CHOOSING A BUILDER
Different builders specialize in different kinds
of instruments: acoustic steel-strings, classicals, archtops, harp
guitars, etc. As you narrow your search, be sure that the builders
you’re considering actually make the kind of instrument you want. It’s
pointless to seek out the world’s most renowned archtop builder and
then order a classical guitar. Once you’ve identified an appropriate
luthier whose work you admire and whose guitars are in your price
range, see if it’s possible to play one or more of the builder’s
guitars. Your odds may depend on whether or not you live near a major
metropolitan area. You may want to start your research by finding out
whose guitars your favorite players use. Some publications, including Acoustic
Guitar, provide that information when they profile an
artist. You should also browse builders’ sites on the Web
(www.acousticguitar.com provides hundreds of links) and haunt the best
acoustic guitar shops in your area. The instrument you’re looking for
may not be hanging on the shop’s wall, but one of the employees might
own one and be willing to bring it in for an in-store trial. Or the
maker may be willing to set you up with a previous customer in your
area, who will let you play his or her instrument. There may even be an
upcoming guitar exhibition or music festival in your area that features
samples of a particular builder’s work.
SELECTING OPTIONS
Some of the decisions you’ll have to make
include body size, neck shape, woods, scale length, and whether or not
to include an internal pickup. Most of these decisions depend on how
you intend to use the instrument (at home, on stage, in the studio) and
what type of music you play. Smaller-bodied instruments, often termed
orchestra models (OMs) or grand concert models, are as popular today as
the larger-bodied dreadnought developed by C.F. Martin and Co. years
ago. Traditional dreadnoughts are loud and powerful with a tremendous
bass response, while smaller-bodied guitars can offer a more precise,
balanced sound that is often sought for recording situations. The size
of the body will also affect the gauge of strings you need to use.
Light-gauge steel strings, for example, are usually recommended for
small-bodied flattops. Specific needs may send you to a builder known
for a particular specialty, or you may prefer to work with a luthier
open to a wide variety of construction options, woods, bodies, and
styles.
The conversation between you and the builder,
store employee, or dealer will start with these factors and then branch
off into the finer details, such as the shape of the body, the
dimensions of the neck, the price, what kind of deposit you need to put
down, how long you’ll have to wait for the finished guitar, and the
warranty terms. A luthier’s construction techniques, such as internal
bracing patterns and finish, are usually static, so if you have strong
preferences about them, you should take that into account when choosing
a builder. Many luthiers and shops will do sunburst or tinted finishes,
but they usually charge significantly more for them.
Whether or not you order a cutaway will depend
on how far up the neck you tend to play. While some builders feel that
cutaways affect the sound of the guitar, others believe that they cause
no loss of volume or tone. Most builders and shops will also
accommodate left-handed players with custom cutaways.
When it comes to scale length, most luthiers
will honor requests for slight variations on what they normally use.
These days, it’s almost as easy to order a guitar with 12 frets clear
of the body as it is to order a 14-fret guitar. Some flattop builders,
including Kevin Ryan, are using slightly longer scale lengths (25.7
inches as opposed to 25.5) to increase the string tension slightly and
thus accommodate lowered open tunings. Archtop and flattop builders may
opt for a scale length of 24.75, 25, or 25.4 inches, depending on the
type of guitar, and the scale for parlor guitars can be even shorter.
As far as choosing tonewoods is concerned,
you’ll need to decide on woods for the soundboard, the back and sides,
the neck (although mahogany is by far the most common choice), the
fretboard, and the headstock veneer. Ebony is the most common fretboard
wood, but various types of rosewood can also be used.
Bindings and purfling are frequently chosen by
the buyer, and most makers offer the option to bind the neck and
headstock in addition to the body of the guitar. Ivoroid (or other
synthetic materials such as fake tortoiseshell) used to be the most
common binding, but more and more high-end luthiers are turning to
wood. Ivoroid bindings may be easier to repair, and they offer a more
traditional look on archtops and certain vintage-style flattops.
Herringbone and abalone edge inlays are commonly available, although
they’ll add to the cost of your guitar.
Other options include the type of headstock
(solid versus slotted) and sometimes its shape, the tuners (silver- or
gold-plated, for example), the rosette design, the type of pickguard
(tortoiseshell, clear plastic, wood, floating), fingerboard and/or
headstock inlays, and other cosmetic touches. Some luthiers do their
own inlay work, while others hire specialists like Larry Robinson.
Intricate inlay work is hugely time-consuming and will cost you, but a
unique (tasteful) design can add to your guitar’s value. Many builders
will create an inlay based upon your original sketch. A less costly
option is to choose from among several inlay designs the maker cuts via
a CNC (computer numerically controlled) design. Keep in mind that
inlaying your name into the instrument will make it almost impossible
to resell.
NECK SPECS
After the neck and fingerboard woods are chosen,
the measurements of the neck need to be pinned down. The neck connects
the player to the instrument, and defining its dimensions is one of the
most important factors in ordering a comfortable guitar. The size of
your hands and your playing style are the two most important factors to
consider. You may be most comfortable with the neck of the instrument
you learned on, and it’s quite common for a customer to bring a luthier
his or her favorite guitar and request that the neck be replicated for
the new instrument.
The neck width (the distance from side to side)
is usually measured at the nut, and it also affects string spacing.
Many vintage guitars sport a 1 11/16-inch nut width, which is also
commonly used on electric guitar necks. Builders catering to
fingerstyle players frequently ship with a 1¾-inch nut width but will
go wider or thinner upon request. Some major manufacturers tend toward
the 1 11/16-inch nut for dreadnought bodies and the 1¾-inch width for
orchestra model guitars. The necks on classical guitars are much wider,
normally about two inches at the nut.
The neck profile, also referred to as the depth
or thickness, is the distance from front to back. Some players prefer a
fatter neck, while others like a thin or "fast" neck. The shape can
vary from an oval or C shape to a V shape. Another question is how the
neck is joined to the body. In the past, dovetail joints were the only
acceptable ones in quality guitars, but today many builders use bolt-on
necks. Metal truss rods are common in steel-string guitars, and many
builders are using a combination of a truss rod and carbon graphite for
added strength and stability. The neck on an instrument with no truss
rod cannot be easily adjusted in response to humidity changes or
long-term change brought on by string tension.
TERMS AND FINANCES
After you’ve nailed down all the specs and
design options, it’s time to discuss payment and warranty terms. In
some cases, the luthier’s waiting list is so long that he or she cannot
guarantee the price of the instrument. The cost of woods and supplies
is always rising, and the maker’s current price may not be enough to
cover costs and make a profit five years up the road. Ask what happens
if you don’t like the finished product. Will the luthier sell it to
someone else and start from scratch on a new instrument for you? Will
he or she make alterations to the guitar, and if so, will you have to
pay extra? Can you get a full refund of your deposit? It’s best to get
such policies in writing before you pay your deposit. Also find out how
long you can expect to wait for your guitar. Estimates for turnaround
times can be found in the Custom Guitar Gallery online at the Acoustic
Guitar Web site at www.acousticguitar.com,
but workloads and backlogs are always changing, so it’s a good idea to
ask.
Because of the subtle variations in woods (even
from the same tree), the tonal qualities of a guitar can never be fully
anticipated in advance. If the sound of the finished instrument is
close to what the customer was seeking, time and playing might make the
difference. Some woods, such as spruce, have a reputation for opening
up after a few weeks or months of playing, and many instruments
continue to improve over the course of years. Acoustic research has
encouraged speculation that this maturing process is a result of
changes to the wood at the cellular level that are caused by vibration
and aging. Most luthiers have a good idea of how much change to expect
in the sound of their guitars, and some will allow you to trade the
instrument in for another if you’re unsatisfied with the tone after
playing the instrument for a few weeks or even a few months.
The care and feeding of a meticulously built
custom instrument is the responsibility of the owner, so you must talk
to the luthier about how best to care for your new guitar. Attention to
humidity is paramount with acoustic instruments, and builders usually
advise their customers to watch for extreme weather conditions, monitor
the humidity levels inside their guitar, and use a guitar humidifier
when necessary. Be sure to keep your instrument in a high-quality
hard-shell case. The builder will set the guitar up for you before
delivery and adjust the action to suit your preference, but you should
also find out who to turn to down the road for expert adjustments to
the neck, string action, electronics, etc. Many larger manufacturers
will have assigned warranty stations, and some small builders also have
authorized repair professionals you must go to lest you invalidate the
warranty.
One additional item to keep in mind when
choosing a luthier is that guitars built by the more established and
respected builders, although often higher priced, will maintain their
value and increase in value over the years if the instrument is well
cared for. On the other hand, a luthier who has not been in business as
long may do tremendous work and offer good prices while building his or
her reputation.
CUSTOM SHOPS
One option is to order an instrument from the
custom shop of a larger manufacturer, such as Gibson, Martin, or Guild.
In most cases, you’ll have to place your order through a retail store
and work with one of the shop employees to examine standard models to
determine which custom options you want. You can point to a specific
model on the wall, for example, and say, "Order me a guitar just like
this but with koa back and sides, a Sitka spruce top, and my name
emblazoned in abalone at the 12th fret."
Some custom shops, such as Guild’s in Nashville,
deal directly with customers as well as working through a local dealer.
Guild’s production manager, Mark Kendrick, notes that players tend to
be more traditional when it comes to Guild instruments, but the shop
still gets special requests on everything from inlay work to custom
colors. His shop will supply almost any variety of woods or options the
player requests, "as long as the instrument has structural integrity."
MIDSIZED SHOPS
The Santa Cruz Guitar Co., founded in 1977 by
Richard Hoover, is an example of a midsized shop that has built a
serious reputation for quality steel-string guitars. Santa Cruz guitars
feature a lot of handwork, although more than 650 are currently
produced each year. Hoover has a dozen employees who help him build 12
different models, and 50 percent of the company’s orders are for custom
guitars. The guitars are ordered through a dealer, but Santa Cruz
expects to spend some time on the phone with the customer early in the
process. "My preference is to talk directly to the player," says
Hoover. "It’s better to get the information from the customer about
what they want." Santa Cruz offers a limited lifetime warranty to the
original owner and supplies a list of approved repair shops around the
country who are authorized to handle warranty work.
Michael Millard of Froggy Bottom Guitars has
been building guitars since 1969. His company currently builds 100–125
guitars per year and sells about 35 percent of them direct to customers
and the other 65 percent through dealers. The basic Froggy Bottom
production flattop features mahogany back and sides, a Sitka spruce
top, and curly maple binding. There are 15 basic body styles to choose
from as well as an incredible variety of options. "We go to truly great
lengths to make the right guitar for the player," says Millard. "We
work with a dozen or more different woods, a variety of plate
thicknesses, and a broad array of scale lengths. We build 12-strings,
parlors, and baritone guitars as well."
INDIVIDUAL MAKERS
Many makers work independently and complete only
a handful of instruments each year. One example is Don Musser, who
builds fewer than a dozen classical guitars and flattop steel-strings
per year in his shop in the Colorado Rockies. He offers four basic body
shapes: a parlor, a classical, an orchestra model, and a dreadnought.
Like many luthiers, Musser shies away from custom body shapes due to
the effort that goes into creating molds. His guitars can be purchased
direct or through specific shops and dealers (note that some individual
makers only sell direct). He offers many custom
options and selects the tonewoods to suit the player. "The number one
question I ask my customers is what they hope to use the guitar for,"
he says, "in the studio, for personal enjoyment, or (God forbid) for
touring. Based on what the person tells me, I tailor the woods to
achieve their goals." Musser works most frequently with Indian and
Brazilian rosewood for backs and sides, and he offers a variety of
choices for soundboards. "I avoid cedar or redwood tops for people who
are planning to use the guitar in the studio because those are
overtone-rich and don’t give as condensed a sound as some of the hard
spruces like Sitka. Engelmann spruce is a balanced wood and can be
colored one way or the other, depending on how the top is braced."
Musser works out the details with his customers, gets a 20 percent
deposit, and then sends a letter to the customer confirming the deal
and the instrument’s specifications.
SPECIALTY GUITARS
Canadian luthier Shelley Park has carved out a
niche building replicas of Selmer and Maccaferri guitars, which are
used to play the Gypsy jazz music popularized by Django Reinhardt in
the 1920s and ’30s. Park currently builds about 20 guitars per year in
her Vancouver, B.C., shop. Before starting her own business, she worked
as an apprentice for many years with Jean Larrivée and David Webber.
Park, who spends her weekends gigging in Seattle with a Gypsy jazz band
called Pearl Django, endeavors to help potential customers find
instruments they can test before ordering, but it’s difficult because
her guitars are spread out over North America. "By and large," she
says, "my guitars are bought sight unseen. It takes a lot of email and
phone calls. If the finished guitar was not what the customer expected,
I would make it right or let the customer return the instrument. But so
far, my customers have liked the instrument 100 percent of the time."
GUITAR BOUTIQUES
More and more guitar shops all over the country
carry guitars by small and midsized builders in addition to larger
manufacturers, and they place custom orders on a regular basis. Joe
Caruso, who runs the Music Emporium in Lexington, Massachusetts, takes
custom orders for Martin, midsized builders like Santa Cruz and
Collings, and smaller builders such as James Goodall and Eric
Schoenberg. "When people start looking in the $2,500 to $3,000 range,"
Caruso says, "they want it to really be the guitar they want it to be.
