MIMF

I am curious what parts you have custom made or customized?
I just had this tele ashtray done for the "Eagles and Horses" solid body electric guitar which is a tribute to Jn Denver.
http://lazrart.com/guitar_plates.htm
They posted it on the website and now is in the mail to me, so I have yet to see it in person.
The Denver tribute guitar also has a leather pickguard by leather artist Brad Martin of Taos NM. He carves and paints leather so better to describe him as a leather artist. The wife hit the roof when she heard I paid $600 for a leather pickguard, when it arrived she looked at it and said it was worth it. I also had him make me a guitar strap for $1k.
I have had custom piezo tele saddles made and engraved fender style neck plates.
Am currently exploring with an artist to have a maple knob inlay-ed with turquoise.
I did buy some Kauri wood and had them cut them into 1/2" veneer so can use as guitar tops.

So every build has something custom or customized on it, just wondering what you folks do?

I don't ever go through great expense but I have had a few trussrod covers custom engraved. I have tried to keep things local but to get things done is like pulling teeth.

I made a truss rod cover from the leftover end of my rosewood fingerboard. I felt really clever for thinking of it until I saw a site that sells rosewood truss rod covers!
I wish you hadn't mentioned prices you've paid for things, because now all I can think is "a grand for a STRAP?! I once paid a grand for a guitar and thought I'd gone too far!" I'm sure it's a beautiful strap, but wow!
If I had more time I'd make my own knobs but these days time is my most precious commodity.

Machined up a "G E Smith" tele bridge in A11 bronze. A few one piece string through ferrules "Tone Bar" things in several woods, bronze, Aluminum. Can't think of anything else.

I have made a few headless bridge/tuners and a few pickups with custom made covers as well.
Marko

In the past I've made some wooden bridges & tailpieces, pickup covers, pickup rings, and knobs. I've sent the last few things I needed (mostly knobs) to David King as he can do a better job than me and his prices are pretty fair. He built me this multi-scale 12 string bridge a few years back although I'm embarrassed to say I still haven't finished the guitar.

I've made quite a few little things like pickup rings (the kind I could have just bought) and trem arms, but the big one for me is the control plates. I have them laser cut and polished for me, so it's not like I'm slogging through metal work myself much, but coordinating the orders (I do en masse buy-ins) can be tricky.

I an currently building another CNC router, capable of machining aluminum, brass, and other non ferrous metals (and maybe some ferrous metals if I go slow) to make custom hardware I have already designed. I do currently make all my pickguards, backplates, in different materials.

I have a client who has specific requests on forearm and back contours, and have created specific CAD files for them.

I also have a few different fretboard and neck profiles drawn in CAD, though I prefer to only rough the neck on CNC and hand-finish them.

I've also made pickguards and backplates from 1/8" 7075 aluminum plate.

On my acoustics, I make my own bridge pins, saddles, nuts, bruidges, bindings. I've also made specific manual tools and jigs for trimming fret tangs, cutting soundholes, arching soundboards, radiusing fretboards and even carving necks.

Sure, I've done it as much as possible over the years. This guitar top I did all the artwork in photoshop & Illustrator then had it etched. I also created the bridge wheels and modified the base and had them chromed.

Beautiful work John!

Now that IS special. Fantastic detail work John, I don't suppose there's any room for a slip-up either.

John Catto wrote:Sure, I've done it as much as possible over the years. This guitar top I did all the artwork in photoshop & Illustrator then had it etched. I also created the bridge wheels and modified the base and had them chromed.

Just came across this thread very nice work.

wow John, that is really nice!