Local Music Gear Feature Story
Written By: Jac Harrison
Written By: Jac Harrison
Many people overuse the words custom and boutique when
describing their guitar, and for the most part they have no idea what it means.
Just because it says custom or boutique on the head
stock doesn't mean that it is. For example, some guitar manufacturers will
call an entire line boutique, or a standard model a "custom/custom shop"
to attract a buyer without the hefty price tag that comes
with a true custom or boutique guitar. This doesn't mean that they
aren't great guitars -- just that they are not what they claim to be. It
is the same concept that the word artisan is to the food industry. If you
believe that there is a dude with a handlebar mustache singing songs from
the old country in the back of your grocery store while making a special batch
of bread just for you...can I sell you a bridge?
To fully understand the value in a custom or boutique guitar you must first understand the differences between them. A boutique guitar is made by a company that offers a highly specialized service and product by a master luthier and is normally an al la carte ordering process. It's like buying a Maybach -- you meet with the builder and get everything you want within your price range. A custom guitar is a standard model that you have either bought from or sent to a custom shop or have modified yourself. For example -- if you had a Mercedes Benz and wanted to add a few features to it making it personalized to fit your style -- you would get what you could from the dealer and then drop it off at a custom shop for the rest. This is the same concept, but with guitars. Because of the amount of personal attention that goes into a boutique build vs a custom there is a significant price difference between the two. Boutique is at the top of the food chain and is king, where custom is next in line to the throne -- but needs some work first.
To better explain I have chosen two guitars by two
very different guitar manufacturers. Both are well
made instruments and are excellent examples of the boutique and
custom guitar categories. We will be looking at a boutique (4) string bass
by master luthier Brian Jeppson out of East Brunswick NJ and a
customized Gamma (4) string production model Beta bass from Holmdel NJ. Both
are on the Jazz (J) bass platform with (2) passive (J) style pickups and
(J) style controls.
Boutique
When shopping for a boutique guitar
you really need to know where to go. Unlike buying a production model
where you can just walk into any store or shop online -- it is all about finding
a trusted luthier. There are a few ways you can find a luthier in your
local area that makes quality instruments. First you can use the Local
Music Gear directory and browse through, knowing that the the
luthiers listed with us are of the highest caliber. Second--go to a guitar
show. There are hundreds of guitar shows all over the country where luthiers
have a booth to show off their latest and greatest. Last is by word
of mouth -- ask the guys at your local music store if they know anyone that
makes quality guitars. Never ever go to a form -- 11 out of 10 times you get
someone who has a little knowledge about guitars giving
a technical review of a company.
For our example of a boutique guitar I went to
Bryan Jeppson -- a local lutiher in NJ. The ordering process is
very different then buying an off-the-rack model. Now the guitar we where
given for this was story was a duplicate of one that was made for a client, but
if I was ordering for myself I would have received the full royal treatment.
When buying form Jeppson Guitars you make
an appointment to meet with Bryan Jeppson for a fitting -- like buying a
suit. You either talk via phone or you can stop by his workshop -- in his
log cabin. The first step is deciding what you want from type
of tone-woods to the electronics, hardware, inlay material/design, and
body style and shape. Bryan makes 95% of the guitar by hand including the
pickups and uses only the best hardware available including machine
heads, bridges, saddles, and pots. Once you have commissioned Bryan to
make your new love you then leave and come back when she
is completed. The entire build process can take up to two months
depending on the availability of the materials you
have selected--but you are getting your dream guitar. Bryan is a true
gentleman and one hell of a luthier -- so you are guaranteed to get a
beautiful handcrafted guitar without any problems or runarounds.
This (4) sting Jeppson bass has a high gloss cherry air
dried back with a high gloss walnut top leading into satin tapered walnut neck
with a Bois de Rosa/Palisander fingerboard featuring sea snail box inlays
and evo alloy frets (more durable than traditional nickel silver, but
without the harsh tone of stainless steel) topped with a bone nut and gold
hardware. At her heart she has a matching set of hand wound passive Jeppson (J)
bass style pickups pushed through an Audere Audio Engineering bass guitar
preamp that was specifically designed for Jeppson Guitars by Audere Audio
Engineering.
