$4000 saved for an custom erg but...

[Tom Drinkwater]

Should I go with custom or high end line. Recommendations?

Make a list of the features that you want and then come back a day or two later and separate that list into two categories which are
1) features that I like and
2) features that I absolutely cannot live without

That list will help you find the perfect manufacturer and model.

Keep in mind that $4000 isn't automatically going to get you a better guitar than $1000 will in terms of quality. It will simply allow you to get things on your guitar that you can't have on the $1000 guitar.

If you go the custom route I'd suggest Egan Custom Guitars or Equilbrium just based on how much I want one and that I don't think I've ever heard of any deals gone wrong with them.

 

[NickS]

Mayones doesn't necessarily have to be Made to Order. There are some retailers who have models in stock.

I know you can find some in stock, but I was assuming the OP would go with a custom order. Come to think of it, it doesn't seem like I've seen too many Mayones NGD's on here lately, so I'm drawing a blank on their wait time. How long does a Mayones build usually take?

 

[Mike]

I know you can find some in stock, but I was assuming the OP would go with a custom order. Come to think of it, it doesn't seem like I've seen too many Mayones NGD's on here lately, so I'm drawing a blank on their wait time. How long does a Mayones build usually take?

The Axe Palace site says current estimated build time is 4-6 months. How current that actually is, I can't say.

 

[NickS]

That's not too bad, if it's still accurate. I don't think I could handle a 2+ year wait for something like a Jackson CS. Especially after being addicted to Carvin.

 

[IbanezDaemon]

The wait is not a problem. I feel like it is worth it to finally get something I can call my own.
Now with that said, there are a ton of custom shops that are good and a lot of hacks. I've been doing a ton of research but I'm just not sure who i can trust. I know exactly what I want as far as scale length, wood, bridge, etc and even the hacks I know of offer everything I would want. PLEASE HELP GUYS!

If the wait isn't a problem then look into Daemoness.
Dylan keeps pushing the boundaries like no one else
on custom Metal guitars.

 

[Eliguy666]

If the wait isn't a problem then look into Daemoness.
Dylan keeps pushing the boundaries like no one else
on custom Metal guitars.

Dylan's inlay and finishing ingenuity is incredible, but there are a few things he's quite reserved about mechanically. Don't know if this has changed, but he's stated that he doesn't want to do straight scale eights, and doesn't want to do scales much over 27.5". This might be a negative if the scale the OP decided on is over 27.5", or if he's using 8 strings or more.
If the wait's not an issue and he can do what you want, though, Daemoness is a great option.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

How often do your tastes change? Do you constantly want the same specs over and over again?

I think I would ask myself these kinds of questions if I were thinking about breaking the bank for a custom.

Personally, I find that im never happy with minor things on my current instruments at times, but don't know what id do to change my spec preference.

I simply haven't tried everything available to know exactly what I want in a custom. If you find yourself saying the same then I suggest not going custom.

 

[Explorer]

Tom Drinkwater's post reminded me how much I like juice. so I just poured some OJ.

It also reminded me of that Oakland Axe Factory stuff.

Are they still active?

 

[petervindel]

If I had that kind of cash I would go with Daemoness, no doubt.
They can make just about anything you want, and I've never heard anything but great things about their builds.

 

[Tom Drinkwater]

Tom Drinkwater's post reminded me how much I like juice. so I just poured some OJ.

It also reminded me of that Oakland Axe Factory stuff.

Are they still active?

I still build but I'm not doing customs anymore. I'm working with an OEM on a new model.

That actually brings up a good point though, with $4000 in your pocket you could develop a model with an OEM and do a small run and end up with a return on the investment and a guitar. I can walk you through the process if you're interested.

 

[frahmans]

Tom, I shall PM for details. But to clarify, is the statement "with $4000 in your pocket you could develop a model with an OEM and do a small run and end up with a return on the investment and a guitar. " something like a Rob Chapman ML run?

 

[Tom Drinkwater]

Tom, I shall PM for details. But to clarify, is the statement "with $4000 in your pocket you could develop a model with an OEM and do a small run and end up with a return on the investment and a guitar. " something like a Rob Chapman ML run?

That would be up to the OP but that would be a possibility.

 

[Exiterrr]

Thanks for all the input guys. Not sure what I'm going to do just yet. I don't want to get stuck with a guitar that's not my dream guitar, but I will keep you guys updated when I pull the trigger.

 

[Exiterrr]

That would be up to the OP but that would be a possibility.

Hey Tom can you break this down to me and explain the process a little more? I am lost on your suggestion.

 

[Given To Fly]

Keep in mind that there are no perfect guitars. Sometimes, in order to obtain one desirable characteristic you'll have to compromise on other areas of the guitar. I'm not suggesting you should not have high expectations, you should, but the idea of a "dream guitar" disappears once its turned into a reality, where everything has flaws. Fortunately, guitar buying is still fun!

 

[Tom Drinkwater]

Hey Tom can you break this down to me and explain the process a little more? I am lost on your suggestion.

1) Design a guitar and get that design on paper, CAD or Illustrator.
2) Contact a manufacturer that has an OEM service, I use Fast Guitars.
3) Pay a one time design fee of +/- $750 depending on the design.
4) Receive the unfinished body and neck from the OEM.
5) Either sand and finish them yourself or hire someone to do it.
6) Have a tech assemble, wire and set up the guitar.

It may sound daunting but to be honest the whole process is quite painless. I can walk you through the whole thing including the neck finishing in real time on Skype. If you want a really cool finish for the body I recommend www.guitarpaintguys.com in Iowa. They are back logged about 12 weeks right now but the finishes are great.

If you design something with enough appeal you can organize a run to pay for the whole process and you end up with a free guitar and a side business. I do recommend getting a business license if you decide to make an actual business out of it but if you only plan on having a few guitars made I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[logicbdj]

I never tried many of the companies listed, but I would be curious to know how much better they could be vs. a Carvin at half the price. You then could take the extra cash and get an Axe FX II.

 

[celticelk]

I never tried many of the companies listed, but I would be curious to know how much better they could be vs. a Carvin at half the price. You then could take the extra cash and get an Axe FX II.

Assuming, of course, that Carvin will build the thing that you want. If you want, for example, a 22-fret 7-string with a 25" or 24.75" scale, you're out of luck with Carvin. The set of available Carvin options is relatively limited measured against what you can do with a full-custom builder, though of course it's much broader than what you can get as stock instruments from major manufacturers.

 

[redlol]

Personally I'd go with a 25.5-27" Skervesen Swan Multiscale 8 string, with a piezo bridge and midi input built into it.

 

[sevenstringj]

Kinda hard to make any meaningful recommendations without any idea of the specs you're looking for, or the tuning you intend to use (which should factor into your choice of scale length). I'm a Jackson nut, so that'd be my blind recommendation. My dream ERG is an 8-string Soloist with Floyd or Kahler, about 28". Though if Schecter made a [Diamond Series] Banshee 8 with Floyd or Kahler, I'd be perfectly content.