Staying up to date on the latest, most exciting, and best electric guitar brands isn’t always easy these days. Individual builders, as well as larger custom guitar brands are popping up all the time.
Is that because the corporate guitar makers like Fender, Gibson, or PRS just aren’t offering the kind of custom work that the market is craving? I contend this is indeed, at least part of the reason why so many new electric guitar brands are emerging.
Immersing myself in the guitar community has exposed me to a plethora of new custom guitar brands. More than I thought was possible. Every time I visit Instagram, a brand new Luthier’s work shows up in my feed. It is extremely encouraging to see that the market is growing, and that the demand is there for these custom guitars.
That’s why I wanted to write this article. To share the wealth of diverse guitar builders I’ve discovered, with all of you. Some of them are just getting started, and some of them are fairly well established in the electric guitar community.
Either way, they didn’t make it on this list because everyone knows about them. They made it on this list because they are hidden gems, and they make beautifully unique electric guitars. So without further ado, here are 9 of the Best Custom Electric Guitar Builders You’ve Never Heard Of.
- 9. Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands - Veranda Guitars
- 8. Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands - Aristides Guitars
- 7. Best Electric Guitar Brands - Moar Guitars
- 6. Best Electric Guitar Brands - Electrical Guitar Company
- 5. Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands - Wide Sky Guitars
- 4. Best Electric Guitar Brands - Shelton Electric Instruments
- 3. Best Guitar Brands - Wallace Detroit Guitars
- 2. Best Custom Guitar Brands - MeloDuende Guitars
- 1. Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands - Waterslide Guitars
- One Builder You Should Already Know: Veritas Custom Guitars
- New Discoveries
- New Additions: Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands - Drewman Guitars
- Why Drewman Guitars Deserves to Be On This List of the Best New Electric Guitar Brands:
- New Addition 2: Big D Guitars
Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands - The AxeDr.com Philosophy
- Conclusion
9 Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands You’ve Never Heard Of:
Veranda Guitars
The Veranda-Guitars label stands for unique guitar designs.
Visit the website to find out more!
www.veranda-guitars.de/alle-beitraege
Veranda Guitars just could not be left off of the Best Custom Electric Brands list. It would be a crime to do so. This is SUCH A FUN GUITAR BRAND! Each guitar is inspired by its own unique object/theme. Things like Aluminum PanAm Jetliner, Coca Cola, and a Celtic Age Battle Axe? (More on that one later.)
As you can see, this amazing custom electric guitar brand DOES NOT MESS AROUND. The sheer breadth of the builds is astonishing. Lets hear the full story behind this builder in his own words.
2016 – The start a year ago
“Some people who have ended up here at the Veranda Guitars may already know me as the operator of the ” Wutzdog-Guitars ” shop, which has been in Gunzenhausen in central Franconia since 1995 (only online since 2010). When I planked my terrace with grooved larch wood in 2008, I had the idea to build a solid body guitar out of it! However, it only took another seven years before the first real implementation.
During this time I collected ideas and above all interesting individual parts for such a project. This resulted in the number 001, the Veranda Eagle, in 2015whose story you can read here. Since more ideas were constantly being born during construction, twelve more copies were made in 2016, which are not all made of veranda wood, but their intellectual origin is at least often with a cool beer or a neat single malt on the terrace found.
Since these bizarre and original handmade electric guitars were well received by friends and acquaintances, I would like to introduce them to this non-commercial website at irregular intervals in the near future. Open end. I am always happy about constructive contributions and comments at info@veranda-guitars.de!
Robert Walch in December 2016″
The middle photo looks like a Celtic Age Battle Axe maybe? I better let the builder himself tell you about it.
“In April 2017, I was able to prove with the “Hansa Lübeck guitar” that the history of the electric guitar did not begin until the 20th century, but 400 years earlier. Now I even have to correct my research results from back then, since the first electric guitar from the Crusader period (13th century) is now available. I would probably have started this text if the instrument had been finished on April 1st. But it is not. So now the somewhat less spectacular version. The fact that I like building guitars that could have come from a different time can also be seen in the “Celtic” or the “Copperhead”Guitar.”
