Who are the small shop builders/luthiers making custom 7, 8 string headless axes in North America?

[ExMachina]

Don't really know anything about these but https://www.fmguitars.com/

 

[Ross82]

Oh i did just get a quote from Vigilant Guitars who are also BC based. A decent spec 7 string came in at $2500CAD which, to be honest makes me a little skeptical as that seems a very low price for a custom build, though admittedly a bit more limited in the custom options compared to others mentioned.

Vigilant - Custom Guitars, Victoria, BC

Vigilant - Custom Guitars, Victoria, BC

www.vigilantguitars.com

EDIT* - Whoops my mistake, they dont have a headless model but leaving it here for others.

 

[Alberto7]

Oh i did just get a quote from Vigilant Guitars who are also BC based. A decent spec 7 string came in at $2500CAD which, to be honest makes me a little skeptical as that seems a very low price for a custom build, though admittedly a bit more limited in the custom options compared to others mentioned.

Vigilant - Custom Guitars, Victoria, BC

Vigilant - Custom Guitars, Victoria, BC

www.vigilantguitars.com

EDIT* - Whoops my mistake, they dont have a headless model but leaving it here for others.

Interesting... 2500 CAD is what I paid for my Ibanez AZ brand new with a discount on it. A couple of their models look interesting. Will have to look more into them.

 

[JDB123]

Anyone know anything about Xolo guitars out of Mexico? Seems pretty cool.

Xolo Custom Guitars

Extended range, headless custom guitars. Made proudly in Mexico.

www.xolocustomguitars.com

There's also Rocca guitars from. Texas. Their Rocca 2 looks bonkers.

Unique, Made in U.S.A. Headless Guitars

Airline-friendly professional guitars. Unique instruments for studio recording, live performance and travel guitars. Hand-made in U.S.A. Loved worldwide. Second to none.

www.roccaguitars.com

I'll have to look more into those Xolo guitars, really interesting body shapes and styles there.

 

[John]

Lowest risk would be Kiesel.

Except it is not that difficult to encounter a smaller build shop that can easily avoid the maplegate debacle and anything remotely of the sort with their offerings and how they deal with anything that doesn't go according to plan.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Except it is not that difficult to encounter a smaller build shop that can easily avoid the maplegate debacle and anything remotely of the sort with their offerings and how they deal with anything that doesn't go according to plan.

Scary to think that's still probably the lowest risk option for under $4k and ~6 months.

 

[Gtan7]

I am extremely fond of my headful Jayemar 8, haven't seen/played their headless (but this was next candidate)

Jayemar Guitars Jessie Lynn Model

Named after my wife, the Jessie Lynn model features visually stunning ergonomic design and light-weight, tonally responsive construction.

www.jayemarguitars.com

 

[JDB123]

I am extremely fond of my headful Jayemar 8, haven't seen/played their headless (but this was next candidate)

Jayemar Guitars Jessie Lynn Model

Named after my wife, the Jessie Lynn model features visually stunning ergonomic design and light-weight, tonally responsive construction.

www.jayemarguitars.com

Wow these are very cool. Wacky and out there, but pretty neat. Will have to look around their site more. Thanks for the rec!

 

[RRD]

Anyone know anything about Xolo guitars out of Mexico? Seems pretty cool.

Xolo Custom Guitars

Extended range, headless custom guitars. Made proudly in Mexico.

www.xolocustomguitars.com

There's also Rocca guitars from. Texas. Their Rocca 2 looks bonkers.

Unique, Made in U.S.A. Headless Guitars

Airline-friendly professional guitars. Unique instruments for studio recording, live performance and travel guitars. Hand-made in U.S.A. Loved worldwide. Second to none.

www.roccaguitars.com

I'll have to look more into those Xolo guitars, really interesting body shapes and styles there.

I'm actually 2 months into an order with Xolo. They've been around for a couple of years, looks to have delivered several guitars in the US and several in MX, attended NAMM this year and other guitar shows in MX.

I was quoted 6-8 months. Solid communication, very responsive and he's happy to talk through your build. I've already received photos of the body and neck wood. Still sourcing exact top and fretboard.

 

[soldierkahn]

noone mention Christopher Woods Guitars yet?

Boutique Custom Guitars and Basses | Christopher Woods Guitar (CWG)

Welcome to Christopher Woods Guitar and Bass CWG is your one-stop custom shop for all things guitar and bass. We offer more options then any other guitar maker on the planet and our builds are always top quality. Since the year 2000 I have shipped thousands of orders to guitar players around...

www.christopherwoodsguitar.com

 

[Kwert]

Funny because I messaged @L3G10N awhile back asking about them because they seem rad and a pretty good deal for what you can get , and he has 3 builds with Charbonneau , and his whole band I believe plays them too . The shop that gets them in seem to sell them out pretty quickly . They had a 7 string in a black burst / green that I’m sad I couldn’t snag …

Edit : a fellow Vancouverite ! You going to Invent Animate ?

I owned a Charbonneau 7 I bought back in 2020 that initially I had a massive honeymoon phase for, but the more time I spent with it the more I noticed a ton of issues, one of which was actually noticeable in photos of the guitar before it shipped to me (a completely stripped neck bolt).

PH Charbonneau was a nice dude to deal with but I'd never buy another instrument from Charbonneau Guitars again, and you can get muuuuuch better specs and quality for that money.


EDIT: Back on track, I saw Reichardt Guitars reviewed by ArnoldPlaysGuitar, and they look pretty rad to me.