Bilt guitars gets into Mustang game

[Kihtaristi]

This apparently escalated a bit!

OP here. It came as total suprise that these don't get more love for what they are. Everyone can think whatever about the looks and I totally understand if the looks are not for everyone. That being said, the price for US built custom guitar is just amazing here. The starting price of these is basically the same that AM pro II JM costs.. If you don't go crazy with the options, there aren't (m)any custom guitars from reputable builders that can compete with these prices. Also I have never stumbled to any boutique builders that offer Mustang style guitars.

[jorri]

FTR i mention the term Zaftig as it (as a rare case perhaps) means "plump" in an appealing, attractive, non-derogatory (albeit potentially objectifying) way.

[sal paradise]

FTR i mention the term Zaftig as it (as a rare case perhaps) means "plump" in an appealing, attractive, non-derogatory (albeit potentially objectifying) way.

I think it’s ok to objectify guitars.

Hopefully it doesn’t get too crazy like some of the mechanophiliac types do.

[jorri]

FTR i mention the term Zaftig as it (as a rare case perhaps) means "plump" in an appealing, attractive, non-derogatory (albeit potentially objectifying) way.

I think it’s ok to objectify guitars.

Hopefully it doesn’t get too crazy like some of the mechanophiliac types do.

Wouldn't that be anthropomorphising since its in reverse

[tamerofbantha]

bilt guitar is ugly.
beyonce is objectively terrible and also a leading contributer to the global crisis that is climate change.
lizzo is still cool

[sal paradise]

I knew Beyoncé was behind climate change!

[Larry Mal]

I mean I used to be in Destiny's Child as you all know so maybe I'm a little biased

[jorri]

The Sugarbabes were better. i dont know who lizzo is.

[thenewromance]

The Sugarbabes were better. i dont know who lizzo is.

I would like to second this motion.

[sal paradise]

One of the original sugarbabes saw my band & said we were good.

[JSett]

One of the original sugarbabes saw my band & said we were good.

One of the second wave of Sugarbabes stole some clothes from the Topshop my partner worked in and called her a 'cheeky cunt' when confronted about it.

Classy

[doctor_capleson]

I really do like the options and what one can create with their site, but as much as I'm sure I could create the perfect "never need another" guitar, I don't know that I could ever bond with it visually. They're also way out of my price range, and I don't know that I could ever take something that cost that much to a gig or on the road, ever.

As for gigging with it... that's entirely up to you of course. Depends where you live and where you play shows I guess. I gig with a CBS-era Jag, which is my most valuable guitar by a great distance and probably worth twice what a Relevator would be (luckily, it doesn't look it). I'd definitely be nervous about gigging with a pre-CBS Fender, which is why I'm not particularly interested them anymore. But I would gig with a §2500 guitar, even if I'd keep an eye on it after the show.

Mine came out to ~$2900 so I must have more expensive tastes.

If I were more successful and had a little touring entourage that moved my stuff, I'd feel better about it. Usually we fly in, rent a car, and do everything ourselves. If I were a more established studio hired gun and would benefit more from having a top-shelf component JM type custom build, I'd be more excited. For where I'm at at the moment (and this is probably lifetime peak for me if I'm being realistic) something like a Bilt is neither practical nor cost effective.

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.

[Wucan]

I really do like the options and what one can create with their site, but as much as I'm sure I could create the perfect "never need another" guitar, I don't know that I could ever bond with it visually. They're also way out of my price range, and I don't know that I could ever take something that cost that much to a gig or on the road, ever.

As for gigging with it... that's entirely up to you of course. Depends where you live and where you play shows I guess. I gig with a CBS-era Jag, which is my most valuable guitar by a great distance and probably worth twice what a Relevator would be (luckily, it doesn't look it). I'd definitely be nervous about gigging with a pre-CBS Fender, which is why I'm not particularly interested them anymore. But I would gig with a §2500 guitar, even if I'd keep an eye on it after the show.

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.

Kiesels resell well if the specs aren't too out there. But the company has good artist/marketing presence while being the one scalable US option in most cases in its niche (headless/extended range/multiscale). So when you put a Kiesel on the secondary market people know what they're looking at and there aren't many alternatives to them.

OTOH Bilts are remixes on traditional builds for a traditionalist demographic. Unless it builds a following and reputation for quality like Suhr or Tom Anderson they're the kind of guitars that are very difficult to move outside of communities like this one.

People don't usually think about resale value when ordering custom guitars but at the end of the day you won't know how it feels until you've paid it in full and waited a while for it to arrive. So it's food for thought for those with limited resources.

I have this Partstang that I dropped about 1200 CAD on. For me it's great, because what Mustang has an ebony fretboard with abalone inlays, a 12" radius and Gibson pickups? But on the used market I'd struggle to trade it for firewood, because who else would want this AND have the money for it?

Until a builder gets a rep among their target demographic their stuff on the secondary market isn't faring much better than partscaster enthusiasts.

[dinosaurkale->]

i love the sugababes
ps ^ this is proper spelling "suga"

[wooderson]

I do wonder what resale for these is like, seeing as they are all custom builds.

Not great, as a rule - even with a fairly desirable mix of options, the hit seems to be about as bad as selling a Fender Custom Shop guitar (which is generally pretty brutal). People try to put up their Bilts and Novos and etc. at nearly retail because of wait times... but they don't really sell at that from what I can tell.

One that sold that seems about right - Bilt Zaftig

Specced out today on their website, that's a $4150 guitar - prices definitely climbed since 2017 but it was probably well north of $3k new.