When selecting parts for your your guitar build, what are your real
choices? The very basic ones are: light or heavy wood, painted or
natural? So far easy ones. Furthermore, single coil or Humbuckers, no
rocket science here. Then still more choices, master volume & tone
or individual, 21 or 22 frets, Rosewood or maple neck, high or low
action? Why then do guitarists argue so much over guitars and how to
build them?
Good question. Go over to a guitar forum sometime and look at the
ridiculous things guitar players say are important in a guitar build.
Screw patterns? $400 bridges? $700 inlay? Really? Most forum members
have no idea what they are talking about. It makes me cringe
when I hear them giving advice to each other. They all have an agenda
and want to be heard. Sure, but they’re all experts right? No way, sorry
guys-keep your advice to yourselves. You’ll never get serious advice on
a forum, just speculation. So, ignore them.
your guitar build need not be expensive
Parts in your new guitar need only be quality. What am I
really saying? Unfortunately, and I know this will be terribly sad news,
so brace yourself…. Guitars need not be expensive to be great. Yes, the
cat’s out of the bag. It troubles me to have to tell you this. It’s not
always the parts that make the guitar it’s how they’re put together.
This doesn’t mean that guitarists need to choose guitars like they
choose a girlfriend. After all most have the same parts-and are
remarkably different in how they’re put together.
Bottom line is you have to make up your own mind. The question needs
to be asked, “Would you rather have a guitar builder build your guitar
or a guy on a forum”? I promise you they are not the same. You won’t see
guitar builders or techs handing out free advice there when they can
charge for it. Just remember, in the hands of a good craftsman-your
guitar build need not be expensive.
Rick Mariner working on your guitar
parts choices are not rocket science
The choices are very mundane and ordinary, but when the parts are
added properly then BANG! Just like the proper mixture of gunpowder. If
you don’t mix it right it will fail to work. SO…. the combination has to
be PERFECT. Same with your guitar build . Rather than stand over your
tech and direct the build-why not let them do what you want-then test it
and see if it needs tweaking. Generally, if you hire a great builder
the project is in good hands. Let him work. Usually after the guitar is
built then you’ll have something to talk about. However, first, let him
build it.
In 99% of the guitar builds I do for players most are exactly right
needing a few tweaks at the very end. This is where players need me, the
builder/tech to really listen. If it’s close, I can can get it the rest
of the way there. If it’s not already perfect then we work together to
get it that way. So, let me tell you what I told you. Guitars need not be expensive-just well built.
Guys on forums are not builders and will not offer good advice. Let the
guitar builder work and don’t try to convince him you’re the real
expert. Do the final tweaks together for the best result on your guitar build .
players try to build a guitar after 15 minutes spent on a forum
When I build a guitar following this very procedure-there are no complaints ever. Most of the fake complaints
we see are the ones involving malicious buying, competitors or players
that try building a guitar after 15 minutes spent on a forum. Let us build you a great inexpensive guitar you’ll love.
I know you’ll want to bring tools to assist, but it’s not necessary-we
can handle it. The important part is that you’re a happy guitar player. I
never feel as if the job is complete until I hear what the player has
to say about the completed guitar. I love a well finished job.
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”.
Yes, we make guitars to order and will build whatever you need.
We’re musicians working for musicians in the shop and know what you a
lot about what you need. Got it! You want a custom guitar. Test and
Play first-then we can go forward intelligently, thoughtfully and
thoroughly. If you have specific requests-no problem, can do whatever you want. Our
guitars on Reverb are a great place to start. They’re all set up, feel
great, sound great and are excellent gigging guitars. You should get one
and try it.
start with a good used guitar….
You’ll love it. Look and find one as close to what you want as
possible. Then buy it. Since they are so inexpensive you can’t go wrong
with any of them.
I would recommend start with one of those. You’ll see how well it plays and sounds. Also- you’ll know how good the our work is.
Test and Play….experience with a guitar will tell you everything
Then after having some experience with one of our guitars you’ll get a
better idea of what your next custom guitar should be like.
You’ll know what you want more of and any additional needs. Our job here is to get the right guitar in your hands.
There is only one way to build a guitar properly and we do it here. We can talk about getting you a great custom guitar that is a no B.S. instrument. No beholding to any one company’s parts-we use everyone’s best parts.
I tell players regularly, “Don’t spend lots of money on unnecessary parts and processes. We treat your money like it’s ours”. First, Test Haywire Custom Shop then play your new guitar built for you.
What do you think? Make sense? Regards, Rick Mariner Haywire Custom Shop Guitar Engineering https://www.haywirecustomguitars.com
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”.
What is it? Possibly, if you’re a guitar player, it’s the best place imaginable. It’s where you want to spend all of your time when behind the neck of your favorite guitar. Bond with your guitar!
The weight, the girth, the neck, the action, the balance and built in curves influence your guitar comfort zone.
Sometimes you play a guitar and instantly it’s a joy to play. Feel is
most important, more so than any other aspect of your instrument. As
builders, we can assemble the finest materials and mate them in the
best ways possible, but if a player doesn’t enjoy the feel then nothing
else really matters.
A guitar needs care from the moment it’s produced to the time it gets to you. The body and neck must work well together. All other parts must be in harmony with each other.
