New Guitar Deal-Makers

[copacetic]

Howdy gang!

In an effort to better understand what players look for in a new guitar, I had the thought to get the opinions of the niche of players i connect with most: you fine folks on OSG!

I'm in the process of rolling out my guitar brand in full, and have found myself at times questioning what choices i should make on things like hardware, specs, finishes, etc for my new models.

On one hand, I have my obvious preferences and strengths which are wacky unique custom colors/finishes, light relic/aging work, and kooky/offbeat designs or "mashup" guitars. But on the other hand, I'm aware that not everyone is as eccentric as me and may desire something more toned back and classic.
I also have a tendency to find the best, most affordable parts to give "bang for buck" rather than shelling out for expensive name brand hardware such as Mastery, Halon, Staytrem, etc. This allows me to sell my guitars at a lower price point while not sacrificing much in the performance category.
However I am becoming increasingly aware that some players might vastly prefer these upgrades being done from the jump, and would be happy to pay a little more for an "elite" instrument. We have always built custom instruments using whatever parts are desired, but for "production" guitars in the future, I am pondering taking a more boutique approach rather than attempt to "compete" price wise with US and MIM production guitars.

This got me thinking about the fact that there are several other points it would be helpful to have a group opinion on.. Hardshell cases or gig bags being included, CTS pots/nicer electronic components, vintage vs modern neck specs, etc. so i figured it was time for a poll!

It is my hope that smaller builders such as myself and several others on OSG can use a poll like this to get a better understanding of what "the masses" look for in a guitar. Its also just kind of fun to see what everyone's answers are and what makes people tic! I've tried to break these into groups of two so that you can select one or the other based on your preferences. I'm very interested to see the responses

Feel free to reply with anything i may have missed! Also interested in hearing if there are any dealbreakers for you. What features would instantly turn you off about a guitar you otherwise love?

Cheers and thanks for participating

[JVG]

Great poll!

It seems that OSG folk lean strongly towards odd shaped guitars and funky paint jobs
I wonder how we compare to the rest of the guitar-playing world.

As for deal-breakers, the one that springs to my mind (because I encounter it regularly) is being charged extra for left handed stuff.

[Mechanical Birds]

I chose both options on a couple of them and they’re all kind of the same, so in general, I think having the ‘affordable’ options as base level, but with options to upgrade if the buyer wants to do that. I don’t know how much that turns feasibility on its head, as I understand the idea of (at least at first) finding yr lane and doing a couple things really well as opposed to being spread thin and having orders be all over the place.

If it isn’t prohibitively expensive or a waste of time, this is the approach I would take if I ever learned how to make guitars.

[Wucan]

Tbh what we say we want and what we actually buy can often be two different things. We like to look unique but we also like the familiarity of what we know works for us. It's not easy to balance the two.

I'll just say what I'd love to see a custom builder tackle - headless guitars with traditional offset bodies - and leave before I get shot.

[bessieboporbach]

A consensus may be hard to achieve here. I'm sure a fair number of us enjoy both "vintage" and "modern" styles to varying degrees. For example, I'm mostly "vintage" in my preferences and mostly play jazz, but the guitar I am playing the most these days is a Charvel with a Floyd that I never dreamed I'd like until I tried it.

So while a lot of "funkiness" and classic qualities will get my attention, in the end I won't buy anything unless I like how it plays. That's my main "deal maker."

What I'm much surer of is my deal breakers: relic finishes and "hot" pickups.

[Arthon]

Deal breakers :
- Heavy weight
- Modern C neck shape
- Active pickups

[Fiddy]

Deal breakers: relics, fake checking, orange peel, garbage nuts and uneven frets.

[X-Ray Spex]

Tbh what we say we want and what we actually buy can often be two different things. We like to look unique but we also like the familiarity of what we know works for us. It's not easy to balance the two.

I'll just say what I'd love to see a custom builder tackle - headless guitars with traditional offset bodies - and leave before I get shot.

Seconded on the headless thing, no shooting today

Balaguer guitars made a headless offset as a once-off that I always thought was really well executed.

Also since we seem to be doing this. For the record my main guitar is this thing so my needs may be a bit out of leftfield.

Deal breakers:

Too lightweight, makes the guitar feel like a toy.
Radius any lower than 9.5", preferably 12".
Scale any lower than 25.5, find it too tight in the upper registers.
Boring colours, black, white, sunburst.
No hardtail / string through options (no TOMS though!).
Boring body shapes, Tele copy, Strat copy, Les Paul copy. Do something wild, use a Maverick or a Swinger shape as a base.

Deal makers:

Alternative neck materials (aluminium, graphite, carbon fiber etc).
Interesting finishes (Burgundy Mist Metallic, Sparkle finishes etc).
Headless.
Active pickups.
Variety of trem options.
HH Configuration.