cmatthes

Please do not post emails here - personal addresses should be left to PMs so they don't become spam bait. You can email Mike directly at that address for details. Thanks!

I believe the original intent for limiting the finish options was to keep the costs down by "batch finishing" in as few colors as possible. By changing to non-standard finishes, you'll probably get a finish upcharge because of the additional costs involved in getting that done. If everybody ordered a different finish, the entry price becomes less and less do-able.

Get whichever one you won't refinish in a day glo '80s graphic.

Again...WAAAAY ahead of you!!

"Working Man's Guitar". Can also be a "Working Mother's Guitar"...

Like I said earlier...WAY ahead of ya there! We just need to get the spokesmodel to get a shot with it!

Well said - ideally, we'll get to see some "behind the scenes" updates once those become available...

Totally agree.

The deposits have been robust and the initial slots have been filled. Regarding future customs, time will tell who will pony up the serious cash when the rubber meets the road, just like in all situations. Plenty of tire kickers out there who like to spin wheels, that's for sure. Ultimately, the demand will be based upon the quality and relatively competitive (not "cheap") pricing of whatever Mike builds. The initial run is a one-time only below-normal pricing offer, but as I understand it, his goal is to offer the highest quality he can within a reasonable realm of possibility. In the end, the sub-$1,500 bargain shoppers will go elsewhere or wait 5-10 years for some of these to maybe hit the secondary markets. For the people who are serious about buying Mike's guitars now and in the future, I fully believe that they will be rewarded for it.

Jim...I wouldn't put that past some people!

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!! :D The Shark nailed it.

Hamer offered that as a finish option once they did away with dealer exclusive finishes well over a decade ago.

Let's stop with the comparisons. Mike hasn't even finished his first guitar in his new venture and people are dissecting things at an unbelievable pace. Hamer shut their doors a few years ago, and EVERYTHING they had built for the few years before that were purely custom orders. Hamer also had increased prices several times a year for all of the '00s, which, coupled with a global economic downturn that truly changed the buying habits of the majority of the population had more than a crimp in Hamer sales. Ask any seller of luxury items how many orders they've been filling since 2007 v. the decade before that. Trying to create a top quality alternative that is also affordable is a tricky balance. For now, the only way that's even possible is by going direct and not having a dealer network in place (which would raise prices by 20-50% to the purchaser, thus cutting out a large audience initially). Mike plans to do what he can to provide an affordable custom alternative, but ultimately, demand and cost will dictate the eventual price point. The bottom line is, let's just cap these kind of speculative threads for now. Mike will surely be forging his own identity and making his own unique stamp on the guitars he builds. Why don't we let him do that without picking it apart and analyzing things to death before the first neck is set? Let's just be happy that we actually have a custom builder of Mike's incredible talent and vision (not to mention history) available as an option. That alone is exciting and wonderful, and I am certain that patience here will be rewarded. It's fantastic that there is such a great buzz around Mike's new venture, but let's hold our breath, and let the book get written before everybody starts asking for the CliffsNotes!

HRR - these are all questions Mike will answer when he actually has such things decided. It is simply not appropriate to put the cart before the horse. Right now, although he plans to build basses eventually if he gets an actual order and once he has opened up for those orders, asking such questions at this early stage probably can't be answered. As has been said before, let's give him some room and time to consider what designs he will be doing. On a custom basis, it's an extremely wide canvas...please try to remember, Mike isn't building Hamers - he will be building Shishkov Guitars. Regarding the logo, Polara is right on - I can think of a half dozen guitar companies that have used that exact font over the last few decades, and still see it all the time on signs and other business logos.

A lot of those questions are not appropriately answered at this time, and speculation doesn't help right now. Give Mike a little breathing room - he'll have plenty of answers once he finalizes some designs, prototypes and finishes the first builds.

Where are you seeing that? It's just regular old fingerboard binding.

Yep. Mike is focusing on finishing up some shop stuff and getting started on the first run. A little patience will go a long way...

Trust us...you don't!

To those who ponied up for the initial run, this shouldn't be a concern. Read the email you got from Mike...

It would be more cost effective to start with a few mahogany boards.

Unfortunately, not really. The actual pricing is still being worked out, and a lot of that will probably have to do with how the initial run goes. The cost (after the first ones) will be more than the initial offering price was, for sure (it will have to be!), but also still affordable.

More details will be forthcoming. A little patience will go a long way. Keep in mind that he is still finalizing a lot of things right now, including the setup of his shop. It would probably be better to keep the speculation down here for many reasons. Sometimes it is better to sit back and watch the artist create...

Awesome!!!!!!

Yes. There is a draft form of that, which will be tweaked as final cost figures come in from suppliers, etc. The initial Custom Order page was more of a placeholder, not a specific, all-inclusive listing. Mike will have that all locked down well before things truly open up for other orders.