Getting a custom guitar

I've played guitar for many years for fun. I've not owned many instruments and have had the same electric guitar for about 27 years (a Gordon Smith GS2). I wanted to treat myself to a new guitar, but wanted something special. You can get some lovely guitars from the big name companies, but I wanted to have my own input on the design. A custom guitar may seem out of reach, but I knew about Benford Guitars as the owner Steve Benford was an active member of the Six String Bliss community and I knew of a few people who had his guitars. I'd even played a couple and knew they were good.

So I emailed Steve with a list of my requirements. I wanted a Telecaster with a few changes to bring it up to date, such as locking tuners, some body shaping and better electronics. He came back to me with a price that seemed reasonable. You have to know that he is in the US and I'm in the UK, so there is shipping and taxes to take into account. Even so, it was comparable with what a US Fender costs in the UK. A friend was able to source me some Kinman pickups at a good price. These do not suffer from hum like the classic versions.

A few months down the line I received a big package, but did have to wait a while for it to clear customs. It's a lovely guitar. I didn't go for fancy woods, but this is a working instrument and it feels great. I don't regret this at all.

More pics here

The pick holder is something I came up with. The inset socket was from another of his guitars. I like the carved heel for comfortable access to the high frets

This means something to me. No other markers on the front of the ebony fretboard

Reversed headstock and locking tuners