If off-the-wall custom electric guitars are your thing, you’ll absolutely want to read my article on 10 Steampunk Guitars You Can Build Yourself!
Aristides Guitars
Aristides Custom Guitars, made out of Arium in Haarlem, The Netherlands.
IN STOCK REVERB STORE:
reverb.com/shop/aristides-instruments
Aristides Guitars are a fast growing custom electric guitar brand based in The Netherlands. They seem to have this incredible cult following in the hard rock/metal guitar genre. The first time I saw one, I foolishly mistook it for a custom Ibanez.
Luckily for me, one of my followers quickly corrected my error, and I immediately took action to learn about Aristides. Turns out they have been around for quite a while, and have absolutely established themselves as one of the best electric guitar brands of today.
They have an incredibly interesting backstory, and I have to tell you about it. You can read their full history here, but for the sake of convenience I’ll give you a quick rundown of their brand story.
They Invented A New Material to build electric guitars out of!
The following is an excerpt from their brand history, you can see the full story here: https://aristidesinstruments.com/story/history
1995-2007: Research & Development
In 1995, a team of Dutch scientists, working in collaboration with Technical University Delft, started work on a unique mission: develop a material with perfect acoustic properties. The primary emphasis being on resonance and sustain.
The result of these 15 years is Arium, the perfect tonal material.
2007-2012: Prototyping & first models
In 2007, Aristides Instruments started to work on the development of a revolutionary guitar.
The requirements:
- Perfect control of tone
- Incredible playability
- Innovative design
- Optimal utilization of the Arium properties
In short, the perfect instrument. The Aristides team got down to business with the famous Dutch design agency VANRENSDESIGN.
2013- Now: Expansion & Success
Since 2013, Aristides has moved faster than ever. Their 7 string design, the 070, was met with rave reviews, so much so that the body style was appropriated into their now flagship 6 string model, the 060, and later the 080 8-string model.
This has all culminated in the release of their multiscale 080S, many successful NAMM outings, and more huge artists joining the Aristides roster.
By the way, this is how I first discovered Aristides. This crazy good metal guitarist named Sanjay Foi plays a really nice Aristides. He makes some amazing music with that thing. Here’s a video of him. You can read more about him in Top 7 Guitar Influencers You Should Be Following in 2020.
If you think these Aristides Guitars are cool you should check out the guitars in my article on 11 Best Guitars for Metal and Best Metal Brands! (2020)!
MOAR GUITARS
The world’s local guitar builder.
My guitars are played on stages all over the globe, but each one starts its journey in my workshop, in Copenhagen.
Moar Guitars calls themselves “The World’s Local Guitar Builder”, and it really kinda feels that way. He takes classic body shapes, and makes them sleeker, and yet very tasteful. His custom electric guitar brand motto says it best…
Over the best part of the last decade my business has grown rapidly, but my core approach, ethos and passion has remained. Moar Guitars is a bold, independent small business; the person answering your emails is the same that’s winding your pickups. I work on a one-on-one basis to meticulously craft every aspect of the build, tailored exactly to your specifications.
His simplistic builds offer a more ergonomic, custom feel than the big name guitar brands of today. He offers both solid body and semi-hollow versions with handwound pickups. Last I spoke with him, he could barely keep up with the influx of orders he’s been getting. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. It gives hope to up and coming luthiers all around the world to see this guy succeed. Keep it up Moar Guitars!
The Master of the Aluminum Guitar Neck
Electrical Guitar Company
The finest aluminum instruments and aluminum guitar necks. New builds and restorations – EGC and Travis Bean. sales@electricalguitarcompany.com
This builder is making some of the craziest CNC machined aluminum guitar necks and bodies on the market today. Turns out they specialize in all acrylic electric guitars as well. The Electrical Guitar Company Instagram Feed is super active, with beautiful pictures of the guitar builds of the week.
