so i've been looking at getting a custom made guitar- do you all have any favorite luthiers? i've been considering benedict, brad nickerson, fender (maybe), and a few others, but i'd love some input here. i'm looking for a (darker) single-cutaway style (i play teles now), possibly semi-hollow, and i play blues & blues/rock. thanks...

Hey Justin you should check out.
http://www.andersonguitars.com/
http://www.suhrguitars.com/
http://www.groshguitars.com/#

This is a few of what many consider the best builders out there.

MH

Hey, you sound just like me. Im into primarly blues/rock, although i have been getting into some fusion stuff lately like Wayne Krantz, Scott Henderson, Frank Gambale and the Yellow Jackets. I just bought a John Suhr Classic Strat. I wont have it until this friday, but i know its going to kick ass! You can choose the woods, pickups, hardware, neck size, ect. John is a great guy too.

My comming Suhr looks like this:

- 2 Tone/Tobacco sunburst
- aged pickgaurd
- 3 JST V60 pickups
-Alder body
- Volume, Tone, Tone controls
- Big C shape maple neck
- Indian Rosewood fretboard
- 6100 frets
- Kluson tuners
- Fishman bridge (without acoustic transducer)

Im dying to get it. Also, if your into blues/rock and are going to a Hendrixy/Clapton strat sound then the V60 pickups that John makes will be phenominal for you. Ive only heard good things about them and now Michael Landau and Scott Henderson are using them all the time. I have been waiting since last April, but it has been damn well worth the wait because I know I will be getting my ultimate Strat because I CHOSE all the features and its exactly how I want it. I have a feeling this will hold its own even up against some of the nicest vintage strats. I will give you a review when I get the guitar this friday. Although there is a wait, its worth it as long as you have a decent guitar to play in the meantime. The wait should be about 6 months, you wont regret it.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr.Hanky:
Hey Justin you should check out.
http://www.andersonguitars.com/
http://www.suhrguitars.com/
http://www.groshguitars.com/#

This is a few of what many consider the best builders out there.

MH

---

I would just add www.melanconguitars.com

I never knew tyler had a website, thanks!
I would have included it had I known. I never heard of or played a melancon but I'll check them out too.

MH

www.sadowsky.com

Roger Sadowsky has made my dream instruments come true. I am ordering another one at the end of the month. They are the best sounding, most versatile, playable guitars and basses I've laid my hands on. I checked out Suhr, Tyler, Pensa, Anderson, Fender Custom, PRS, Gibson, etc. Check out my pics. Sure they look good but live and in the studio...tone to die for!

I know someone who recently got a Tyler in the Burning Water color and it sounds as good or better than any Strat I've heard and his particular guitar is very sparkley and spanky and is extremly light weight it has 2 single coils and a humbucker that splits into a true strat sound.Michael Landau also uses them as well if anyone cares.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr.Hanky:
I never heard of or played a melancon but I'll check them out too.

MH

---

Dealing with Gerard Melancon was a pleasure. This one was going to be mine, but I had to return it since they forgot the matching headstock. Now I have one with the matching headstock, but the quilt is not as beautiful (although it still is beautiful).
Check them out, and check out their forum:
www.melanconforum.com

[IMG]http://www.magdonmusic.com/guitar/melancon/VATSQK.htm[IMG]

Sorry. I’ll try the image once more.

hey,
thanks for all the replies! it's funny how everyone keeps mentioning the fact that michael landau uses a particular guitar 'cause i think i found his name on every one of the manufacturers' websites mentioned on this thread. did those of you who have ordered from these folks order directly or go through a dealer? i know sometimes it's necessary, but i hate all these middle steps (depending on the dealer, of course). thanks again...

Tyler's website lists links of dealers. Try 48th Street Custom in NYC of the gbasemall site.

I'm a huge Michael Landau fan. Be aware that Mike use many bolt-on style guitars including old Fenders, Tyler, and Suhr. I tried Tyler and Suhr but preferred Sadowsky. Just cause Mike likes it doesn't mean you will. If you're going to plunk down this kind of money try these manufacturers and speak to them. Yes, call John Suhr, Roger Sadowsky, and James Tyler. If you want something special see how accessible they are to your needs and likes and dislikes.

Good luck.

I contacted John Suhr, and he replied very quickly (I think it took him just a couple of hours).

I checked Anderson and Grosh at a couple of different dealers, but I don’t remember their web addresses.
The ones I do remember, although I didn’t buy from them, are: http://www.indoorstorm.com/ http://www.fatsoundguitars.com/

I ended up buying a Melancon through http://www.magdonmusic.com/ and dealing with Jack was a pleasure. Before contacting Jack, I had a couple of email exchanges with Gerard Melancon. He’s very friendly, well informed, and dealing with him was also a pleasure.

My second Melancon is from http://www.electriccitymusic.com/Qstore/
I won it on eBay , and it arrived in perfect shape. It had been used for two weeks (so it was basically new), and I got a very good deal.

Hello Justin,

There's a guy in Montreal Canada who makes great electrics. His axes are mostly based on Strats and Teles but he can make instruments that depart a little from those classic deisgns. Quality wise, they are on par with Andersons and Tylers. As a matter of fact, some local pros have replaced their Tylers and Groshes with his guitars. I have two of them myself and I am very happy with them. You can find out more info from his website at www.stevensonguitars.com