Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

[Dave]

I'm interested in your thoughts on this issue:

Would you buy a custom made instrument by a not-so-well known builder when you could get a name brand for the same price?

For example: You walk into a guitar shop and see a nice Martin D-18 with its standard appointments-plays and sounds fantastic. Right next to it is an equally beautiful guitar that plays and sounds as good, with signs of great craftsmanship, like a flame maple binding and ebony tuning pads, etc. Both are the same price.

Which would you choose and why/why not? Would you buy the custom built if the wood was a higher grade and still costs the same?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Armotron]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

I would buy the guitar with better wood, considering id probabally change the pickups on it anyway, and add other things like switching etc... but then im not sure if it would hold its value as well, but if it played really nice and was a beautiful guitar i would get it and never sell it.

 

[B2D]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

I'd buy the one that sounds better :smoker:

 

[Mkf411]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

I'd buy the one that sounds better :smoker:

That's good advice. If resale value was an important part of the decision, I'd go with the brand name. If I'm keeping it forever, then whichever sounded better to me. Also, I'd look around for a used one of the less well known guitar because they usually don't hold their value as well.

 

[joelap]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

I'd buy the one that sounds better :smoker:

I was gunna say the same thing!

 

[Grandor]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

Not just what sounds better, but what feels better too.
I wouldnt go and buy any guitar that I liked the sound of but it was such a bitch to play that I never feel comfortable with it.

Go for the one that feels best and sounds best or most of both.

 

[Norman_T]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

If you are more interested in selling the guitar on then I suspect that most people would buy the guitar that has a name brand in order that they can pose and also get rid of it. A perfect example is Gibson who tend to make poor quality instruments and then want to get as much money as they can from people.

I would prefer to have a custom built guitar (and I have a few) that has been well put together with the best materials, love, care and attention to detail. That way I know it will be a great guitar and built and do the job that I require. BTW we have some great custom builders on this board - Blueline, JohnJohn and Zerberus to name just a few - and their work is great.

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

if it were in a store, then i would play both and take the one that feels best to me. If i were ordering a guitar i would buy from the custom builder, most custom builders have much higher quality and can take the time to talk to you and help you to find some extras that make a guitar unique. that said, i have had one custom guitar built and i am in the process of having another built, I could not be more happy with the first or the prospects of the next guitar. Most importantly the builder, Aaron, has become a friend of mine, try finding that from a famous brand name.

 

[xerxes]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

I'd buy the one that sounds better :smoker:

ditto, but it would have to play better as well....

 

[Blueline]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

Thanks again Scott - I can't wait to get started on the next beauty

I guess I'll be the first builder to weigh in
Yes, it does take a leap of faith to throw a large chunk of change to a guy who you're friends prob. haven't heard of, who's work you may not have seen (at least in person), nor heard. Its all about trust. I make it a point to KNOW each person who owns one of my guitars - or who is even interested. That way I can ensure them and myself that I can build exactly what they want.
AS for price - Its been said, but for the price of a well known guitar brand that starts with a "G" and ends with and "ibson", after you replace the pickups, and perhaps add some nicer hardware, and straplocks (and no, i dont' understand why a guitar for 2 grand doesn't come with them), you may be well above some of the great custom builders out there (driskill, mcintuff, thorn, McIntire (sp)) not to mention some of the great builders here - JohnJohn and Zerb)
Get what you want - for that much money you should
most small builders are way better in materials and attention than the large companies.

As for resale value - those who know, know. someone who knows what a driskill is, know how much its worth

that being said, I build a lot of guitars with personal touches that may effect resale. That is to say, having your wife's name in pearl on the fingerboard and a picture of her done on the back of the guitar might make you smile (i'm sure it would make her smile) but it might harm resale a bit)
but hten again - i doubt you'd ever be able to sell that guitar anyway
for that matter - i'd prefer if none of my customer's ever sold their guitars - hopefully they'd never want to

just some things to consider

feel free to give me a pm - if you're interested, or if you'd like someinfo on the other builders mentioned

cheers

Aaron

 

[fusion101]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

i'd most definantly buy the one that sounds and feels better and more solidly built

 

[Mincer]

Re: Famous vs. Custom? Builders please weigh in!

i dont buy guitars to eventually sell them, I buy them for life. Sometimes it doesnt work out that way, and either I have had to sell guitars for financial reasons, or I found myself not playing a guitar for more than a month at a time.
But when I bought them, I bought them for life. I don't care about resale, I go with what sounds the best to my ears at that time.