Your personal guitar tech and custom guitar builder in the Pleasanton / Dublin / Livermore Tri-Valley and surrounding Bay Area.
100% Satisfaction guaranteed! Flexible appointment hours including nights and weekends. Free consultations via phone or email.
‪(925) 396-5966‬ (mobile)
Truly Custom Guitars
Much higher quality than famous brands. Pricing less than the "really nice" guitars at the shop. The thing that sets my custom guitars apart from factory guitars is my attention to details that matter and not taking shortcuts to lower production costs.
To see currently available instruments, please jump over to my "Featured Work" page.
The word "custom" is a tricky word in the guitar industry and is most often associated with "expensive" or "fancy." Gibson Les Paul Custom. Epiphone Les Paul Custom. PRS Custom 24. PRS SE Custom 24. Fender custom shop. Taylor custom guitars. Each has a different meaning. Unfortunately, it almost never means "customized to your specifications."
​
I believe a truly custom guitar needn't be prohibitively expensive or fancy, but it should definitely be just the way you want it. If you're interested in a custom guitar, you likely have ideas and opinions on what you'd like for many features, but there may be other aspects that you are less familiar with (which output jack to use?). I'm here to partner with you to design a truly custom electric guitar, hollow body electric guitar, or electric bass guitar that captures every aspect that YOU care about. Most importantly, I believe we can do this with value in mind, and the end product won't be cost-prohibitive.
Customize your existing guitar
($100-$500 typical)
You have a guitar, but it doesn't get the job done the way you want it to. By changing out one or more components, or by making other modifications, we can work wonders with your guitar!
​
Examples of what we can change includes: pickups, tuning machines, necks, bridges, tremolos, or other hardware.
​
The best way to start is with a conversation. Let me know your needs/desires, and we can come up with a plan together.
Kit guitar builds
(~$750-$1,250 typical)
Anyone can buy a guitar kit on the internet these days. There are many websites offering these. But, there are typically a few barriers to building a guitar from a kit for most people such as: insufficient time, lack of tools, lack of confidence, unfamiliarity with components, uncertainty on how to achieve a desired appearance.
​
A kit can be a good way to get a body and neck only without the components in some cases. Kits also come in popular styles: LP, SG, Strat, Tele, and many more. So, if you want a custom guitar in a popular style, but don't want to pay custom pricing, this can be a wise choice.
​
Pricing can get a bit complicated with this approach: there are many choices to be made. But, it starts with a first conversation. If this is something you are interested in, let's chat, and we can begin to lay out a budget. Any kit that I build for you will come with a full setup so it will immediately be playable. I also am not happy until you are happy, so we can change components after the initial build if you are dissatisfied for any reason. You will only pay the difference in cost if it's more. I do not upcharge material costs.
​
Fully Custom Electric Guitars
(Starting at ~$1,250)
For some, a "fully custom guitar" is synonymous with a "boutique" guitar, a one of a kind work of art, hand or CNC carved by a skilled luthier. That is not what I do (currently - but maybe one day...). I am a guitar builder, someone who sources components, makes modifications where desired, and assembles and sets up a guitar that will be exactly what you want.
When you go "fully custom" with me, we go down in the weeds to specify every last component of your electric guitar or bass. We will develop a detailed Bill of Materials (BOM) and weigh pros/cons of certain component choices. We can shift the BOM selections to make sure that we are adding value where it matters most to YOU! Guitars made this way will compete with any familiar brand you know. To get an idea of possible woods, shapes, finishes, etc, I recommend that you visit Warmoth.com and browse the "in stock" selections.
​
This is not an inexpensive option; it will be hard to spec out a nice guitar for less than $1,250, and if you get really fancy, we could easily double that. This is also not a fast option (especially now with COVID-19 backlogs at suppliers). Custom bodies and necks have lead times of many weeks. In some cases, we may be able to expedite with careful choices. This is a QUALITY option. You are going to get a fine instrument that is made just the way YOU want it!
​
Please reach out if this is intriguing to you, and we can have a chat.
​