Chafin Custom Guitars Volante Custom

Check out the other posts - mine is in Honeyburst

Awesome tone - very musical, with the woody plume you get with hollowbodies. Excellent sustain. 10+ for tone. As stated by others, the pickups aren't overly "hot",but man, the tone is there in spades!

Beautiful all around, excellent fret dressing, top notch throughout.

Very solid construction, and with switchcraft and tone pro's hardware, it should hold up great.

I spoke with Ben Chafin via email after I purchased this guitar used. He responded immediately, was informative, friendly, and helpful. Only 75 of these guitars were made - the final batch that arrived (mine was the one he had held on to for himself - he sold it through Legends in Tampa, where he works as a tech) had SOLID MAPLE flame or quilt tops! He said they must have been having difficulties with the laminating of the arched tops, so they just did the last batch with solid tops! Awesome!

Been playing since 1972, have owned everything you can imagine in that time. I'd put this guitar up against anything I've ever played - the construction and finish blow Gibson in the weeds ( I owned and played an early 335 for years) The tone and sustain are beautiful. If it were lost, I'd cry like a baby because few will be changing hands in the future - anyone who has one would be insane to let it go.

nice features!! quality products used and construction

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2005 Volante Kustom Made in Korea,
Quilt Maple top with matching headstock
- 5 Piece Maple/Walnut neck, "C" shaped
- Set neck construction
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Scale length 24 5/8, fingerboard radius 12"
- 24 frets, nickel-silver, medium gauge
- Real Mother of Pearl block inlays
- TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece
- Mini Grover tuning machines
- 2 Classic Tone humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets
- Push/pull volume and tone pots for coil tapping
- Nut width is 1 11/16ths
- Basswood body, with a 4" center-block inside
- 2 1/2" body thickness, body width 13 1/2th",total guitar length 39"
- Multi-ply binding
- Gold Hardware.


would like Jumbo Frets and an access panel.

This guitar sounds great! Tone is fantastic Fender to Gibson with the pull of a knob. Not the loudest pups especially when in single tapped mode, but the tone is what I am after and the volante delivers the tone! Besides I can always boost with clean gain using a pedal (BBE makes a nice one). I play a hybid Garcia-Jazz style so I put some chromes (11's) on it an it flat out sings. Right now I am running it through dunlop crybaby, Qtron envelope, two Ibanez tube screamers --> fender blues amp. I really can't find any thing I dislike about the sound. It is clear and clean if you want it or down right dirty!

Could have been played right out of the box. I however, put on some thicker strings so I had the action adjusted accordingly. I always have a new guitar professionally set up before playing it especially when I change string guages!

This guitar was as nice looking as any PRS or Gibson I have seen!! And nicer looking and sounding than any fender!! You should really think of picking one of these up at this nice price I give it about 5 years before these first chafins are worth 5x as much!!

Giged with this guitar and only this guitar numerous times now and it is built like a tank and sings like a Angel. Would and have giged without a backup with out any concern. My only concern is that it may get stolen when I take it out to gigs!

Haven't needed it but have seen the chafin forum and myspace page seems to be the type of guy that sticks behind his product

I have several other guitars, mostly sticking with gibson and epiphone (335, dot, les paul, 175) but this is becomming my favorite especially when I am going for a Garcia type tone. I do wish that it had jumbo frets and a access panel, but, I have only the best feeling of this guitar. If it were lost or stolen I would freakout and then go on a rampage followed by pruchasing two or three so I would not be without the volante for a day!!

2005 Volante Kustom Made in Korea,
Quilt Maple top with matching headstock
- 5 Piece Maple/Walnut neck, "C" shaped
- Set neck construction
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Scale length 24 5/8, fingerboard radius 12"
- 24 frets, nickel-silver, medium gauge
- Real Mother of Pearl block inlays
- TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece
- Mini Grover tuning machines
- 2 Classic Tone humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets
- Push/pull volume and tone pots for coil tapping
- Nut width is 1 11/16ths
- Basswood body, with a 4" center-block inside
- 2 1/2" body thickness, body width 13 1/2th",total guitar length 39"
- Multi-ply binding
- Gold Hardware

You get a wide variety of tones from this Volante! I was very impressed with the range with coil tapping. I swear I could hear a strat coming out of my amp. The pickups have a nice tone; they're not the hottest pups, but they sure are nice. This is a very quiet semi-hollow body electric.