This company was one built out of necessity. Kevin Burkett, an avid aluminum loving guitarist, found himself in need of an affordable alternative to his favorite Travis Bean instruments. As the story goes, he saved up enough money to buy the aluminum for a custom guitar. Then went around to every machine shop in town until one of them agreed to help him build it.
That man was Will Fitzpatrick, and he told Kevin he would teach him the skills to create his own metal-necked guitar. Since then, Kevin has been building these guitars himself for over 1,600 for customers all over the world.
They must be busy, because I’m starting to see Aluminum Guitar Necks all over the net. It’s a super interesting concept, and one I’ve yet to try myself. Fans of the aluminum guitar claim it has the best tonal capabilities of any material you can build a guitar out of.
If an aluminum guitar sounds like your thing, you should look them up. I’m sure they’d be happy to build you a custom neck. This company was a shoe-in for the best electric guitar brands list…especially with their masterful use of unique materials.
Wide Sky Guitars
Handmade guitars.
Gary Clark Jr, Thom Yorke, Billie Joe Armstrong, John Doe, Gregory Alan Isakov, Sean Hayes, Eric Mcfadden & hopefully you.
Brand Motto: “I want to make art that inspires others to make their art. I want to make sculptures that sing.” — Patch at WideSky Guitars
I love reading the stories on how these electric guitar brands are built, what events led to their eventual creation. This guys story is so rich, and makes me wish I had such experiences. He’s an accomplished touring guitarist turned luthier.
“After graduating I moved out to LA to go to the Musicians Institute to continue studying guitar. While I was there Andy Brauer gave a lecture on how to set up your instrument. Something clicked and I went to his shop and asked for an apprenticeship which ended up becoming a full time gig for over 2 years.”
I found work with a custom furniture builder and at some point, with access to a fully equipped shop, I realized that I could try to build an acoustic guitar. Right around that time David Lindley was in town and I caught up with him before his show and asked if he’d try out my guitar and give me some advice.
He played it for a bit and kept saying this is a great guitar. He asked if I was selling it and I said I hadn’t thought about it yet because it was my first and he said something like “Whoa, you’ve made a monster guitar, don’t change a thing”. He gave me the confidence to go on and build my second.
I entered my second guitar into the Taos Fall Arts Festival and it ended up winning Best In Show. I had known instantly that guitar building was something that I wanted to do, these two experiences made me feel like I was on the right path and that I should really go for it.”
I highly recommend you have a listen to a recent podcast interview of Patch Rubin (Founder of Wide Sky Guitars) if you are taken by his instruments. Its an excellent story of the journey that led him to invent his amazing guitar brand.
One thing that stands out about this custom guitar builder is his use of alternative, natural finishes. When you look at his guitars, they exude that aged feel that every brand out there is trying to tackle these days. After messaging back and forth with Patch he informed me that his Electric Guitar builds have Osmo finishes, which he described as an Oil/Wax finish.
Patch reserves the French Polishing technique for his Acoustic builds. It speaks to the overall dedication he’s willing to put into each instrument. Its a long, complicated, hand applied finish using pure shellac chips dissolved in denatured alcohol, carefully dispensed onto a cotton pad, and applied in thousands upon thousands of micro layers.
Those layers melt into eachother to create a sonic-friendly finish that allows the character of the wood to shine through in its tone. It’s how all wooden instruments used to be finished before modern industry.
Wide Sky Guitars has favorable reviews wherever you look. Here is an excerpt from a review on acousticlife.tv:
“One of his models, the Wide Sky PL1, is a nod to the Gibson L1. If you have never seen a Gibson L1 look up the infamous picture of Robert Johnson… he is holding an L1. This guitar sounds tremendous, it’s barky, it’s distinct, it has great projection, and is very well composed with really nice note separation as well as articulation.
