TRUE CUSTOM builders? Any left?

[Canadian APII]

So it seems to that, among the more well-known "custom" builders there isn't all the much "custom" to what's being offered.

Usually these builders offer you a choice of 3 or 4 body styles, often less, and your pick of body wood, top wood, FB wood and stain / color and that's about it.

What if you're one of those folks that has (or thinks they have) the wherewithal to design your own body shape, want something unusual in terms of neck design and scale length etc? Any builders out there who both offer this level of customization AND can turn out a truly high-quality instrument in terms of build-quality, fit & finish etc?

Any suggestions TB? There's a 50/50 chance I'm gonna see some proceeds from a real estate closing this coming fall, and I'm considering trying to fulfill a long-held dream...

Thanks!

check out Sankey Guitars in Ottawa.

 

[alembicbones]

Another vote for Alembic here.

Bones

 

[cnltb]

See my post at #34 above. Rob cannot and will not build anyone a Buzzard.

yupp...I just re-read that post.

 

[WardEarth]

I’m guessing the cost of a fully customized instrument would be about 2x-10x the cost of a regular custom

 

[Woodsbass]

The only boutique builder I've ever really been interested in is Martin Keith, and he does full custom!

Specialty Custom Basses — Martin Keith Guitars

 

[MVE]

Alembic.

Not a bass, but maybe the coolest custom build ever.

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[Cutter8]

I would highly recommend checking out Rick Link/Beardly Customs up in Washington, PA. His TB handle is @rick0link. He does almost all true custom consignment builds. I just bought a medium scale 5-string from him and it is a fantastic bass! Top notch materials, high build quality, great feel and sound, and his prices are very reasonable. He is also just a really nice guy who seems very committed to making sure his customer is happy. Here’s a few pics of my Beardly:

 

[J Gold]

+1 on Chris Stambaugh. He built two for me of my exact designs and I see no limits to his willingness to try different ideas. Plus the quality is amazing.

 

[dhagopian]

Alembic will do just about anything you can dream up... assuming you can pay for it.

 

[nonohmic]

I would say that they tend to stick to their body shapes, but I'd consider instruments by Alpher (UK) quite varied and bespoke, particularly for their pickup and wood configurations

These guys are amazing. Although I would say their prices reflect it.

 

[swarfrat]

Then there's Wishbass, where he builds his own custom ideas for other people. What does he feel like today? Who knows.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

So it seems to that, among the more well-known "custom" builders there isn't all the much "custom" to what's being offered.

Usually these builders offer you a choice of 3 or 4 body styles, often less, and your pick of body wood, top wood, FB wood and stain / color and that's about it.

What if you're one of those folks that has (or thinks they have) the wherewithal to design your own body shape, want something unusual in terms of neck design and scale length etc? Any builders out there who both offer this level of customization AND can turn out a truly high-quality instrument in terms of build-quality, fit & finish etc?

Any suggestions TB? There's a 50/50 chance I'm gonna see some proceeds from a real estate closing this coming fall, and I'm considering trying to fulfill a long-held dream...

Thanks!

Give us an idea of what you want and budget and you'll get far better suggestions.

 

[Jon Moody]

Give us an idea of what you want and budget and you'll get far better suggestions.

Post #31 the OP spells out exactly what he wants.

 

[gumbynotpokey]

Check out Tom Clement.

 

[thetragichero]

i wonder if it's because your average musician isn't a very good designer. ever seen the guitars or stomp boxes with 37765432 knobs and switches that are not only fugly but impractical from a performance perspective?
there's a lot of "reinventing the wheel" that goes on with fully custom builds that very likely ends up worse than using tried and true "prior art"
hell i had a hard enough time finding a case for my bc rich mockingbird let alone some out there custom build

 

[hennessybass]

Check out Brady Muckelroy... central TX builder.
Pretty sure he might build whatever... he does great videos on FB too - last week about using harmonics and chords on bass.

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[MultiScaleMale]

Post #31 the OP spells out exactly what he wants.

That's going to be a tough one to find someone that would take on the project. A lot of R&D work, almost no chance of recouping those costs in follow-on builds and a very real possibility of being sued. I guess the most straightforward path would be to contact the Warwick custom shop. I can't imagine how much that would cost and OP said that he didn't care for the Warwick Buzzard.

 

[Yogi Bear]

I may have missed their mention, but Serek and Birdsong are pretty much all custom too.

 

[Ric5]

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[40Hz]

Truly custom and original? This guy. DaShtick Guitars™ ®

once again - Poland delivers. In my day job... I love working with my Polish colleagues.

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My SO owns a DaShtick Crazy Horse.

Cool instrument. But it’s more along the lines of a CBG than anything else. And that’s a kinda homebrew instrument vibe you’re going to be into - or you’re not. And DaShtick instruments, while very cool, are still a little expensive (IMO) for what they are.

Either way she loves hers, so it’s all good. AFAIC.