Boutique guitars (Do we really need them?)

Started by DaveyO, April 19, 2008, 09:51:42 PM

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He came,  he observed,  he left again.    But it is nice to be remembered.

Came back from visiting my brother. He convinced me that the ideal "boutique" guitar would be one i build myself in his shop while he walks me through the process, step by step (the only pre-made parts will be the tuners). I won't name-drop, but I was pretty amazed to learn some of the folks who have visited his shop and who he's worked with in the past. The idea of building my own guitar was intimidating at first but it didn't take much convincing for me to take him up on the offer to learn his craft!
:smile:
Guitars: Larrivee P-05; National Resphonic Style 2 Squareneck;      National Resophonic 12-fret "B"; Dupont MD-50;
Lazy River Weissenborn; Robert Sayers custom flat-top;
Cervantes Crossover; Todd Korup banjo-uke; McSpadden dulcimer;
PRS 22 semi-hollow ltd.; PRS DC3
Amplification: RA-400; Rivera Venus 3

Without boutiqe guitars, there would be no GREAT sounding guitars out there.  Boutiqe is the closest we can find with that true, broken in vintage sound.... I love em!
A bunch of great guitars I don't deserve and a gaggle of fly rods.... Aint life grand?

Quote from: Bltprf502 on May 20, 2008, 10:05:44 PM
Without boutiqe guitars, there would be no GREAT sounding guitars out there.  Boutiqe is the closest we can find with that true, broken in vintage sound.... I love em!
This is a simple good plus side to boutique's.

When I think of a Boutique builder I think of Vince Pawless of Pawless Guitars.  He had builds every aspect of his guitars.  There is a great video of him HERE.

Some guitars can sing no matter how much they cost, but the consistancy of good guitars from the small builders is better on most models I would think. 

As for the question of "Do we need them?".  Supply and demand my friends, if someone wants it, give it to them.  :thumb

Quote from: ducktrapper on May 02, 2008, 09:32:09 AM
No luthier makes a custom guitar in the same way a custom boot maker does. He is still making his versions of one size fits all with appointments that attract you rather than "fit" you, imo. I'm betting that you can't get him to make his guitars a quarter inch smaller here and a half inch bigger here and just a little more here and a little less there.

I did just that...sent him pictures of what I liked and didn't. The he drew some pictures and we combined features til we had what I wanted. I picked the woods and other material like the binding and purling. Then he built it. It was beautiful but I didn't care for the sound of it and ended up selling it!

Its probably better to stick to the designs that are known to work...
Larrivee 00-70 
Gibson Advanced Jumbo  - J-185 - J200 Jr.
 National Resophonics  M1 Tricone
 Eastman MD-904 - DGM-1

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