Custom Guitars : Tulasi/Alberto's/Other ??

There are lotsa custom guitar threads out there...most speak about either Tulasi or Albertos alone...now for ppl in places other than Mumbai/Chennai(or even Blore) who want a custom guitar..what would be the best choice - Tulasi..Alberto's..or independent ppl like our very own Luthier?
Basically a friend of mine wants a custom guitar, and is considering all options coz he aint based in Chennai/Mumbai/Blore.

 

theres one more in mumbai called peter periera...
i had mentioned his name before ..apparently hes dead good....hes in thane...

 

Let me start...
I own a Tulasi PRS copy made about 5 months ago.
Here are the facts about Tulasi as I know it:

He charges about 7.7K for strat type guitars and for heavier carved top guitars like LP/PRS he usually quotes about 9K.
This is inclusive of everything if you are going for his pickups and hardware.
He uses teak wood for a 3 piece guitar body....no option of any other wood..his body work is quite good(as in shaping,carving etc).The neck can be maple with rosewood/maple fingerboard.Fretwork is decent on my guitar but have seen it wearing out in a about a year on another guitar...
The stock pickups he uses are Korean ones..mine are medium output and kinda muddy.But you can always upgrade that later..
Bridge options..tremolo/tune-o-matic/PRS style wraparound...
The pots and switches are OK...he will do any kind of wiring if you provide the schematic..
Stock tuners are generic closed Korean ones..just about OK..
His finishing looks good to me and he does a good job of doing sunbursts..you can go for custom paintjobs too..
He makes a GREAT gigbag(softcase) for 500/- and hard case for 1500/-.

OK..so thats a start..now people please post HONEST reviews about your experiences with Tulasi and other luthiers...

 

Daktur..I wud like ppl to post full details..so that anyone going for customs can have a direct A/B comparison....so all ppl who own Tulasi/Alberto's/other custom guitars come forward...

 

Bump!..c'mon guys...

 

About Alberto's:
When I went there, the first thing he did was hand me a copy of Guitar Magazines Annual listing of guitar models and asked me "Which shape do you want"?
He had a PRS copy lying around in the shop which had super low action (~Shawn Lane level)..the only problem was that he had made a mistake and the body joined the neck at around the 16th fret!..thus making it impossible to play higher up. He readily owned up to his mistake however and said that he would not repeat it on any other guitar. He also had a Roland-equippe MIDI guitar in the shop, so I guess he can do complex electronics or whatever. Seemed to have quite a lot of parts which he could source..Schaller locking tuners and T-O-M bridges, Shadow piezo and MIDI etc etc. Finishing on the guitars was ok..most of them were clear-coated with a couple with that thick Fender-ish paint. He had a choice of woods.....was willing to do a solid rosewood neck with mahagony wood etc etc..also could get quilt and flame maple veneers for tops (obviously those would not be carved).
Overall extremely friendly and not very expensive at all..very knowledgable as well. The only worry is that he might goof up like he did with that PRS.
BTW he also has solid wood-built acoustics and classical guitars...beautifully built with rosewood or ebony back and sides..spruce top...drool drool.

 

OMG!!!!PRS copy with body joining at 16th fret!!!!:shock:
The choice of wood is a good thing though....what are his stock parts like..I mean not everyone can afford Schaller bridges..and what about pickups...does he import any model you want?/ he must be having some 'stock' pickups too,right??(like Tulasi has some generic Korean ones)
If possible could you provide the rough price estimate for the complete guitar with stock parts??

 

I guess that's my guitar you are talking about. That's because it's getting used up like crazy. Now I am sharing the load with my GB&a. GB&a is getting sold soon and I might be getting myself a new guitar. Looking for something with Scale Length of 24.75" and also 22 Frets. Maybe a SG model from some brand or maybe a Fender Strat.

 

yup..I was talking about your LP only

 

Yeah he has other standard parts..no clue about the quality yaar...must be the standard Chinese stuff everybody uses...dont think it'll be any worse than Samicks or GB&As etc..cant confirm this with any accuracy though.
he had Korean pickups as well..the PRS had Ibanez low impendance actives of some kind on them.
For the guitar i wanted...Schaller locking tuners with Schaller T-O-M, mahogany body, Dunlop 6150s, sycamore top with quilt maple veneer, rosewood neck, ebony fretboard, he quoted 16 k...pickup price not included..whatever pickups you want at cost..he doesnt stock them though...but SB which is very close to his shop would have EMGs, DiMarzios etc so thats not a problem.

 

@ Abhi : Does he do Bass guitars as well? I have a Fender 5 String Bass bridge and tuners with me.. Got it to get a bass done.. But has been a pending plan.. Just find out quotation for me.. I want it in the shape of JACKSON C20.. I'll provide him Pickups too.. Active..

 

@abhijit.... so if one goes for korean T-o-M bridge too..generic tuners..and generic pickups..then would the guitar cost sub-10K?..how to get a quote from them for particular specs?
And does he ship stuff too?..as I said my friend wants a custom guitar..but he aint in Mumbai..

 

I'm probably going this weekend..will find out for both of you.

 

Thanks bro...

 

Thanx..i'll pm you the specs today evening..

 

Nebu the pro getting another Guitar ha?

 

:................

 

Somehow i'm getting a feeling you're getting a new one..

 

oh come on..you know who that friend is...he is in Hyd..why would I need another guitar??

 

hindirox..IGT ka 'Bhagwan':nw::nw:
:RollLol::RollLol::RollLol: