Reliable dealer to place a custom order?

[cider]

Hello everyone!

I've decided to go ahead and pull the strings with a custom order for an ASAT Classic Bluesboy, just not sure where from. I've been reading the blog at Upfront Guitar and I really like their honesty. Has anyone dealt with them personally? I would love to hear your experience. Thank you!

Cheers,
Cid

P/S: I still don't know whether I want the 90 more or the humbucker more T_T I have a Special Tribute, so I was thinking SM would add versatility, but the Bluesboy 90 is so dreamy

[blargfromouterspace]

Upfront guitars are solid. I've bought 3 from them in the last few years, always been happy with the price and Gordon knows the product well.

[cider]

Upfront guitars are solid. I've bought 3 from them in the last few years, always been happy with the price and Gordon knows the product well.

woah that's awesome! were yours custom orders? If so, how long did they take?
I'm torn between custom orders vs buying one of the beautiful guitars they have in stock. I wonder if it's worth the trade-off to get a gloss maple neck...

[dominic]

I have also bought a couple guitars from Gordon and was happy with the transactions. Spoke to him on the phone and he was very helpful....plus, he has the best pictures on the web! Did NOT do a special order though...

[Lefty]

Upfront guitars are solid. I've bought 3 from them in the last few years, always been happy with the price and Gordon knows the product well.

woah that's awesome! were yours custom orders? If so, how long did they take?
I'm torn between custom orders vs buying one of the beautiful guitars they have in stock. I wonder if it's worth the trade-off to get a gloss maple neck...

I have a gloss maple neck & fretboard on my Classic, i love it.

[cider]

Thank you everyone. I will be contacting Gordon regarding the custom order. Will keep you updated.

Cheers

[waywardchild]

I did 2 custom orders with upfront guitars (asat special and legacy special) and it got them in around 3 months.
Got them shipped to belgium. (thx to the low dollar price at the time they where cheaper in the US then here in belgium, even with shipping cost)
Gordon is great to deal with and even did give me some tips to help me decide on some options.
The legacy special had a little flaw in the paint on the body and Gordon got it fixed for me before he shipped it out, so he checks your guitar before he ships it !
So got nothing but great service from upfront guitars

[blargfromouterspace]

Upfront guitars are solid. I've bought 3 from them in the last few years, always been happy with the price and Gordon knows the product well.

woah that's awesome! were yours custom orders? If so, how long did they take?
I'm torn between custom orders vs buying one of the beautiful guitars they have in stock. I wonder if it's worth the trade-off to get a gloss maple neck...

I ordered two custom, one off the shelf. One custom took about twice as long as the other, there's no way I know of to tell for sure how long it'll take, but its not going to vary dealer to dealer. Go for exactly what you want, lest you regret it for the sake of a few agonizingly long weeks

[cider]

Upfront guitars are solid. I've bought 3 from them in the last few years, always been happy with the price and Gordon knows the product well.

woah that's awesome! were yours custom orders? If so, how long did they take?
I'm torn between custom orders vs buying one of the beautiful guitars they have in stock. I wonder if it's worth the trade-off to get a gloss maple neck...

I ordered two custom, one off the shelf. One custom took about twice as long as the other, there's no way I know of to tell for sure how long it'll take, but its not going to vary dealer to dealer. Go for exactly what you want, lest you regret it for the sake of a few agonizingly long weeks

oh boy. I know I want a neck that doesn't move, so quartersawn maple fits the bill. I'm still not sure about the neck finish. Gloss is sort of irrationally expensive compared to all the other fancy options, so it's out of the picture. G&L site says vintage doesn't go with swamp ash, so that's super strange too. I guess I'm down to light satin vs clear satin. Have been trying to find comparisons of them but the necks seem pretty inconsistent as far as I could see (understandable though, given how wood taken from different parts of the same tree can have different colors).
How long did the shorter one take, if you could recall? My birthday is by the end of next month, if I could get it then, it'd be great. If I don't, I don't, but still

[Craig]

G&L site says vintage doesn't go with swamp ash, so that's super strange too.

You might want to re-read what is said about the Vintage neck tints:

Not recommended with Wood Binding on a Swamp Ash body (doesn't match well).

Are you considering wood binding on a Swamp Ash body?

[blargfromouterspace]

How long did the shorter one take, if you could recall? My birthday is by the end of next month, if I could get it then, it'd be great. If I don't, I don't, but still

About 6 weeks, I think, delivered to Australia. It was an LB100 in satin frost Fullerton Red, almost immediately after they announced its availability. Super quick!

I wouldn't get anything other than the light tint neck - the vintage can be too dark, and clear is just a bit too stark white but the cheapest option - it'll darken over time, but you'll be waiting a while. If you want gloss, but don't want to pay for it, get a satin finish and buff it out to gloss yourself - if you don't already have a buffer or skills this probably won't be the cheapest or prettiest way to do it however...

I'll echo what I said before - order exactly what you want, you won't regret the extra few bucks in the long term. And if its a birthday present to yourself what further justification do you need?!?!