Some people want something fancy and unlike anything anyone else is
going to have. Sometimes they just want a Collings D-2H but with
snowflake inlays instead of diamond-shaped inlays on the fretboard. The
smaller builders offer many features and options, such as different
neck widths, different spacing at the bridge, and different woods, and
some players are willing to wait for those options."
At McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica,
California, Nancy Felixson and Amilcar Dohrn-Melendez specialize in
placing custom orders and act as go-betweens between the buyer and the
builder. "If a customer has particular questions," Felixson says, "they
can talk to the builder. One person wanted a particular grain of koa on
a custom Goodall, so he talked directly to James Goodall." Many
builders supply shops with brochures and lists of custom options, which
customers can refer to. In ordering a custom Martin, McCabe’s forwards
the desired options to the Martin Custom Shop, and Martin then comes
back with a price quote. Even when taking an order through a store,
most builders are willing to work directly with the customer to help
with decisions about woods and options. "Part of the experience of
having a guitar made for you is to be as involved as possible in all of
the aspects of the instrument’s details," Dohrn-Melendez explains.
Kit Simon, who runs the Olde Town Pickin’ Parlor
in Arvada, Colorado, has been in business many years and sees the
future of his business closely intertwined with custom builders. He
intends to focus on "boutique instruments" in the future, individually
made guitars by a wide range of builders. "That’s the direction I’m
headed in," he says, "because I don’t want to compete with the Guitar
Centers. I want to be a prestigious store featuring custom guitars."
Simon already works with such custom builders as Eric Schoenberg, Kevin
Ryan, and Lance McCollum, and he keeps his eye out for up-and-coming
builders. The ordering procedure varies depending on the preference of
the builder. Collings allows Simon to handle most of the discussions
with the customer, for example, while Lance McCollum encourages clients
to call and discuss details and even visit him in his shop.
INSTRUMENT DEALERS
Some instrument dealers work from their homes
rather than storefronts. They have working relationships with a number
of builders and facilitate the ordering process for their clients for a
moderate fee. The assistance of an experienced dealer can be very
helpful, especially if you’re ordering a guitar from another country.
John Silva, formerly with classical dealer Guitar Salon International
and now working independently with both nylon- and steel-string makers,
has helped many customers order the guitars of their dreams. Ordering a
classical guitar from Spain presents some unique challenges. "Trying to
get a classical from a top Spanish builder would be much harder without
the help of someone who is familiar with the builders," says Silva.
"There are certain luthiers who won’t change anything in their design,
and it helps to know the builders, their quirks, and what they’re
willing to do."
THE MAKER-PLAYER CONNECTION
Some musicians seek a distinctive sound, and
they will go to great lengths to find what they are looking for.
Fingerstyle jazz guitarist Woody Mann worked with California luthier
Kevin Ryan to design a flattop steel-string with a particular response.
He went to Ryan because he felt that Ryan’s approach to building was
similar in philosophy to that of late luthier James D’Aquisto. "Jimmy
D’Aquisto was a great friend," Mann says, "and I played his archtop
guitars for years. His guitars just sing. When I met Kevin, he had a
similar, experimental attitude, and he said, ‘Let’s work together.’"
Nylon-string player Muriel Anderson started out
playing bluegrass on Martin guitars. She studied classical guitar with
Christopher Parkening and began playing a Hernandez classical and then
went on to purchase a Ramírez (one of the great Spanish makers) when
she could afford it. Eventually she picked up a used guitar built by
Nashville luthier Paul McGill, and the McGill classical guitar has
since become an integral part of Anderson’s sound. Since she began
touring with the guitar, McGill has had many requests from other
players who ask him to build them a guitar like Anderson’s. McGill and
Anderson decided to collaborate on the design for a slightly higher-end
model, the Model M, which has become quite popular. In the quest for a
variety of tones and textures, Anderson has gone on to order a
steel-string from Kevin Ryan and a harp guitar from Michigan builder
Del Langejans.
Most everyone who orders a custom instrument
finds the experience to be an exhilarating meeting of the minds between
themselves and the builder. It’s a creative adventure, and the result
is a work of art uniquely matched to your music, technique, body, and
spirit.
From Custom Guitars: A Complete Guide
to Contemporary Handcrafted Guitars (String Letter
Publishing).
