Bousley says his crew’s community mindset and passion sets them apart. “We love music, the scene that surrounds it, and the players themselves,” he says. “We work closely with each customer and try to deliver the guitar they want, and we’re willing to try and build anything.” He thinks this willingness is the main difference between Venture Guitars and other builders. “We haven’t just built guitars we liked and sold them,” he continues. “We’ve been building fully custom guitars for each customer, so we can bring that connection between the player and their instrument back to life.”
Though Venture has been building only completely handmade, 100 percent custom guitars thus far, the outfit will soon offer a production model of sorts with their Anna Lee design, which incorporates the use of CNC. That said, their custom offerings will remain completely handmade. The production-model aspect of the Anna Lee is certainly a departure for the company, but the planned price point of $2,200 will be more accessible for many than a typical custom build. “We are currently going nuts experimenting with the sound for the Anna Lee,” says Bousley. “We still haven’t officially decided what we’re going to put into them, but we have a pretty good idea where we’re going to go.”
Venture is “pretty all over the place” when it comes to inspiration for their designs, but Bousley says the entire team loves the newer, prog look that some builders are doing, as well as soulful, vintage Fenders. “I know it’s cliché, but it’s a P bass from the ’70s that really gets me, or an old SG or Rickenbacker,” he says. “There’s just something about a guitar that old that has a story to it. And that’s where we all come together—making something with a story.”
VG #00080
Venture also accommodates
low-enders,
and this is a fine example
of the luthier’s
custom bass offerings.
Built for a southpaw,
the P-style body is
carved from alder and
paired with a 1-piece
maple neck that’s
topped with a quarter-sawn-maple fretboard.
Both the block inlays
and pickguard are cut
from 5A-rated flame
maple and stained
green. An Aguilar AJ-60 Jazz-style pickup in
the neck and a Music
Man humbucker in the
bridge give it the ability
to deliver a wide
range of bass tones.
VG #00117
Painted “plum crazy,” this solidbody one-off
has a head-turning silver-sparkle finish and a
pair of silver racing stripes. Built for New Found
Glory guitarist Steve Klein, the 25.5"-scale guitar
boasts other aesthetic standouts like the grouping
of mother-of-pearl inlay along the length of
the ebony fretboard and the Venture logo—also
cut from MOP. The deep purple #00117 is packed
with a single EMG 81 humbucker in the bridge.
VG #00013
For this classic-looking semi-hollowbody, Venture
didn’t hold back on the master-grade, 5A-rated
flame maple, using it for the top, truss-rod cover,
control-cavity cover, and back of headstock
veneer. Other appointments include the Gibson
Super 400-style block-inlay markers that grace
the ebony fretboard, mother-of-pearl side markers,
and a bone nut. Choosing a classic pickup
combo, #00013 is outfitted with a Seymour Duncan
JB in the bridge and a Jazz in the neck.
Pricing and Availability
The typical wait for a custom-built guitar from Venture Guitars is currently
6–10 months, depending on the build. With plans to produce the
Anna Lee in batches of 10, players will likely be able to get their hands
one of these models quicker. Venture does direct orders through an online
quote/order form, where buyers list all the components and specs that will
make up their custom instrument. Pricing for a custom Venture guitar
varies with build, but typically falls in the $3,000 to $4,500 range.
The Gibson Les Paul Custom was formally unveiled at the July NAMM show in 1954, along with the Les Paul Junior. The two instruments were meant to increase the range of Gibson’s Les Paul solidbody guitars by adding both a fancier model and an economy version. The Les Paul Custom’s sumptuous looks and special low, smooth frets earned it two nicknames: “Black Beauty” and “Fretless Wonder.”
Here’s how the 1955 Gibson catalog described the Custom’s unique features: “Solid Honduras Mahogany body with carved top, size 17 1/4" long, 12 3/4" wide, 1 3/4" thick with graceful cutaway design; bound with alternating white and black strips on top and bottom of body. Mahogany neck, with exclusive Gibson Truss Rod construction; ebony fingerboard; deluxe pearl inlays.”
The luxury treatment continued with the split-diamond pearl headstock inlay previously reserved for the Super 400, Gibson’s flagship archtop. Another feature, also formerly limited to high-end Gibson archtops, was the powerful, neck-position alnico 5 pickup. The Custom was the first Les Paul to receive the innovative Tune-o-matic bridge, which allowed for individual string intonation.
While the Les Paul Custom’s looks and darker sounds (the latter due to the all-mahogany construction and deep-toned neck pickup) were aimed at refined jazz players, rock ’n’ roll guitarists were also attracted to the instrument. Chuck Berry, Franny Beecher (Bill Haley & His Comets), and Robby Krieger (The Doors)—along, of course, with Les Paul himself—are a few of the well-known players who favored the first version of the Les Paul Custom at some point in their career.
A 1955 Les Paul Custom originally sold for $325. Its current value in excellent, all-original condition is $20,000.
This ’55 Custom rests on a 1956 Gibson GA-70 Country Western amplifier. As “Country Western” suggests, it was Gibson’s attempt to get a brighter sound—one comparable to Fender’s popular amplifiers. The GA-70 was similar to the Fender Pro produced at the same time. Like the Pro, it had two 6L6 power tubes and a 15" Jensen speaker. As great as it sounded, only 332 were made between 1955 and 1958. The original price was $260. The current value in excellent, all-original condition is $2,000.
Sources for this article include: The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy, 1915-1963 by Robb Lawrence, Gibson Electrics—the Classic Years by A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Guitars—Ted McCarty’s Golden Era: 1948-1966 by Gil Hembree, and Gibson Amplifiers 1933-2008: 75 Years of the Gold Tone by Wallace Marx Jr.
In a departure from earlier Les Paul models, the “Black Beauty” had a solid mahogany body, which gave it a darker, warmer tone than the maple/mahogany formula of its predecessors. It also was the first guitar to sport Gibson’s innovative Tune-o-matic bridge.
The Les Paul Custom featured the split-diamond pearl headstock inlay previously reserved for the Super 400 archtop.
The Custom’s neck pickup was designed by Seth Lover. The unusual “staple” pole pieces are actually six individually adjustable alnico 5 magnets.