Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by SignoftheDragon » Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:49 pm

I'm just going to slide in here and say that I LOVE both of the BilTs I've gotten my mitts on, (Both Relevators- a XII LS that I owned, and a 6er LS that a buddy was trying out) and that their build quality and finish work have got some actual MAGIC in them.

Yeh, they're not quite as 'golden ratio' as our Fenders, but damn- they still have some charm of their own.

Matter of fact, I'd pay good coin to have that IBM Relevator XII back, even though I made a $1K killing on the flip- one of the best guitars I've ever played, and I'm still pining for it years later.

I've even got them scouring materials for my SignoftheDragon Signature blackout-everything-except-for-glow-in-the-dark-marshmallow-chickens-in-various-colors-for-fret-markers-Relevator-XII-with-the-Deimel-style-BilT-headstock-format dream machine right now, and we're thinking it'll be right around $3.5K if they can find black fret-wire for me. (all other parts are sourced.)

So, to all the haters- eat a big ol' fart. BilT is great.

That said, I'm not digging the BilT-stangs either.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by JVG » Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:22 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:49 pm
So, to all the haters- eat a big ol' fart. BilT is great.
This amuses me way more than it perhaps should.
Excellent delivery!

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by HarktheUmpire » Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:45 am

doctor_capleson wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:23 am
I do wonder what resale for these is like, seeing as they are all custom builds. For Carvin/Kiesel that seems to limit the resale value somewhat. I'm not sure how G&L fare on the used market, but my feeling is that it's difficult to recoup initial investments in a resale. I think these are guitars that are for the players and made to be used and abused by the particular person that ordered it.
Yeah. If you’re concerned with resale value, it seems risky to buy a Bilt. Though I like what Bilt offer a lot better than what you can get from Fender for the same money, personally if I want a guitar built to custom specs, I’d put it together myself. My other guitars are four partscasters that I’m not likely to ever sell and have gigged/will continue to gig with a lot. Resale value is probably not great, but they cost a lot less money to make in the first place. About half. I think I ended up sinking between 1-1.5k into mine.

That said, if resale value on these is really that bad, I might get a used Bilt at some point.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Gavanti » Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:51 am

I’ve owned several Bilts, all purchased used, and I still have my favorite Zaftig. None of them were particularly difficult to sell, though all of them sold at a significant discount from new, and my tastes are probably “offset conventional” enough that the ones I had fit folks’ wants. As Bilt’s new prices and reputation have grown they’ve gotten more expensive used but not by a lot, and I think they’re a decent deal used, or new if you want a highly customized guitar. They have a well-deserved reputation for great service too. I’m always surprised by how different the used market for Novos seems to be, with used prices nearing or exceeding new prices.

The aesthetics of some of Bilt’s models work better than others, I think, and a lot depends on how an individual guitar has been customized (I don’t love most of the Reles they’ve posted, but the one with the extra plates looks good). They clearly have some humor in their design sensibility reflected in their name choices. I wish the El Hombre had gotten more love. The one I had was easily one of the most fun guitars to play that I’ve had, and while it looks odd on a wall hanger, that geometry is perfect on a strap.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by doctor_capleson » Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:59 pm

HarktheUmpire wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:45 am
doctor_capleson wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:23 am
I do wonder what resale for these is like, seeing as they are all custom builds. For Carvin/Kiesel that seems to limit the resale value somewhat. I'm not sure how G&L fare on the used market, but my feeling is that it's difficult to recoup initial investments in a resale. I think these are guitars that are for the players and made to be used and abused by the particular person that ordered it.
Yeah. If you’re concerned with resale value, it seems risky to buy a Bilt. Though I like what Bilt offer a lot better than what you can get from Fender for the same money, personally if I want a guitar built to custom specs, I’d put it together myself. My other guitars are four partscasters that I’m not likely to ever sell and have gigged/will continue to gig with a lot. Resale value is probably not great, but they cost a lot less money to make in the first place. About half. I think I ended up sinking between 1-1.5k into mine.

That said, if resale value on these is really that bad, I might get a used Bilt at some point.
I think my fixation on resale value comes from my limited foray into Gibson, where I bought one and could just keep flipping/trading for other Gibbys before I decided that they're not for me.

I did use the tool on the Bilt site, and I built (he he) something for less than a Fender would cost + new parts and time to install them. I'm not opposed to Bilt per se.

Another intangible though is that I guess I'm a Fender fanboy and having the name on the headstock and the official licensed body matter more to me than they should, at least as far as functionality is concerned.