Although reminiscent of an old guitar it definitely has some modern improvements including a much thinner, more modern neck, and it is built like a flattop guitar but with a 15′ radius instead of the standard 28.’ I believe this is what gives the guitar such a distinct voice.”
Wide Sky Guitar owners all give 5 star reviews, here are a few of the more interesting ones.
This guitar is nothing shy of being a piece of art! Unreal. Good work brother!
Very cool guitar with a vintage vibe and great sound for fingerpicking some old blues tunes. Very satisfied – highly recommended!
Reviews from Reverb.com
If you are into these classy guitars, you will absolutely love my guitar roundup in Best Praise & Worship Guitars Under $1000 (2020)!
Shelton Electric Instruments
reverb.com/shop/sheltonsguitars
Luckily for me, Pinterest turns out to be a great place to find exciting new electric guitar brands. I remember the first pin I came across with a Shelton Electric Instruments guitar in it.
It was this teal colored Thinline Telecaster clone with with a Jazzmaster style bridge, and these super cool soapbar style(?) humbuckers.(See middle image) Incredibly, cleverly distinct. The pin didn’t have a link or any electric guitar brand name associated with it.
I posted it to Instagram with with a caption asking my followers to please help identify it. It didn’t take long with such an easily distinguishable custom guitar. The comments kindly informed me that it was a build by Shelton Electric Instruments, and I was thrilled to have found another custom electric guitar brand to add to my list.
Besides their incredibly beautiful appearance, the thing that really gets me excited about Shelton Guitars is their fancy electronics. They are known for adding an extra layer of tweakability to their pickup options.
Functionalities that every guitar tinkerer has dreamed of. I am a sucker for push/pull pots, phase switching, treble bleeds, coil switching…the more complex, the better. I can never have too many switches. Shelton Electric Instruments can deliver such features with ease.
In an Interview with Shelton Breeden, Brian K. Sanders of the Fretboard Journal asks Shelton to elaborate on some of the more complex electronics in their guitars.
Shelton answers:
“the four pickup SkyFlite is amazingly versatile. I spent a lot of time working out a system to get the maximum amount of usable settings from those pickups: 21 settings from four pickups and three push pulls. The only thing I didn’t get in there was phase switching. The feedback we’ve gotten from players has been tremendous on what you can do with it.”
Shelton continues to say:
“Ideally, I like a bit of extremes on the pickup voicings. Something hot that can drive the input at the bridge, and something that is a bit rounder and clean at the neck. We like middle pickups. You can add in a nice quack or get a nice clean tone out of a middle or even throw in something from left field.
We try to pack a lot of features into our electronics. Most of our two-pickup guitars have a 5-way switch where you can get your normal three positions plus a series setting and a cool treble roll off that’s somewhere between a cocked wah and an old Gretsch mudswitch. We also do a 5-way switch that does some cool stuff with series/parallel.”
Brian K. Saunders. @FretboardJournal. (November, 2017). Bench Press: Shelton Electric Instruments. Fretboard Journal. Retrieved from https://www.FretboardJournal.com/.
Now you know why Shelton Electric Instruments made this list. They build stunning custom electric guitars, with clever electronics that every guitarist can appreciate. Let’s talk about the next brand on the list.
If you like the way these guitars look, you should check out my article on 7 Crazy Boutique Guitars Builders You Should Be Following in 2020!
Wallace Detroit Guitars
The sound of the city.
Handmade #guitars created with reclaimed wood from abandoned #Detroit buildings.
Featured on @CBSNews, @CNNMoney, @GuitarPlayer
Wallace Detroit Guitars has to be the most inspiring on the 9 Best Custom Guitar Brands list. Reclaimed wood has become a huge industry in the United States. I’m betting no matter how small your town is, there is at least one business dealing in it.
What makes this company so special is that the reclaimed wood is from abandoned buildings in the City of Detroit. The economic death and decay one of our country’s most important cities is being turned into something good. An amazingly inspiring guitar is turning decay into music.
It’s not just the fact that they utilize reclaimed wood. It’s the way they put that wood together, that makes it completely unique to them. Any pattern you can think of, they probably do it, and/or will do it in the future.
Wallace Detroit Guitars UPDATE: After chatting with WDC on Instagram, they informed me that they just released a new Player Series of Guitars, and at an excellent price point of $1,200! That’s a great value, especially when you consider all the historical worth.
If you like the idea, do yourself a favor and visit their site. They have been featured on CNN, CBS, and Guitar Player magazine. I believe they deserve all the exposure they can get, and the guitar community obviously agrees that they are among the best electric guitar brands today.
In a recent article from CNN.com, Parija Kavilanz interviews Owner Mark Wallace. Writer Parija Kaveilanz helps tell the interesting story that brought this brand about.
“The idea for the guitars came to Wallace after a friend told him about Architectural Salvage Warehouse, a local nonprofit that deconstructs historic buildings with the goal of reusing salvaged wood and other materials to make new products. The concept piqued his interest. So he took a tour of the warehouse where the salvaged materials were stored.”
Wallace Detroit Guitar Founder Mark Wallace recounts:
“There was a lot of wood piled up and I happened to spot a cutting board made from reclaimed wood. It was stunningly beautiful,”
“I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have an actual guitar made from this old wood?,”
When it comes to building these guitars, he obviously believes in quality over quantity. In the same interview Wallace describes the time frame for each build:
“Each guitar takes about three months to make and sells for between $2,200 and $3,800, depending on the rarity of the wood and custom components on the guitar.”
Kavilanz, Parija @CNNMoney (August 1, 2018: 9:34 AM ET). My American Success Story He turns wood from Detroit’s vacant buildings into beautiful guitars. money.CNN.com. Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/
If you like classic Fender Style guitars without the Fender brand name, you will absolutely love my guitar roundup of Best Fender Telecaster Alternatives 2020!
MeloDuende Guitars
ONE-OF-A-KIND
ALUMINIUM GUITARS HANDMADE IN FRANCE
MeloDuende Guitars is a super unique custom guitar brand based in Burgundy, France. They specialize in the fabled aluminum guitar; a growing trend among the best electric guitar brands in the community.
However, they go the extra mile when it comes to custom work on their all aluminum guitars. They add a style to that aluminum canvas. The end result is a guitar straight out of some dystopian future. They add metal paneling designs that just make the guitars look outstanding. After seeing just a few of their masterpieces, you can spot a MeloDuende Custom Aluminum Guitar from a mile away.
Aluminum guitars designed with their own custom bracing, tailored for the order. Semi-hollow bodies. Necks are made to order, only the finest hardware included. An estimated 200 hours goes into each model from scratch.
Can you imagine having enough passion and attention to detail to 200 hours into one thing? If you can, then you will understand the value of such works of art.
MeloDuende Guitars has been mentioned favorably on Guitar.com in a recent article with Tyler Bryant. For those of you unfamiliar with Bryant, he’s a Texan musician who has toured with greats such as Joe Bonamassa and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“This 335-sized custom electric was made by Meloduende in France. “I’d seen the one that Scott [Holiday] had, but I never knew who made it,” Tyler explains. “Bertrand from Meloduende reached out to me through Instagram and said ‘Hey, I’d love for you to try a guitar,’ and he sent me this and it just sounds unbelievable.”
He goes on to describe this guitar in detail:
Oversized custom control knobs are a feature of Meloduende instruments. “I wanna get some of these knobs for other guitars,” he enthuses. “They are so sick! If the light hits it right, you can see that it has gold paint on the neck, it’s very cool. Yeah this thing sounds unreal. It’s got these really crazy harmonic overtones.”
