What's the best guitar you've ever played? Can you see it? Yes? Can you hear it and feel it? Now, here comes the most important question: what would you like to change?
Because we all know that most guitarists are overjoyed with their instrument…except for the color/frets/wood type/neck thickness/headstock/neck length/Mojo/pick up/bridge pins/sunburst/dent/scratch*
(*just pick the ones that apply)
As guitarists, all of us are on a happy and yet endless pursuit of ‘The One’. That perfect instrument that serves all purposes. And let’s face it: there is plenty to choose from, like the popular Stratocaster. On paper this is a 'standard' guitar, and yet thousands of versions are available, with different pickups, color, thicker neck, thinner neck; you name it.
The same applies to acoustic guitars: tonewoods, short scale or normal neck, matte or smooth finish; it's all there and then some.
But we know, that the traits you are looking for in ‘The One’ is often devided among several guitars.
The way to get that perfect package into one instrument is to have a 'Custom Shop' guitar made. Fender's Dream Factory' is renowned, because from Jeff Beck to John Mayer: they all have a model there.
There is no point in denying Custom Shop guitars are more expensive, but you do get a lot in return, like better tonewood, a more beautiful finish and above all a unique instrument that immediately fits like a glove. Maybe you suffer from some wrist or shoulder injuries or experience sore fingers after an hour of playing? A more tailor made model can give you more pleasure and less pain or other problems along the way. Maybe you're looking for a very special left-handed guitar. It's all possible!
In a lot of ways it is like having a tailor made suit: nothing fits as good as that. Try it once and you’ll never want anything else. But there is one big difference: a guitar will last more than a lifetime, a tailor made suit does not.
For many people, having a guitar made to their personal preferences is a once in a lifetime experience, during which they are faced with a sea of possibilities. You can pick almost anything you like! That can be both a luxury and a burden, because there are a lot of things that you haven't had to think about until now. Choosing the model is usually not a problem, woods and color are also an easy pick. But the devil is in the details that determine how your guitar sounds, plays and above all: feels. This requires the right decisions about the space between the strings, the depth of the body, the kind of frets, the ratio of the fretboard and much, much more. Germans call this: die kwahl der wahl. (the agony of choice). Because the difference between a nut width of 43 millimeters and 45 millimeters may not seem much until you hold it in your hands. The difference between jumbo, normal and rolled off fretboards: you’ll feel it right away.
Thanks to our years of experience we can make sure that having a custom shop guitar built does not get agonizing at all, but offers you a unique experience that leads to your dreamguitar. Knowing that we always have over 800 guitars available in our shop, will help this process, because we can let you hear, feel and see a lot of differences in advance.
We never rush this unique customer journey: sometimes a guitar is made within a month, but more often than not it takes three months. We are very fortunate to have helped dozens of customers compose guitars at their own pace at Fender, Gibson, Lowden and of course Martin
Those are obviously some of the big names and they have great custom shop guitars. But our insider tip is not to forget the smaller guitar builders. Every person is unique and smaller workshops sometimes offer just that one thing you are looking for. Dutch artist Miss Montreal, for example, had a great custom shop guitar built with the lesser-known but fantastic builders of Rozawood.
The very exclusive Santa Cruz guitars sometimes stays somewhat under the radar for EU-customers, but in the US it's a household name. BSG has been supplying guitars for years that never stop to amaze us, especially considering the price. The same goes for Haar, Made her in the Netherlands and absolutely top notch!
But beware! Having a perfect guitar made also has a huge disadvantage. One customer of the very innovative brand McPherson writes:
"I have a complaint: Since I bought my McPherson 2 1/2 years ago, I cannot seem to justify getting any more acoustic guitars. This has cut into my collecting. It is just all the guitar I need."
Do you want to buy just one more guitar and end your endless and happy pursuit of ‘The One’?
We're here to help you!