Ordering a new San Dimas...Advice needed

[snc2716]

Hello,

I've been wanting a really good Strat head Charvel since the early 80's.
Over the years I've had a couple of originals flow through my hands but
never really liked any of them enough to keep.
So now I'm thinking seriously about having a new one made.

My questions:

Who is a good dealer to buy from?
Approx. how long is the wait?
How do you spec one out? Is there a build options form?

I'm thinking a Floyd, neck shape like my Friend's PC-1, dual hums,
and a graphic.

Sorry if some this info has been posted before but I don't get a chance
to get on this site too often these days.

Any help will be appreciated.

[fullmetalguitar]

A lot of people here seem to go through Matt's Music for their custom shop orders. He posts here and you can see his banner ad at the top of the page. He will probably happily answer all of your questions.

[shreddermon]

- I'd highly recommend Matt's Music, he's great to deal with.

- Typical wait time is somewhere around 12 to 18 months.

- Probably the easiest way to spec one out is to use the custom shop spec form on the Jackson website. Once you spec it out the most common options, click "view spec form". Then "save as" an htm file for further changes. You can edit the form by opening the file in MS Word or some other software. Then send that on to the dealer for the custom shop to do a price quote. Here's a link to the spec form:

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/customshop/specform/

Note: you are NOT only limited to the options on the spec form. While it shows the most typical options, it doesn't show every conceivable option that's available. For instance, you want a strathead and the PC1 neck profile. Once you've saved the form, just manually edit the neck description (strathead) and neck backshape (PC1 backshape) fields to accomodate your special specs. You should probably specify it as a Charvel somewhere, too, so they don't mistake it for a Jackson request.

Good luck.

[RR05xx]

+1 for Matt

If you are going to do a CS order, make sure you spec EVERYTHING. Do not assume that ANYTHING is standard or take anything that you may want for granted. For example, if they change what is "standard" for hardware etc. between your order and the build (which happened to me), they will not notify you and you will not get what you expect unless you spell it all out for them.

Also, make sure that you know what you want and make all changes etc. BEFORE signing the order and having it placed. While they will let you make changes after the build gets officially accepted, it also increases the chances of a mistake (which also happened to me).

By your reference to wanting one from the 80s, I expect you have an idea of what you would like, do not assume that fender shares your dream. However, if you put in the time to thinking through your order fully and making sure when you sign, you have covered everthing, you will give yourself the best shot at getting what you want.

[kelly user]

+1 about considering everything, think about everything throughly