Guitar.com (). Rare guitars: Tyler Bryant’s MeloDuende, aka “The Big Fish”. Guitar.com. Retrieved from https://guitar.com/
Waterslide Guitars
reverb.com/shop/waterslideguitars?
http://www.waterslideguitars.com/
Waterslide Guitars is a very special guitar brand located in Hollywood, CA. This brand sets itself apart from the competition by using super high end parts, and cleverly mismatched hardware from various fender models to create a truly unique partscaster. The classy knobs and little finishing touches don’t hurt either.
They also specialize in b and g benders for strats and teles. The use of the lap steel pickups is really what caught my attention. That combined with their crazy good tone is why they make my list of the best electric guitar brands today. There wasn’t a whole lot of info on their backstory, but I get the feeling its because they are so busy producing guitars.
From what I’ve read on the guitar forums, Waterslide Guitars entered the scene around 2014. Since then, they’ve gained a stellar reputation among very discerning players for having everything a player wants in an electric guitar build. Many say thats because the founder (Patrick) is a damn good guitarist, and knows exactly what guitar players like.
Another point frequently noted about Waterslide, is their affordable price in relation to other comparable guitar builders. They’ve definitely got great resale value, and guitarists are basically lining up to get one secondhand since they are mostly custom order guitars.
Here is what Waterslide have to say about the unique humbuckers in many of their models.
“Those of you familiar with Coodercasters know that the design of these old Valco-style lap steel pickups typically results in a middle position where three strings are in-phase and three are out. We’ve worked with Mojo to come up with a solution to that problem so all Waterslide Coodercasters with Mojo UK Lap Steel & Gold Foil pickups now feature our new switching system which allows all six strings to be in-phase with each other when both pickups are ‘on’.”
If Fender style and custom electric guitar builders are your thing, you ‘ll absolutely love this article on the Best Fender Telecaster Alternatives 2020!
The thing that blows my mind about waterslide guitars is their g and b bender capability. It does them no justice to write about them, and trying to describe the tone. You really need to hear and see these guitars in action to truly appreciate their excellence. Just watch the video below, you’ll understand why I consider them to be one of the top custom electric guitar builders immediately.
Custom Electric Guitar Builders
Sounds pretty sweet right? If classic fender bodystyles, lap steel humbuckers, and crazy cool b benders are something you might like to try, you should definitely visit their site. At the very least follow them on Instagram where they post their latest builds. You won’t be disappointed. Super exciting guitar builder. Can’t wait to see more from them.
Veritas Guitars
👍 Guitars built to the person that matters most: the musician
🎸Custom guitar builder
👇👇 Website!👇👇veritascustomguitars.com
Veritas Custom Guitars make some of the most exquisite custom boutique guitars available on the market today. Their popularity continues to grow, so much so, that their guitars have a waiting list. Their ProLine Models are sold out, and it’s easy to see why. You are getting a lot of guitar for not a lot of money.
That’s right, the demand for finely built custom guitars from this builder is increasing, and that means you’ll have to be patient. But fret not, the wait is worth it. You’ll be among the elite few (Michael Pope, David Hislop, and Bobby Strand of Bethel Music, Patrick Thompson of Rend Collective, and Chason Ford of Jesus Culture) to own one of these crazy cool axes.
I highly recommend following them on Instagram if this kind of guitar art is your thing. Check them out here: Instagram.com/veritasguitars
If Fender style and custom electric guitar builders are your thing, you’ll absolutely love this article on the Best Fender Telecaster Alternatives 2020!
New Discoveries
Drewman Guitars
https://www.instagram.com/drewmanguitars/
Aluminium guitars with anodised finishes, a few body shapes in the range, aluminium necks too. Custom builds if the mood takes us. Made in the U.K.
reverb.com/uk/shop/drewmanguitars
About Drewman Guitars:
Our guitar bodies are milled from a solid block of aluminium to the highest standards and using the precision available to us we’re able deliver an exact tuned tonal resonance with every body we produce, it’s built in quality control.
Our bodies are made in the UK to the highest specification using top quality materials and the finest engineering and design.
The D1 was our first creation, closely followed by out ‘T’ styled model DT; and now they’re available to order for your build.
facebook.com/drewmanguitars/about (14th October, 2020) Drewman Guitars “About” facebook.com Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/drewmanguitars/about
Why Drewman Guitars Deserves to Be On This List of the Best New Electric Guitar Brands:
Drewman Guitars caught my eye the second their polished aluminum telecaster popped up in my instagram feed. I’d seen photos circulating online, but they never were connected to a builder or source. Their orange anodized semi hollow Tele was the first of their builds I came across. Finally I’d found the company responsible for some of the craziest all aluminum telecasters I’d ever seen!
Turns out they not only specialize in telecasters, but les paul bodies and necks, Jazzmasters/Jaguars bodies and necks (their Model DJ), and Flying V’s as well. The body shapes, in my opinion, are spot on. Not all builders manage to put out a desirable replica body shape, but this builder has an excellent eye for contours.
Drewman Guitars apparently add an anodized clear coat or color coat to protect from scratches. That takes care of the huge concern from potential buyers about how quickly the mirror finished aluminum would scratch up from every day playing. They look so slick on the outside, especially when polished to a mirror finish, but the really interesting work is on the inside of these guitar bodies.
You would think from the looks, that these are solid body guitars, but when you check out their instagram feed, you’ll see the bodies are hollowed out from the back with chambers. I’m assuming this not only cuts the body weight, but also adds a semi-hollow resonance to the guitars. The back of the body is closed off with a removable plate that sits flush with the body. I’d love to hear how the hollow body effects the tone.
This is one New Electric Guitar Brand you’ll want to keep an eye on. They have big things in their future with such quality builds!
If Fender style and custom electric guitar builders are your thing, you ‘ll absolutely love this article on the Best Fender Telecaster Alternatives 2020!
Big D Guitars
Custom guitar builder since 2000. Known for custom Varitone switches that have been used in thousands of guitars.
This custom electric guitar builder caught my eye with his incredible finishes, beautiful, intricate wood patterns in brilliant colors, and his general attitude of never coloring inside the lines. His guitars practically scream “I am DIFFERENT”! I love different. That’s why he deserves a spot on this list.
Below is a direct quote from BigDGuitars.com.
We are a small shop specializing in a variety of guitar accessories and parts. We started off with our Varitone Switches, and now offer custom orders and finish jobs.
I also run a youtube channel, Inside the Luthier’s Shop, hundreds of video’s of what it is like in my shop.
My Varitone has been used in 1000s of guitars and by a couple of legends. Give it a try satisfaction guaranteed. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
derek@bigdguitars.com
No doubt you are wanting to know more, just like I am wanting to know more. Here is what I found out after visiting youtube.com/user/thebigdguitars/about
Close to 20 years in the business, I have been around wood all my life, my grandfather was a furniture builder, my great great grandfather built violins back in the old country. I have worked at a lumber yard handling all types of woods from domestics to exotics, surface sanded hundreds of thousands of board feet from Oak to Cherry to Walnut. Cut into more wood than you can imagine on a jump saw.
I am self taught with some help from a great friend to teach me the finer details, thank you Doug, and I just keep plugging away.
What was a way for me to make a guitar for myself became an obsession; at one point I had 50 guitars laying around. Now its time to share my knowledge, ask away I will answer as much as I can. Be safe and have fun!
This guy does all sorts of things with custom electric guitars, not just telecasters…it’s just that I’m partial to teles. Derek is what I would consider a TRUE LUTHIER, the hardcore kind, who doesn’t shy away experimenting then mastering anything and everything to do with guitar building and customizing. He does everything from refinishing old les pauls to seaquinn telecaster bodies, and everything in between.
