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BYO Guitar "Custom Shop" Necks Review

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  • #16
    A local guitar teacher I know thought he'd try "being a luthier" and bought a couple bodies and necks from BYO from their bargain page.
    I warned him not to....
    The raw wood body had actual muddy boot prints on the front and back, the painted one had pinholes in the finish, and a couple drips.
    One neck was warped in 2 directions, and the other had the slot for the nut BETWEEN the first and second fret.
    He ended up giving them to an artist for a project.
    aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever

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    • #17
      I have no doubts that the bulk of their parts are made overseas in bulk to lower price points, which would explain a lot of the QC issues, but I do think that their Custom Shop is U.S.-based.

      They just sent me pics of the replacement necks and already things are looking much better:

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      • #18
        Well, mine were expensive options......the LP wasn't that much different to a precision kit in price.

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        • #19
          The replacements arrived today and I can tell you they are a completely different animal than what I received before!

          Both of the replacements use proper "quarter-sawn" Maple slabs and really look great. The binding is consistent and nicely done. The black block inlays are crisp and the side dots actually match on both necks! Back profiles are smooth and the headstocks need only minimal touch-up.

          These are exactly what I was hoping to have received the first time around and much closer to what you'd expect from a mainstream custom parts builder. They are very close in build quality to the big "W", if I'm being honest, but a better price and I was able to request options that Warmoth wouldn't accommodate, like a custom back profile and the top-adjust truss rod with binding!

          If BYOG can continue to deliver this type of work, they could be a serious contender in the premium/custom parts space! At minimum, it's nice to know they can produce something better than what I received initially.

          At this point, despite some worry and lost time, I'm happy with the end result

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          • #20
            While this is a cool outcome, can't help but think of the piss-poor customer service standard that is prevalent everywhere today:

            **** it up the first time because you don't care, and only have to deal with the complaining customers; of which will be few and far between because people are lazy and don't want to bother returning things.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by LLL View Post
              While this is a cool outcome, can't help but think of the piss-poor customer service standard that is prevalent everywhere today:

              **** it up the first time because you don't care, and only have to deal with the complaining customers; of which will be few and far between because people are lazy and don't want to bother returning things.
              Admittedly, I almost just said ****-it the first time around, because the experience had been so poor up to that point that I figured it couldn't get any better and I'd just be wasting my time fighting it.

              Rather than continue to send communications that would likely go unanswered, I started leaving negative reviews online, which is ultimately what elicited a response.

              Getting a call directly from the owner, Shawn, who was sympathetic and didn't try to challenge me or talk down to me in any way, was a good move on their part and the first real "customer service" I received beyond my initial inquiries.

              Of course, even that gesture doesn't excuse the shortcomings up to that point, which spanned many weeks.

              Perhaps the real value here is knowing that BYOG *can* produce really nice products through their Custom Shop and, by sharing this journey, I hope others will be prevented from settling for less than they deserve if they decide to give BYOG their business.
              Last edited by Masta' C; 12-30-2021, 06:30 PM.

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              • #22
                Thanks for sharing your experience Masta C. I Have been a big fan of PGK but they are limited on the customization. BYOG has a C24 kit that can be customized with my preferred specs and a Floyd Rose. I keep looking for reviews of their work and find very mixed, often negative, reviews. I appreciate that they made it right to you - sucks you had to go the long way.

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                • #23
                  Wow! I didn't realize unfinished custom necks were so expensive. By comparison, that would make my necks worth at least $1000-1500 finished (any specified neck shape, any fretboard radius, with custom multi laminated skunk stripes, exotic wood fretboards, multi layer binding, compensated bone nut, etc., etc.).

                  Off the topic, but I am constantly amazed at the many guitars being sold for under $300 that are really pretty good (ex., IYV guitars). How can they do that?! By comparison, they ought to be just total crap...but they aren't!!!
                  Originally Posted by IanBallard
                  Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
                    Wow! I didn't realize unfinished custom necks were so expensive. By comparison, that would make my necks worth at least $1000-1500 finished (any specified neck shape, any fretboard radius, with custom multi laminated skunk stripes, exotic wood fretboards, multi layer binding, compensated bone nut, etc., etc.).

                    Off the topic, but I am constantly amazed at the many guitars being sold for under $300 that are really pretty good (ex., IYV guitars). How can they do that?! By comparison, they ought to be just total crap...but they aren't!!!
                    $300 buys a lot of guitar these days.
                    Administrator of the SDUGF

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Mincer View Post

                      $300 buys a lot of guitar these days.
                      Yes it does. I recently bought an IYV thin jazz box for less than $200. I was really impressed with the playability, sound, and quality.
                      Originally Posted by IanBallard
                      Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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                      • #26
                        Good thing we don't play oboe!
                        Administrator of the SDUGF

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                          Good thing we don't play oboe!
                          My stepson does, but as expensive as oboes are, they don't remotely touch what a bassoon goes for.
                          Originally posted by crusty philtrum
                          And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by dystrust View Post

                            My stepson does, but as expensive as oboes are, they don't remotely touch what a bassoon goes for.
                            I would imagine. Not to mention that it takes quite awhile to just get a sound out of the damn thing.
                            Administrator of the SDUGF

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