Best Custom Guitar Service?

[Name]

What do you guys think is the best service where you can custom order a guitar? I've always thought it would be cool to have my own "signature" guitar.

[Ayrton]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Depends on how custom you want it, and in what style. There are people who are really great at what they do, (e.g. D'Avanzo, Suhr, Anderson) and some that will go all out, but the more "out there" the more the cost.

[AlexR]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Best is a word that inherently involves a personal judgement.

So you have to make your judgement criteria known to us as to what you expect from the process.......

[esandes]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

G&L

You can get every single spec made to order at the same price as if it was in the shop. No obscene cost adders. Amazing quality.

[Mincer]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Most 'Custom Shops' are not that custom- you can't order anything from Fender or Gibson that isn't one of their standard shapes, for instance. You get to select from specific parameters unique to each style. If you want a truly custom guitar built, there are a lot of choices...we even have some great builders on our forum.

[Greyum]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Just go out and buy yourself a slab of wood and a router and build one yourself (buy the neck though, dam those look complex).

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Another vote for G&L.

Bill

[dave74]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

This totally depends on the level of customization we are talking about here, and if we're including customer-service and process-inclusiveness in the discussion.

[Hot Octopus]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Jackson makes killer guitars, but the wait list is 2 years long.
ESP will do crazy custom work (check out the Alfee angel carved guitars), and you'll pay through the roof for one
Suhr, Anderson, Tyler, Baker G&L, Dean- all have good woodshops.
Schecter USA has been puttiing some great guitars out recently

[Sirion]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

The first question: what are you looking for? For instance, I can vouch very highly of James Byrd's guitars (www.byrdguitars.com). I have one, and it is the best guitar I have ever played, but, the actual options for building one are very limited: you basically get one body shape and neck type, and good luck if you want to convince him to put a humbucker in it! He has a very firm idea about what he wants in his guitars, and nobody has managed to make him budge on some key points yet.

The reason I mention this is that he would be my #1 suggestion if you want a stratty guitar, but I couldn't recommend him for anything else. Likewise, there are other makers that do particular things very well. Relatively few makers do everything equally well.

[Name]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Basically I just want a seafoam green flying V with no neck pickup.

[BloodRose]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Jackson makes killer guitars, but the wait list is 2 years long.
ESP will do crazy custom work (check out the Alfee angel carved guitars), and you'll pay through the roof for one
Suhr, Anderson, Tyler, Baker G&L, Dean- all have good woodshops.
Schecter USA has been puttiing some great guitars out recently

Custom Jacksons are not cheap either.

I was gonna throw Carvin out there too.

[Hot Octopus]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Basically I just want a seafoam green flying V with no neck pickup.

check out Sullyguitars.com

GMW might be worth a look too.

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

Depends on your budget really. If you want a "seafoam green flying V with no neck pickup", maybe you should contract or commission a build from a skilled luthier. I had to do that for my fireman tele (built from scratch). Can't argue with the results.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

[ehdwuld]

Re: Best Custom Guitar Service?

I have had Carvin build me a 5 string bass some years ago
Neck thru with Koa wings. Beautiful
I recently contracted an Asian builder for my latest guitar

It just cleared customs yesterday I'm excited

I will let you know how that turns out

Asian builder is much less expensive