different things.

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I guess as a builder I tend to think of the two as being more the same.

[dk63]

Well, since I have a build commissioned with Joel Stehr I will tell you what led me to choose him for my first custom. Not necessarily in this order:

1. As many have said here, price range is the first thing I had to consider. I can afford to spend only so much. So, I looked at every sponsor on this forum and many others and narrowed my list down to who fit in my price range.

2. Since I wasn't going to get to play the guitar before I bought it I read as much as I could from buyers who bought from those on my list to get an idea of what their impressions were. As you might expect nobody was unhappy but some builders did get more exuberant praise than others.

3. Visually I had to like what I saw. Face it, if you are going to spend thousands of dollars on a guitar then you want it to knock your socks off visually as we'll as sonically.

4. I wanted to talk with the builder and get immersions of what they thought they would recommend based on my wishes and to just talk to them about building philosophy. Since I wouldn't be able to play the guitar before buying, knowing the builder was committed to a guitar that would play like butter was important.

So, after it was all said and done I made my choice. Mark, I can tell you that you were on my very short list but I could only choose one and Joel won the first round. Personally I feel that the byre wants to feel "connected" if you will with the builder to know that the guitar will be exactly what he wants. There are so many talented builders out there (particularly on this site) who can build great guitars.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by dk63

Mark, I can tell you that you were on my very short list but I could only choose one and Joel won the first round. Personally I feel that the buyer wants to feel "connected" if you will with the builder to know that the guitar will be exactly what he wants.

Thanks for the feedback David. I'm sure you are going to get a wonderful guitar from Joel Stehr. I don't know Joel personally, but reading him here on AGF you just know he's a great guy and his work looks fabulous!
Thanks Again

[Acoustik]

I take a slightly different approach - I have a specific set of qualities and specifications in my head for a particular guitar and then shop my ideas out to various builders. Through sampling of prior builds and discussions, I can very easily determine which luthiers share my vision and can best build *my* guitar.

Jeff

[M Sarad]

Tone.

Ten years ago I picked out a Santa Cruz OM I really liked. It was Mahogany and Adirondack. I asked the dealer to blindfold me and hand me all six of his OMs while I played them. After half an hour the blindfold came off to reveal my final choice: the OM I had started with. It turned out to be the least expensive
of the lot. I rejected two Brazilian and three EIR guitars along with various European and Sitka Spruce tops.

I shopped with my ears, not my eyes.

[TimberlineGuy]

Tone
Tone
Playability
Tone
Quality
Relationship with the builder
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Looks

I usually close my eyes while I play so I can "be the music" and I rarely play for acoustic guitar nuts like us here. Therefore, flashy things aren't important to me. Give me some Adi/Hog and that will punch you in the face with your eyes closed, and I'm a happy guy