Ordering a Custom Guitar

Every MusickSmith guitar is hand crafted to your specs in our shop. Since every guitar is custom the price and time to build can vary quite a bit. We look at each build as a unique experience, but they all start with a conversation. We like to talk to a player to learn about their needs, then we talk about specs that meet those needs, and then we talk about timelines and prices. If you are interested having that conversation CONTACT US HERE.

Base Prices

  • Bolt-on neck electric guitar or bass: $900
  • Set neck electric guitar or bass: $1200
  • We require a non-refundable 50% deposit to start a build. The remaining 50% is due when the guitar is ready to ship.

Build Time

Timelines matter. With every build we set a reasonable time line up front, and we provide regular updates on the progress throughout the build process. Our builds average 4-6 months.

Options

In a really great guitar, everything matters. The wood, the pickups, the frets, the bridge, the finish… it all matters. There cannot be a weak link in the chain. We live in a golden era for guitars and there are artisans from all over the world building some of the best pickups, bridges, tuners, and electronics ever made. Whenever possible we love to incorporate their work into our instruments. Below are the options included in the base prices. Don't see what you want? Contact us and we'll try to accommodate your request. The sky is the limit when it comes to options.

Wood

Here in the central Indiana we have access to some truly great hardwoods from near and far. We love the tone and visual beauty of classic tonewoods like mahogany, maple, and rosewood and those woods are standard in our builds. We also love working with walnut and wenge, and ziricote, and padauk, and koa and all kinds of other highly figured and exotic woods. We think of ourselves as wood nerds. We love to roam through the stacks at our local hardwood dealers looking for prize pieces. If you are interested in doing something unique or different wood wise we’d love to talk to you about what you’d like out of a custom guitar.

Body

  • Shape: MusickSmith singlecut or doublecut body shapes as well as several classic shapes are standard.
  • Wood: Mahogany, Maple, Ash, and Alder standard. Exotic and Multi-piece laminated bodies available as an upgrade.
  • Style: Flat top with comfort contours are standard. Carved top, bent top, weight relief and semi-hollow also available. 
  • Finish: Nitrocellulose lacquer or Tru-oil

Neck

  • Nut Material: Tusq or bone. Locking nuts required as an upgrade on floyd rose equipped guitars.
  • Nut Widths: 1 5/8”, 1 11/16”, or 1 ¾”
  • Fretboard Wood: Maple or Rosewood standard. Ebony available as an upgrade
  • Neck Wood: Maple or Mahogany standard. Rosewood, Exotic, and Multi-piece laminated necks available as an upgrade.
  • Fretboard Radius: 12” is standard. 10”-14.5” compound radius is available on 25.5” guitars
  • Scale Length: 25.5", 24 ¾”, or 25” are standard on guitars. 34" standard on bases
  • Frets: 21, 22 or 24 frets using high quality 18% nickel silver fretwire in the size of your choice.
  • Inlay: clay or pearl dots in various sizes
  • Finish: Tru-oil is standard. Nitro laquer is also available as an upgrade.
  • Trussrod: Two-way spoke nut with heel access.
  • Headstock: MusickSmith 3x3 headstock with anvil inlay. We will not use trademarked headstock designs.
  • Strings: Mapes or D'Addario Strings in the gauge of your choice.

Hardware

Base model guitars include Gotoh hardware and Golden Age pickups. Lollar, Fralin, ThroBak, Electric City, Schaller, Hipshot, Bigsby, Wilkinson, Grover, Kluson, Seymour Duncan, Bare Knuckle, Sperzel, Waverly, Floyd Rose, Robson, Rodgers and just about anything else you can think of is available as an upgrade. We love to incorporate small shop hardware and electronics, at the players request, in order to create a truly unique instrument. 

Case

Cases are not standard. Guitars that have to be shipped require a hardshell case purchase before shipping.