Somehow, in my mind, used Bilts just don't exist. On the one hand, I've never gone looking for them, and on the other it kind of looks like people get the *exact* guitar they want and keep it for life. If my projects shift more towards studio work and production, I would seriously consider something like a Bilt. At the moment, I'm primarily concerned with live playing so I guess I'll stick with the devil I know.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Mechanical Birds » Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:25 pm

HarktheUmpire wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:45 am
doctor_capleson wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:23 am
I do wonder what resale for these is like, seeing as they are all custom builds. For Carvin/Kiesel that seems to limit the resale value somewhat. I'm not sure how G&L fare on the used market, but my feeling is that it's difficult to recoup initial investments in a resale. I think these are guitars that are for the players and made to be used and abused by the particular person that ordered it.
Yeah. If you’re concerned with resale value, it seems risky to buy a Bilt. Though I like what Bilt offer a lot better than what you can get from Fender for the same money, personally if I want a guitar built to custom specs, I’d put it together myself. My other guitars are four partscasters that I’m not likely to ever sell and have gigged/will continue to gig with a lot. Resale value is probably not great, but they cost a lot less money to make in the first place. About half. I think I ended up sinking between 1-1.5k into mine.

That said, if resale value on these is really that bad, I might get a used Bilt at some point.
They seem to sit for a while and I’m definitely kicking myself for sleeping on a few great ones. There’s one for sale right now from like 2013 that the seller is insisting is worth way more than it is - probably less than $3,000 brand new and the guy is insisting on getting $4,000+ for it.

I want a Relevator so bad!

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Jaguar018 » Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:59 am

I remember when BilT was just getting started. OSG was all over that and I made some snarky critiques about them. Someone from BilT hopped on and trolled my posts. Which to me was fair play.

So back to Larry's early post about dissecting guitar and guitar company design choices: it's tiresome and essentially pointless. I know that if I like a design plus have the money and desire, that I won't give a shit about what other people think. BilT appears to be doing just fine, and their kinda-pretty-much-Fender designs have a lot of fans. Good.

Of course it's not going to stop us. It's so easy to go negative. I get it; it's a discussion forum mainly based on discussing offset guitars so we can prattle on about them in any way we see fit. 95% of OSG already has more guitars than they need, I know I do, so I'm going to resist the temptation to share my opinion about a guitar when I'm not in the market. I guess I might do that with cool designs, but not ones I don't like.

I just want to be positive, man.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Larry Mal » Wed Mar 22, 2023 6:31 am

The only guitar company I criticize is Fender, really. I might have some negative comments about the Rickenbacker tailpiece and such, but for the most part, I try to find positive things to say about guitar makers. I like guitars so it's not really hard.

Fender in my opinion should be a leader but they aren't.

I would not criticize Bilt because they are a small company and mainly make bespoke instruments, so while I may or may not like a particular guitar it might be just right for another person.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by X-Ray Spex » Tue May 16, 2023 11:32 pm

Looks like the first batch of these are up for sale. Really digging the bass but not wild on the guitar version.

Bilt Rele - Sherwood Green Short Scale Bass

Bilt Rele - Sherwood Green Short Scale Guitar
''It's not what you play, it's what you play'' - Troy Van Leeuwen

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by efiug » Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 pm

X-Ray Spex wrote:
Tue May 16, 2023 11:32 pm
Looks like the first batch of these are up for sale. Really digging the bass but not wild on the guitar version.

Bilt Rele - Sherwood Green Short Scale Bass

Bilt Rele - Sherwood Green Short Scale Guitar
man that headstock looks massive on the bass

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by GreenKnee » Wed May 17, 2023 1:41 am

efiug wrote:
Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 pm
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Tue May 16, 2023 11:32 pm
Looks like the first batch of these are up for sale. Really digging the bass but not wild on the guitar version.

Bilt Rele - Sherwood Green Short Scale Bass

Bilt Rele - Sherwood Green Short Scale Guitar
man that headstock looks massive on the bass

It looks massive on the guitar as well. I think if they scaled down the size of the headstock on both they'd look more balanced.

I do like the look of both of these, I really like the Bilt aesthetic in general.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Fiddy » Wed May 17, 2023 6:11 pm

Mandolinstang. Ugly as ugly gets.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Larry Mal » Wed May 17, 2023 6:51 pm

Oh, I don't know. Things can always...be different.

The Bilt stuff looks positively conservative compared to that guitar I linked above.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by MattK » Thu May 18, 2023 3:18 am

They’re just ugly - every model, every spec, every colour. I’m sure they have fans and I’m happy for them to enjoy them, but in a world where there are more beautiful and interesting things …
I’m happy for people to explore original designs but the relentless focus on iffy Fender design choices of the Rossmeisl and 70s eras baffles me. If you want to see Fender inspiration done right I’d suggest our friend at CROSS. Also our OSG alumni at Kauer, and Paul Rhoney.

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Re: Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

Post by Pepe Silvia » Thu May 18, 2023 3:49 am

MatthewK wrote:
Thu May 18, 2023 3:18 am
They’re just ugly - every model, every spec, every colour. I’m sure they have fans and I’m happy for them to enjoy them, but in a world where there are more beautiful and interesting things …
I’m happy for people to explore original designs but the relentless focus on iffy Fender design choices of the Rossmeisl and 70s eras baffles me. If you want to see Fender inspiration done right I’d suggest our friend at CROSS. Also our OSG alumni at Kauer, and Paul Rhoney.
I thought Paul hasn't made guitars for years?

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