zorrow Posted August 12, 2014 Posted August 12, 2014 I asked for a quote very early, but what I want is not a Standard. As I understand, all Ultimates should go first, so I have a question now: When can I expect my order to get scheduled? I can even generalize with a perhaps more pertinent question: When will Shishkov begin building custom orders? I would like to know in order to plan my budget over time, because it includes other acquisitions -and I don't want to get asked for a downpayment at a wrong moment. Any idea then? TIA!
cmatthes Posted August 12, 2014 Posted August 12, 2014 All very good questions. My thought? Don't count on a custom build before 12/31/2014, if that's what you're asking, but it's not out of the question. Mike has to get the current run(s) well under way before he will be in a position to move into full custom builds. What people here may or may not understand is that although the launch was officially announced in June, there was much work to be done to get things rolling - he wasn't cutting neck and body blanks the very next day, instead, he was placing orders, lining up suppliers, sourcing top quality parts, getting the essential shop equipment/fixtures in place so he could get to that point. This is a true start-up operation, and the several dozen people who placed orders for the initial production are helping to kickstart something truly and amazingly cool. Most (actually ALL) other start up builders really don't get things going this way. Mike has a proven track record and years of experience behind some of the greatest guitars of the last quarter century. Some of the coolest things lie ahead... The whole concept behind the initial run of Standard/Explorer style guitars was for Mike to be able to hit the ground with something desired, recognized and also REPEATABLE. Opening up a full, "anything goes" custom shop is simply not the way anybody can hope to start off if he/she wants to make it work. There were well over a hundred orders within the first day or so of the announcement. Some of them were far more reasonable than others, and some...well...were just WAY out there. What some people don't realize is that just because they can dream up an idea, that doesn't make it a good one, or even something within the realm of possibility. A completely custom build will require templating, possibly full prototyping and a LOT of planning. That takes many hours and days that the customer may or may not have an appreciation for when he/she is sitting around throwing crazy ideas together in front of a computer. Just because you are going to a custom builder, doesn't mean your idea can (or should) be built. Another thing that people will need to understand is that these guitars are not going to be cut out and glued up in a hurry. Unlike most other guitar companies, Mike is not going to rush things and build with wood that hasn't settled - no "green" wood here. If you're not familiar with how long the wood for a neck had to adjust at Hamer, you may not appreciate that these things take time - it is a very deliberate process, but a very well tried and true method. With all that being said, PLEASE be patient. Mike and Trish are managing a big log jam of the initial order requests, and despite the very public hold on new submissions, more trickle in via email, social media, etc. all the time. Mike is still getting important deliveries - in fact, another huge palletload of beautiful Honduras Mahogany showed up late on Friday afternoon, and the final shop equipment delivery was supposed to land today. Long story short...put a little bit aside here and there if you're serious about doing an order. Mike will have a better idea of where his custom quotes will wind up after he has a number of completed builds under his belt. You won't be sorry you waited!
Guest dbraz1976 Posted August 12, 2014 Posted August 12, 2014 Great opener there Lonel. I am in exactly the same position as you.I keep eyeing up Cali Custom's (like the one Auston beat me to by THREE MINUTES) and, depending on how long Mike's initial orders take, this will influence how quickly I keep hitting the button on things I like.
RichRS6 Posted August 12, 2014 Posted August 12, 2014 Stop shoving at the back, take a numbered ticket and form an orderly queue will ya.
Northfield Posted August 13, 2014 Posted August 13, 2014 Once the the initial run is underway, I plan to run other customs along side.
DBraz Posted August 13, 2014 Posted August 13, 2014 Sounds good. I'll keep my button finger on standby.
zorrow Posted August 13, 2014 Author Posted August 13, 2014 Mike, it just gives us more time to save for more interesting projects! ^This. Though my project already is quite interesting. BTW, thank you Mike for the replies.
Tres Aardvarks Posted August 14, 2014 Posted August 14, 2014 Once the the initial run is underway, I plan to run other customs along side. Nonono, don't tell me that....a man can sell a kidney only so fast!
DBraz Posted August 15, 2014 Posted August 15, 2014 Well I had a very pleasant surprise today.There I was, sat at my desk on a Friday afternoon in the UK and an overseas call comes in - not unusual for me- but the call was not work related. It was Mike Shishkov.What a lovely conversation we had about his start-up, my custom order plans, timescales and other things. I have to say I am getting excited now and cannot wait until the next stage.Thumbs up from me Mike.
HSB0531 Posted August 16, 2014 Posted August 16, 2014 I'm slowly purging the Fenders to make way for a Shishkov C/O. I'm not in a rush and next year looks like I'll have the cash ready. The problem is what to get first . Oh the misery of decision!
tobereeno Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 admittedly I've been out of the loop for a couple years, but I guess I'll be the first to ask: Californians? Virts?
velorush Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 admittedly I've been out of the loop for a couple years, but I guess I'll be the first to ask: Californians? Virts? So far Shishkov has been presented quite overtly as 'not Hamer,' and 'not doing Hamer knock-offs,' so I rather doubt seeing Californians and Virtuosi. That said, who knows what might come of a request for a Floyd'd, two-pickup, set-neck, 27-fret, 25.5"-scale shredder? Caveat: I have not spoken with Mr. Shishkov, nor do I claim any inside knowledge whatsoever, but I have studied this new part of the forum fairly intensely. BTW: still at Vandy?
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