
Meagen Wells is a prestigious boutique builder based in California, with a unique take on making custom crossover archtop guitars and mandolins.
Want to buy a boutique instrument and don't know where to start? Our columnist offers some tips.
For many players, choosing a new guitar is easy. They simply walk into a music store and play different models until they find one that suits them best. There are many different types of players with a myriad of differing music styles and preferences, which calls for a diverse array of guitar models. Power players prefer jumbos and dreadnoughts as their go-tos, while others tend to gravitate towards smaller instruments, such as Gibson's L-00 or Martin's 000s.
Despite the plethora of guitar models in the standard market, some players simply can't find what they're looking for. It might not be that they're unhappy with their current guitars or the available options. It's just that something about their preferences has evolved. As their playing has advanced, maybe they've explored alternative tunings and new styles that place different demands on their guitar, or they're looking for a new instrumental voice. This often encourages guitarists to explore the boutique market, which ultimately provides more options and customization. Regardless of the reason, if one is considering an instrument from the boutique guitar market, it requires some rigorous analyzing and research.
The most ideal way to get your hands on some of these top-of-the-line instruments is by visiting boutique guitar shows. These shows are curated so only a handful of premier builders are allowed in the room. This keeps the show minimal, providing the best possible experience for visitors. The promoters rotate builders year-by-year to keep the shows fresh and relevant. In the heyday of custom guitar shows, there were up to five or six shows in a season, but over the years these shows have been consolidated into a few major events: the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, the La Conner Guitar Festival, the Artisan Guitar Show, and the Boutique Guitar Showcase.
If one is considering an instrument from the boutique guitar market, it requires some rigorous analyzing and research.
The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, hosted by Baker Rorick, is ideal for those living on the East Coast. The show is held in that bucolic town's Bearsville Theater and the Utopia Soundstage, both of which are brimming with musical history. The La Conner Guitar Festival, hosted by McElroy Guitars in La Conner, Washington, is great for people living in the Northwest, as it is close to Seattle, Portland, and Tacoma. Both shows are hosted in "cottage country," so securing housing is easy, and bringing the family is a great way to experience these events.
Next, we have the Artisan Guitar Show, which takes place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is hosted in a self-contained complex. Here, showgoers can secure lodging and meals, talk guitars for three solid days, and enjoy the entertainment without having to leave the facility. Each of these showcases include makers from their regions, so attending all of the shows for at least two seasons is a great way to get a solid understanding of what is available.
The final guitar show model is the Boutique Guitar Showcase, hosted by Roberta and Jamie Gale. This is a curated traveling event designed to showcase luthiers and instruments that are cutting edge and to further the art and technology of fretted musical instruments. Jamie and Roberta do a great job assembling this event, as it successfully exhibits premier shops and lutherie styles from across the globe in a one-day display. In recent years, the Boutique Guitar Showcase has teamed up with NAMM to be included in its summer and winter trade shows. This has proven to be an outstanding collaboration.
The Boutique Guitar Showcase's "enTour" offers a unique and intimate experience for players who want to try instruments from a wide variety of luthiers.
Photo by Jamie Gale Music
Maneuvering through this market and successfully finding the instrument of one's dreams is a difficult feat. For most customers, passing through the doors of these guitar shows can be overwhelming. Guitarists will sample instruments made by the best luthiers from around the world, which are significantly more sophisticated than your standard off-the-shelf guitar. These luthiers incorporate many custom features that buyers should carefully consider. An increase in sophistication and customization requires customers to study and analyze their potential purchases more carefully. Otherwise, one might buy an instrument that does not fit one's playing needs.
Buyers might also consider looking for a guitar broker. Guitar brokers represent guitar builders, and they have a unique talent—assisting customers in securing a bespoke guitar that will best fit their musical needs. Brokers typically know the makers personally and thoroughly understand their building styles. If one is new to the boutique market, working with a broker a great way to get started.
The takeaway is this: The custom boutique guitar market is a place for players who want to move to the next level with an instrument. My recommendation is to do research, find brokers, and attend shows to meet the makers in person and play their instruments. Even though we would all love to make you a custom guitar, what we want most is for you to find satisfaction and happiness with the instrument that we've personally crafted for you.
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Lutefish, the real-time music collaboration device and platform, is excited to announce a suite of new features designed to simplify setup, streamline collaboration, and offer more flexible subscription options for Lutefish Stream users. These latest updates, Audio Presets, Automatic Session Recall, Improved Scheduling with Contact Visibility, and a new Yearly Subscription Plan, are all about making it easier than ever for musicians to jam together, no matter where they’re based.
Save Time and Stay in the Flow with Audio Presets & Session Recall
Musicians can now save and reuse their exact audio settings, reducing setup time and ensuring every session sounds exactly as they want.
- Automatic Session Recall: When users leave a session, their current audio levels are automatically saved and restored when they rejoin.
- User-Defined Audio Presets: Each user can create and name up to five custom presets, like “Band Practice,” “Studio Mic Setup,” or “Quick Jam,” making it effortless to jump back in with the perfect sound.
“These tools are all about saving time and hassle,” said Patrick Finn, Business Manager at Lutefish. “Musicians want to make music, not spend time rebalancing levels every session. With presets and recall, we’re giving them time back and helping them sound their best, every time.”
Smarter Scheduling and Contact Visibility
The latest update to Lutefish also made it easier to find collaborators and book sessions. Users can now:- View all their contacts at a glance when scheduling a session.
- Instantly identify which contacts own a Lutefish Stream device—so they will always know who’s ready to jam.
Go Yearly and Save 20%
Lutefish now offers a Yearly Subscription Plan, providing users with the same great access as the monthly plan at a 20% discount.
This option is now available within the Lutefish app and web platform, and current monthly users are eligible for a discount with an upgrade to a yearly subscription.
Lutefish’s mission has always been to empower musicians to connect and collaborate without boundaries. With these new updates, Lutefish Stream continues to break down barriers—whether you’re jamming with a friend across town or collaborating with a bandmate 500 miles away.
For more information and to start jamming today, visitlutefish.com.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kiesel’s new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com
The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).