Don’t let the more outrageous electric guitar builds fool you, this guy is a master of luthiery. It boggles my mind that builds from luthiers like Big D Guitars aren’t already in more players hands. I mean, Gibson and Fender are great, they’re “safe”, but why would you want a boring name brand when you can have a custom electric guitar from a brand like Big D Guitars? Maybe the industry just needs more time to see that kind of change? Either way, you are missing out big time when ignore these talented luthiers.
If Fender style and custom electric guitar builders are your thing, you ‘ll absolutely love this article on the Best Fender Telecaster Alternatives 2020!
If I’ve learned anything in the past few years of searching for unique custom guitar builders, its that there are countless creative, outside-the-box thinkers in this field. Derek from Big D Guitars is absolutely one of those creative minds. How many seaquinn studded telecasters have you seen in your life? Exactly…none. Big D Guitars is the first I’ve seen.
Luckily for us, Derek has been publishing videos to YouTube for over 10 years now. He’s created an archive of in depth videos covering his custom electric guitar builds for us to benefit from. It’s fun to watch his builds in various stages of the process and I encourage you to check out his youtube channel here: BIG D GUITARS YOUTUBE
The AxeDr.com Philosophy
Keep rocking, and share guitar with everyone who will hear it.
At AxeDr.com I believe that guitar can dramatically effect one’s life for good, and that every kid ought to consider pursing music in one form or another.
Learning an instrument can change the course of your life, and take you to places you never would have imagined. Plus, it makes you smarter. Who wouldn’t want such things? If you believe that too, please share this one someone in your life that would enjoy it.
Conclusion
It never ceases to amaze me, the stunning depth and breadth of creative custom electric guitar builders making truly unique guitars today. The very best custom electric guitar brands in the industry are being built not by massive corporations, but the daring lone luthier. By the looks of it they are dominating the market of custom electric guitars, and all the more power to them.
The Guitar Market has been flooded with cheap, poorly built guitars for at least a decade. The influx of new custom guitar builders is evidence of the guitar community’s demand for high quality instruments.
I think its speaks to the overall direction that our country, our world is heading in. A place where the value of quality, custom work is appreciated and celebrated. Perhaps the era of cookie cutter, generic products of our time have seen their hay day? Who knows.
The purpose of this article is to celebrate and support the deep wealth of talent that exists in the custom guitars market today. If this opened your eyes, just a little…or you simply enjoyed the content, please share it with your guitar buddies. It would mean the world to me, and the hard working luthiers in this article. Until next time…
Keep Rocking,
The Axe Dr.
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a "Boutique Guitar"?
A boutique guitar is the opposite of a big brand name guitar like a Fender Strat, or Gibson Les Paul. Boutique guitars are usually hand made, one-off guitars built for quality and craftsmanship. They are the best of the best in terms of components and materials.
2. Who are the some of best custom electric guitar brands?
Some of the newer, more popular custom electric guitar brands include:
- Veranda Guitars
- Shelton Electric Instruments
- Electrical Guitar Company
Waterslide Guitars
Veritas Custom Guitars
- Drewman Guitars (UK)
- MeloDuende Guitars
- Wallace Detroit Guitars
- Wide Sky Guitars
- Moar Guitars
- Aristides Guitars
3. What is a custom electric guitar brand?
Custom Electric Guitar Brands are guitar builders who specialize in making high end, unique electric guitars. They often are just small brands who got their start in their garage or workshop.
The Guitar Market has been flooded with cheap, poorly built guitars for at least a decade. The influx of new custom guitar builders is evidence of the guitar community's demand for high quality instruments.
4. Who makes "Aluminum Guitars"?
Aluminum guitars are an interesting subject, and one that many luthiers have taken up as a product. Here is a list of current guitar makers who build aluminum guitars.
- Electrical Guitar Company
- Veranda Guitars
- MeloDuende Guitars
- Aluminati Guitars
- Drewman Guitars (UK)
- Aluminsonic Guitars
- Ed Roman Guitars
- Relish Guitars Switzerland
- Normandy Guitars
- Travis Bean Guitars (Limited Number)
