Hey guys, this week I am covering some more in depth preferences of the guitar. As a background, I am a guitarist that prefers vintage tones and specs (I know there is a lot of people that share this preference). Typically, I like fat necks and a “woman tone” (a creamy sound that is articulate but warm) so there are many guitars fill this role but what in particular do you look for? For me, I like a guitar to come stock with low output PAFs and a rounded neck. Those two specs alone can satisfy me until I have to upgrade parts to my preferences; such as locking tuners, a different tail piece, and a bridge. That is just to name a few. I know many guitarist get new pickups for their instruments almost immediately, along with a new nut that is usually a real bone or a composite material that is very durable. Usually these upgrades depend on what maintenance you are willing to do and what maintenance you have to pay to get done. I tend to work on my own instruments as much as I can; however I do not have a soldering gun to work in the control cavity. So most of my upgrades are just quick performance buffs, plus I do my own set-ups because I can tweak my guitar’s playability to my play-style.

What do you guys like?

So, I know some will share my preferences and many others will differ… but as a prospective custom guitar builder, I feel it is important to know what other interests are. I spared you guys in terms of specific brands and parts that I use but I do not want you guys to spare me. I want to know what parts or what specifications you want on your guitar. Are you set on a certain scale length (I like shorter 24.5- 24.75 in)? Do you have certain tones that you cater to? One trend I noticed as technology improves, many guitars are very versatile now and include coil splits and taps which opens new avenues for tone. Do you guys want one guitar that does it all, or multiple guitars that fit different niches? I think most of us will always find a reason to consider a new guitar but if you were honest with yourself… how many would you want or need?

Let me know

I really want to hear everything you guys have to say. I think, at the very least, you guys will give me superb recommendations and considerations for future projects. Please let me know what specs you want on a guitar as-is and then what you want to add to improve it. Leave a comment below and if you have friends that have different preferences, invite them so they can share. I look forward to your input!

-ZAC