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Topic: Homemade vs boutique vs custom vs factory |
Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2009 4:36 pm |
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With so many high quality new and established guitar builders: What makes a guitar homemade, custom, boutique or factory built?
I see several recent posts and threads with posters using all these different terms. A few recent threads on home built or home made or custom guitars, the very cool Gibsby guitar, reference to the Blankenship & Wheeler triple 8 not being home made, George boards, Tom Pettingill's guitars, my guitars, Ferdinand van den Berg's new lap steel advertised in the buy-and-sell forum and the list goes on.
Then there seems to be another level from builders (mostly of other types of instruments), Clinesmith, all of the weissenborn builders, resonator guitars and all of the small custom shops. Then there are the "Factory" built guitars.
In the pedal steel world, why are most name brand guitars considered factory built when they are built by one or two people in a home shop? Would you consider a Remington guitar custom or homemade or factory? When does a builder graduate from making homemade instruments to making custom or boutique instruments. Would Beard still be considered a Boutique builder or have they graduated to being a Factory? I would have considered Paul Bigsby a custom builder but he was only one person building in his home shop. Is this not technically the definition of a home made guitar?
So is it volume, made to order, quality, production standards, price? I would just like to how others make the distinctions. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2009 6:10 pm Re: Homemade vs boutique vs custom vs factory
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| Harry Sheppard wrote: |
I would have considered Paul Bigsby a custom builder but he was only one person building in his home shop. Is this not technically the definition of a home made guitar?
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Bigsby was in business to make stuff. A "home made" guitar is usually a one of, by a marginally skilled person and the quality can vary from bad to marginal.
Nothing marginal about Bigsby.
By your defination, John D'Angelico also made "home made" guitars!  |
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2009 6:34 pm
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Home made = cheap
Hand made = expensive
"We buy junk, we sell antiques."
YMMV.
_________________
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 27 Apr 2009 7:19 pm
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I would believe that the quality of the finish, quantity built and the sound would be the determining factor for the generalized descriptions.
Specifically, "Home-made" implies utilitarian, basic and average quality finishing.
"Custom" would be a "one off" guitar built to the buyers specification by an expert to a high standard.
"Boutique" would be a limited run instrument, again built to a VERY high standard.
And finally "Factory Built" would be an instrument built to a level acceptable to most as being good, and produced in quantity.
Of course that's only my interpretation of the terminology, and bear in mind it's that of a United Kingdom based English speaking player. So, it's quite probable that other persons from different backgrounds would view this subject from a different slant ! 
('bout time I changed that spinning reso signature to that of a more solid guitar) 
_________________
Steelies do it without fretting
CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——> |
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Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2009 7:37 pm
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| Quote: |
| By your defination, John D'Angelico also made "home made" guitars! |
IMHO every builder started out by making a Homemade guitar (or several) before moving on to the next level of custom instrument maker and then to a factory if they have the opportunity or desire. I read that Leo Fender actually cooked the finish on his earliest guitars in his home oven. That sounds pretty homemade to me. Fender's first lap steels are VERY home made by any standard. How many luthiers started by building an instrument for themselves and found that others liked it and wanted one. Maybe they did something new or better than anyone else and it just took off. That said, I would not consider a prototype of an established maker homemade instrument.
This topic is not meant to take any credit away from anyone. It is just a discussion on what criteria people use to classify instruments and their builders. It is not really all that important of a topic and will be very subjective but could be interesting. |
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Roger Palmer
From:
Rossendale, UK
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Posted 28 Apr 2009 1:06 am
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I make my guitars at home but I prefer to call them "hand crafted"
Factory produced implies that the guitar is mass produced. A number of identical guitars will be produced by a number of individuals
Custom is a one off guitar made to a customers specifications |
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Fred
From:
Amesbury, MA
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Posted 28 Apr 2009 2:42 am
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To me homemade is some thing made by an individual for personal use.
Custom would be made by some one else for me, probably to my specs. The quality could be all over the board. The important factor is it's made for some specific individual.
Factory would be regular production of the same model. The quantity might be high or low. There may be a lot of automation or a lot handwork. Work may be done in house or farmed out. They may even be customized at some point in the process. The end result is multiple guitars that are the same or very similar.
Boutique implies low production, high quality and usually high price. This is the only category that I would expect high quality, although high quality could be had by any production method.
Just my opinion of course.
Fred |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 28 Apr 2009 6:28 am
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| I've never heard the term "boutique" applied to steel guitars before. The term usually applies to clothing. |
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