The Benefits of a Custom Guitar

While most novice guitar players will be well served with a standard store-bought guitar, more experienced players may eventually reach a point where standard guitars no longer suit their needs. There may be some vital element to their playing technique or style of music that requires something different, and not all guitars can be modified to the degree that they find necessary. Whether the custom guitar is one that a guitarist makes for himself or herself or a commissioned piece, having a custom guitar can provide several benefits to a guitar player.

The main benefit that a guitarist can gain from having a custom made guitar is that every specification of the guitar can be suited to their exact playing technique, style of music, and other special needs. For example, Jimmy Page has a custom made double-necked guitar, the Gibson EDS-1275 (despite having a standard number, this guitar is still considered a custom order). One of the necks is set up as a standard six string guitar, while the other neck is a twelve string guitar. Having both options available on the same guitar means that Page can switch between the six and twelve string guitar parts of the Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven" without having to physically switch guitars or rely on another guitarist for one of the two parts. Portions of the song simply wouldn't sound right if the whole thing was played on a twelve string, and other parts would be severely lacking if he only used a six string.

Other guitarists may similarly find that they have to make significant modifications to a standard guitar in order to be able to achieve the sound that they desire. Rather than having to modify every guitar they own or hope to use, purchasing a custom guitar which has these modifications built in can be very useful. There are also some modifications that simply are not possible on a standard guitar. Guitarists who want a seventh string on their guitar, for example, could not make such a modification to a standard guitar. They would need to either find a standard guitar set up for seven strings (extremely rare, at best) or have such a guitar custom made. For those guitarists who would normally use several separate guitars, it may be possible to have the features that they require in each of their standard guitars all melded together into one custom guitar. This includes guitars such as Jimmy Page's custom guitar mentioned above, but also electric guitars with unusual configurations of pickups or volume and tone knobs.

There is also a possibility that a standard guitar is just not sized properly for a given guitar player. A particularly petite guitar player might have great difficulty with a full sized guitar, whether those problems are with the bulk of a large bodied acoustic guitar, difficulty reaching the upper frets, or problems playing chords on a wide necked guitar. Similarly, a larger guitar player may also find a standard sized guitar uncomfortable to play, causing their fingers to cramp quickly or making them feel as though they are bunched up when trying to play their instrument. While some adjustments can be made to a standard guitar to suit large or small players, some of these individuals may find a custom guitar, scaled appropriately to their size, suits them better.

Finally, there is always the issue of looks. While standard guitars can take quite a bit of cosmetic modification without too many difficulties, some guitarists become known for the look of their guitar. Rather than buying standard guitars and then changing the colors or design, buying a custom made guitar can allow the guitarist to choose what their guitar will look like before it is completed. Other guitar players are looking for a specific combination of woods used in the manufacture of their guitar, and their preferred combination may not be available normally. By having a guitar custom made, they can have rarely used or otherwise less available woods incorporated into their guitar. Some famous guitarists even work with guitar manufacturers to reproduce the look, sound, and other details of their custom made guitars, creating signature series that can be purchased by their fans. Though these models are not custom guitars, they are often based upon the custom designs of the guitarist whose signature they bear.

Many guitarists can be perfectly happy with standard or slightly modified guitars. Some, however, with more exacting demands, find custom made guitars invaluable. While the prices for custom guitars are usually higher than those of standard guitars, for some guitarists, this difference in price is worth it.