Measuring 1 3/16" deep at the 12th fret, the neck on this 1994 custom
double-cut was spec’d
as “baseball bat” in the original order. The
owner is delighted, yet after the guitar was finished,
its builder deemed
it “unplayable.” How far should a luthier go to accommodate a client’s
wishes
or design requests? Photo by Andy Ellis
Musician attorneys get a
bad rap. When lawyers,
CEOs, doctors, and other big-money
professionals pick up a
guitar, people tend to wince.
Even if they are proficient players,
they are somehow perceived
as posers. I think this perception
runs opposite the truth in
many ways.
As a builder, I’ve of course
had plenty of opportunities to
work with clients that make
their living as guitarists. From
the struggling club player to
the mega-platinum axe slinger,
I’ve gone toe-to-toe with all of
them. Some are professional
and dedicated, while others
are somewhat less organized.
In dealing with all ranks of the
working pros, I’ve found that
egos don’t seem to be tied to
ticket and album sales—respect
or rudeness can be dished out
at any level of achievement.
My initial inklings of this
came when I first started selling
my wares to touring pros.
Opinionated and intractable
was just as likely as curious
and open. That said, musicians
are focused on making music,
and technical things like scale
length or string tension might
not always be of interest to
them. Just like the rest of the
population, guitarists come in
all flavors.
The last few decades have
witnessed the arrival of the
so-called wealthy, weekend
warrior musician. These well-heeled
professional people are
either returning to the guitar,
or fulfilling a lifelong desire to
learn how to play. The common
stereotype has them brandishing
shiny new guitars made from
over-stained quilt maple with
gobs of pearl inlay, or snapping
up blue-chip vintage pieces. As
the myth goes, these are rich
and less-than-talented guys possessing
more cash than chops.
However, I’ve found these guys
to be just as passionate as many
of the full-timers. I see the same
dedication and focus that made
them a success in their chosen
field, applied to their musicianship.
This all-in approach is also
evident when commissioning a
custom guitar.
Successful business people
understand an opinion from
an expert can be more valuable
than their own. As players, they
might be driven by the same
hero (or object) worship as the
rest of us. The difference is that
many successful people possess
not just the ability to identify
a goal and verbalize it, but also
the ability to remain open to
alternative paths to that goal.
A good example would be
the discussion of raw materials
versus technical specifications.
Let’s say the idea is to create a
showboat guitar from figured
maple and ebony, with one of
the specs being the inclusion of
a tremolo. If the plan is to have
a long scale and single-coil pickups,
the client needs to be made
aware of the tonal consequences
their choices may create. Maple
and ebony are bright-sounding
woods, and a longer scale
emphasizes harmonics and adds
twang. The use of single-coils
will shift the sound in the same
direction and the trem will
do so even more. All of these
factors put a guitar into treble-heavy
territory. I’m not suggesting
this is a hopeless scenario,
but if the buyer is expecting fat
and deep tones, they’re in for a
surprise unless the builder lays
it all out up front.
A sincere craftsman will
explain the pros and cons, and
then present the client with
several routes towards a solution.
A holistic approach gives
the guitarist an overview of
what to expect and how to proceed.
Usually, a builder with an
excellent reputation has arrived
at his station by using this
philosophy—and not wanting
the customer’s project to end
in tears.
Typically, a reasonable person
will entertain mitigating
changes in order to produce a
more balanced instrument that
still achieves the original goal.
This is where the professional
businessperson tends to be more
flexible than others. We’re all
aware of Type A personalities,
those who are used to getting
anything they want just
because they can afford to pay
for it, regardless of practicality.
My experience has shown
me that this kind of thinking
is not commonplace with the
supremely successful. The lesson
and takeaway here is that the
strategy of a seasoned and successful
professional is to achieve
the overall goal, even if it means
changing the game plan along
the way to do so.
When I have an intractable client
who wants to write their own
diagnosis, I usually give them the
name of another builder.
Jol Dantzig is a
noted designer, builder,
and player who co-founded
Hamer Guitars,
one of the first boutique
guitar brands, in 1973.
Today, as the director of
Dantzig Guitar Design, he continues to
help define the art of custom guitar. To
learn more, visit
guitardesigner.com.