Musicians have been designing and modifying their
instruments ever since the invention of the guitar.
However, things really got rolling when young guitar
heroes like Eddie Van Halen strapped on highly
personalized strats they pieced together using parts
salvaged from Wayne Charvel and Boogie Bodies back in
the 1970's. This kind of innovation set the stage for
future generations of players to take things further and
further with their own unique ideas and inspiration.
Fast forward to today, and it's obvious that guitar
customization has become a total no-holds-bared
endeavor.
Now, the sky is the limit. A quick walk through the GMW
and Empire Archives demonstrates this.
click here. Most
of the guitars and basses presented there would have
surprised and shocked earlier generations of players
from the '50's and '60's. Today, building and playing a
customized guitar is as common to most players as using
a computer. And we predict the trend towards
customization will only grow and evolve further over
time.
To satisfy this demand for musicians adding their own
personal touch to a guitar or bass, projects we receive
generally fall into one of two classifications.
The first involves GMW clients who ask us to modify and
upgrade their existing body.
Click here to view
multiple examples of various guitar bodies that have
been upgraded with new laminate tops, followed by
refinishing and final reassembly work at GMW. A brief
caption is provided with each example. Otherwise, for
those wishing to simply upgrade an existing instrument
with a fresh new paint job or graphic, please visit our
Graphics and Paint
section, or our
GMW General Archives.
The latter classification involves clients who prefer
that we start the process by building an entirely new
body. These projects tend to favor ideas that are
tailored to suit the individual client’s styles and
tastes, but can't be achieved using their current body.
These bodies include both wood upgrades along with
complete changes in a body shape or construction.
Click here to view
multiple examples of various new bodies that have been
provided by GMW to pair with the neck provided by our
clients. In many instances, clients have also requested
new hardware and/or pick-up’s to compliment their new
body, which we can provide. As above, a few picture
examples with a brief caption describing the woods used
can be viewed here.
