What makes your guitar great? Color, finish, pickups, tuners? Maybe,
but most likely not. Great guitars are held by players who really
appreciate the parts that add up to quality. This is true however there
is a catch. The great guitars are the ones that contain the qualities
desired by the player holding the guitar. Huh? What do I mean by that?
What makes great guitars… great?
Simply this. Every player has different ideas on what makes his
guitar great. It is very personal. Some players need certain parts to
make them feel comfortable using the instrument. For example, a player
may need a good tremolo so he can demonstrate his particular techniques.
Still others may gravitate to a particular guitar because it has the
“action” he desires. Action is defined as the proximity of the strings
to the top of the frets. The lower the strings, the closer the action
and ease of play is more evident.
My guitar is better ….
Players will often compare their guitar to another and usually say-my
guitar is better. Then they’ll list all of the qualities that make it
so. What they’re really saying is, “There are qualities in my guitar
that I have not found in any other guitar. I am sticking with this
guitar until I find another one that plays just like it”. Got it. Keep
looking or go to a custom shop.
What is a custom guitar shop?
It’s a place where great guitars a made, adjusted, tapered, tailored
and finished to your specs. So, a guitar player has two choices. He can
stand in one place and watch as all the guitars slowly go past in his
lifetime trying each one until the “ideal” next guitar floats by. The
other choice is to ask for what he needs. Since he already has his
perfect guitar in hand then all that’s necessary is to duplicate it’s
most important and prized qualities. Yes, that’s right a custom shop can
measure, extract, compare, duplicate and set up a guitar exactly like
the one you play.
If not, why not? Do you have great guitars
or just one? Don’t you have an extra pair of shoes? A spare tire? Do
you have spare guitar picks? Strings? Why not a spare guitar in case of
emergency? You may want to think about it. Taking a second guitar to a
gig is not just a good idea but a necessity in most cases. Think about
having your most prized tool-duplicated for emergency purposes. It’s
great to have a spare! Get one! Fast!
Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom
Guitars Inc.
He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
(A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree
from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington
University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar
process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s
many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar
shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.