Comfort mods include, tummy cuts in the back of the guitar for
better more ergonomic fit with the human body. Because the cut makes the
guitar body fit the human body closer. The feel is softer with comfort
curves that feel more natural to us. Other comfort issues include
smaller and thinner guitar necks. In addition players with medical
issues such as tendonitis, we work with them. Guitar neck shaving is
done to slim down the neck for ease of play. Other comfort mods have to
do with a guitar players hand size, and reach on the “heel crest area of the neck”.
These mods help a player feel more comfortable
Still other guitar comfort mods include slimming down the general thickness of the neck, the width
of the neck, radius or curvature of the top of the fret board, height
of the strings from the frets, the scale length of a neck, string gauge, certain afflictions like arthritis,
may have an effect on the location of the volume and tone controls.
This affects the feel of the distance of the strings from each other.
Areas as neck back contours
can be very influential to a players comfort. Because all of these
mods help a player feel more comfortable. And therefore they are more
able to concentrate on the job of playing music.
As a guitar player you’ll need:
A well balanced guitar with light weight that you can play all night long.
Body contours in the right places, especially where your right arm lays.
Volume control is easy to manage while playing. One that retains the highs when dropping or rolling off the volume
A bridge that is comfortable to handle while palm muting
The strings are close to the frets board making it effortless to play the guitar.
Easy to grip neck with the right feel to make holding it a joy
Your Comfort Zone
When it comes to bonding with a particular guitar it needs to exactly strike your comfort zone at first touch. Nothing else really matters unless the guitar plays and feels great.
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”.
Out of the hundreds of places to buy custom guitars, Haywire Custom Guitars is one of the top websites to buy custom guitars online according to GUIDE FOR BUYING.
News from Top 25 Custom Guitar Websites. Quote: “Whether you play
rock, the blues, country or another style of music, the right guitar
makes all the difference. Custom guitars are ideal for beginners, expert
players and even people who simply collect musical instruments.
Having a custom guitar means that it is made exactly to your
specifications. The shape, hardware, colors and other components are
chosen by you so that it fits into your hands like a glove. There are several companies who have an excellent reputation for making guitars according to GUIDE FOR BUYING”.
Haywire Custom Guitars Award Winner
I would like to congratulate Haywire on being the best of the best places to buy custom guitars online!
News from Guide for Buying- Top 25 Custom Guitar Websites.
Quote: “Whether you play rock, the blues, country or another style
of music, the right guitar makes all the difference. Haywire Custom
guitars are ideal for beginners, expert players and even people who
simply collect musical instruments.
Haywire Guitar Repairs is your place for expert stringed instrument
repairs. In detail, upgrades and servicing. Above all, every Guitar is
handled by an experienced guitar technician. In particular, we get your
guitar in peak playing condition. Check Haywire guitars official
website. Largest guitar shop in the Myrtle Beach area with the deals on
new and used guitars. Stop in for new guitars, guitar ideas, guitar repairs. In addition guitar upgrades. Professional guitar service and guitar repair in the Myrtle Beach, SC area.
Haywire Guitar Repairs and Maintenance, including:
Guitar repairs include: New guitar strings for your guitar,
quality guitar repairs, set-ups, modifications, electronics repairs,
re-frets
Also, Full 8-point setups
Intonation Setups
Action and truss rod adjustments, fret levels, alignments and more
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”.
First you’ll need to understand what poles are and the relationship they
play in a pickup design.
Pickup poles are magnet posts that run perpendicular to the string
windings in the guitar pickup’s coil to serve as a conductor for each
string above it.
Often you’ll notice one pole piece per string on a single coil is used.
Some of today’s designs have one long bar pole piece, or blade, per
string.
Poles look like small metal circles under each string.
Flat poles are
all the same height.
The staggered poles have some poles reaching higher for certain strings
and some are lower. They have a very non-uniform look.
Flat-pole pickups simply give your guitar a better string balance. When
the pole pieces are all level then your tone is more balanced.
No volume on any string will dominate the others.
Fender Teles until
sometime in 1956 had flat-poles. Leo Fender decided that since some of
the strings were so far away from the guitar he needed to compensate and
make some poles higher. In his mind, it would bring the volume out in
the more distant poles for strings sitting higher.
Now, moving guitar pickup poles closer to the strings does increase their
output-only more windings will do that. However it will make the string
louder.
Think about a pole as being a microphone for each string. Think about a
singer. What happens as a singer gets farther away from the mic?
The volume drops but the mic still has the same output. Placement is
important!
High-output pickups are distorted and mostly unpleasant in the tonal
spectrum. They generate distorted tones exactly as designed. The usage
for these distortion producing pickups are limited at best. Low to
mid-output pickups are more versatile and much quieter. They represent
better and more clear, clean guitar output signal choices. They’re
perfect for clean sounds, however you have the option of dirtying up
your sound by changing your amp settings or plugging into distortion
pedals. In the myriad of choices for amps you’ll find one that can
easily distort at will. Most amps have enough gain to make any pickup
generate heavy distortion levels. Picking a pickup just became easier.
Follow The Crowd ?
I know lots of people who only wear “name brand” clothing. So do you?
What if there was something else that fit better, looked and felt
better? Would they wear it? From my experience- No. Well, the same goes
for guitar pickups. If you’re just a name brand Lemmings kind of player
there’s no changing you. However, if you’re intelligent, independent,
not easily lead by the crowd and find your own path preferable, then
you’ll benefit from a great set of pickups that just sound good. Most of
all, they have a good solid signal for you to process.