Her street price is $2,100 USD with case + shipping (if
you do not pick her up). Buy this guitar on special for $1,800 USD
-click here-
Custom
Shopping for a custom guitar is
very different than shopping for a boutique guitar. The first step in
the process is the same as shopping for any other guitar you
have every bought before -- you go play it in a local store or shop online -- the
custom part comes after the purchase. This is also a great way to
put new life into an old friend.
Now that you have your guitar and you are ready to
make her special/custom there are a few places to shop for parts to
customize your guitar. My favorite is WD Music Products for hardware
and electronics, but depending on the build I sometimes like to
use Seymour Duncan pickups -- as I have in this case.
For this example of a custom guitar I went with
production model Beta bass from Gamma Bass Guitars based out of Holmdel
NJ. Since this was a production model all I had to do was e-mail them and I had
the bass in my hands a few days later. The reason why I decided to
use a Gamma was that the quality of the guitar for the price was much better than
other off-the-shelf guitars within the same price range. Since I went into
this with the mindset that I was going to customize her, all I really cared
about was how the guitar felt and the quality of the tone-woods. Other (J)
style bass guitars I played within my price range where made from the wood that
the manufacturer wouldn't put in their higher priced production models -- and
that is not what I wanted.
After getting the guitar home and going through her to
make sure she was built the way I was told -- I took her apart. The first thing
I did was sand the shine off of her neck and head-stock to give he a
satin finish. I put (1) coat of true oil on to protect the raw wood
from the elements and lightly polished with steel wool after 48
hours of drying. Next I upgraded her heart with a matching set of Seymour
Duncan passive Antiquity (J) bass pickups and pushed them through an Audere
Audio Engineering JZ3 bass guitar preamp. Last I dressed her up with a new
maple pickguard to offset her silver alder body from her maple neck to give her a
sexy even balance between man-made and nature.
I took my time as I always do and from start to finish
(excluding drying time) the whole process took me 4 hours /6 beers. If you
do not know how to rewire or setup a guitar you should have a luthier from
your local music store do the modifications. There will be an hourly
charge + bench fee. The total investment will be well worth it.
What we did with total cost
Gamma Beta Bass - $750
Seymour Duncan Pickups - $119
Audere Audio Engineering JZ3 Preamp - $149
Tusq Nut - $14
Maple Pickguard - $39
Truoil - $5
Cotton Rags - $13
Steel wool -$6
Sandpaper-$7
Total doing it myself: $1,102
If you use a luthier:
Luthier fee $375
Total if I used a local luthier: $1,477
Her street price with these mods is $1,600 USD + shipping. Buy this guitar on special for $1,200 USD -click here-
When buying a boutique or customizing a guitar
you do so knowing that it becomes an extension of you. You never have
to adjust it or break it in--it was made by you or for you, with no one else in
mind. There are no marketing meetings by a large company to see
if a cretin demographic will enjoy a particular color
or if anyone will be offended by it for its
nontraditional design. It is a guitar you will keep and love forever.
Both the Jeppson and the Gamma bass guitars in
this article are wonderful and play better than any off-the-shelf bass
I have ever played. If you would like to play or buy either guitar please
contact us. -click here-
Contact
Jeppson Guitars
EastBrunswick, NJ
bryan@jeppsonguitars.com
jeppsonguitars.com
Gamma Custom Bass Guitars
Holmdel, NJ
gammabassguitars@rocketmail.com
facebook.com/GammaBassGuitars
Audere Audio
4909 S Coast Hwy, Suite 295
South Beach, Oregon 97366
(P) 541 867-6878
audereaudio.com
The Seymour Duncan Company
5427 Hollister Avenue
Santa Barbara, CA 93111-2345, USA
P (805) 964-9610
F (805) 964-9749
seymourduncan.com
Contact
Jeppson Guitars
EastBrunswick, NJ
bryan@jeppsonguitars.com
jeppsonguitars.com
Gamma Custom Bass Guitars
Holmdel, NJ
gammabassguitars@rocketmail.com
facebook.com/GammaBassGuitars
Audere Audio
4909 S Coast Hwy, Suite 295
South Beach, Oregon 97366
(P) 541 867-6878
audereaudio.com
The Seymour Duncan Company
5427 Hollister Avenue
Santa Barbara, CA 93111-2345, USA
P (805) 964-9610
F (805) 964-9749
seymourduncan.com
Posted 12/2012
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