This is one of the finest looking guitars in any price range. The quilt top is beautiful! The finish is beautiful. The attention to detail is very impressive! I love the feel of this neck. It's a nice slim "C" neck that's very comfortable. The action is set low the way I like it and no fret buzz. The frets are dressed well and the rosewood fingerboard is one of the tightest I've seen; comparable to an ebony board. If it had jumbo frets and a ebony board it would be perfect!

I've had it for a month now and have had no issues. It feels like a good solid built guitar. The hardwared and materials used (see features above) are top quality!

Haven't had to use customer support, but I have had the pleasure of dealing with Ben Chafin on a custom built guitar he's making for me. He's a great guy and I'm sure he'll make sure the customer is satisfied with any guitar that has his name on it.

I've been playing guitar for over 25 years. This Volante Custom is definitely a keeper! The quality is superb! This is the first guitar I get with the coil tapping feature on the pickups and I gotta say I love it! It opens up the guitar to many different tones and styles of play. Very impressive indeed!

Here are the specs. Might I say that thsi is a beautiful guitar.

# Quilt and Flame Maple top with matching headstock
# 5 Piece Maple/Walnut neck, "C" shaped
# Set neck construction
# Rosewood fingerboard
# Scale length 24 5/8, fingerboard radius 12"
# 24 frets, nickel-silver, medium gauge
# Real Mother of Pearl block inlays
# TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece
# Mini Grover tuning machines
# 2 Classic Tone humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets
# Push/pull volume and tone pots for coil tapping
# Nut width is 1 11/16ths
# Basswood body, with a 4" center-block inside
# 2 1/2" body thickness, body width 13 1/2", total guitar length 39"
# Multi-ply binding

This guitar sounds great. The push pull function allows you to move from a sound similar to a SG to a Fender tele or strat. For playing the blues and jam type stuff this guitar is perfect for me.

I am currently playing this guitar through a Digitech RP50 muliteffects pedal into an epiphone firefly amp (great amp by the way for under $200).

I wish I knew more about this stuff as my review would be more glowing. I will say this this guitar sounds great. I was having a problem with some static when the tone knob was adjusted at high amp volume but that was the only problem.

The guitar was ready to go right out of the box. The neck is silky and the frets all looked great!!

As I said before I did have a problem with the tone knob, but it seems to have resolved itself.

This guitar is built like a tank. Everything seems like it will last and I think that I will be able to depend on it. So much so I purchased another one that had a blemish in the finish at a steal of a price.

Spoke to Ben Chafin directly was a great guy. I bet he will stand behind this product!!!

I would buy another of these guitars in a heartbeat thats why the week after I received it I ordered a blemished one to have another. If I had more money I would buy two more!!!!

2005 Korean made
AAAA veneer Flame Maple top with matching headstock
Semi hollow double cut away design
5 Piece Maple/Walnut neck, "C" shaped
Set neck construction
Rosewood fingerboard
Scale length 24 5/8, fingerboard radius 12"
24 frets, nickel-silver, medium gauge
Real Mother of Pearl block inlays
TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece
Mini Grover tuning machines
2 Classic Tone humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets
Push/pull volume and tone pots for coil tapping
Nut width is 1 11/16ths
Basswood body, with a 4" center-block inside
2 1/2" body thickness, body width 13 1/2th",total guitar length 39"
Multi-ply binding
Gold and Chrome Hardware
optional soft case or hardcase available

I own the first 2 USA Chafin Custom Embers built and I would put this guitar up in the catagory of either one. I am a blues, funk, R&B lead guitarist, and this guitar has all the tonal combinations that I could/would expect from a Chafin Custom Guitar. I can get a nice fat warm jazzbox tone when both humbuckers are on, or just the neck or searing lead tones in the bridge position. Pull up the knobs for coil tap and the guitar has a warm Strat like tone to it.

In one sentence the Chafin Volante Custom was flawless! You would be hard pressed to know that the top is a veneer without being told so. It has all the 3D depth and shimmer that one comes to expect from a guitar that costs $100s if not $1000s more. Ben Chafin personally sets up each guitar before it is shipped out.

I have been gigging with this guitar every week since I got it in Sept. I play at least 3 shows a week, and have not had one single problem with this guitar. It is the only guitar I take to smaller venues, and I never worry about not having another guitar with me.I sold all of my other boutique guitars after I got my first Chafin Custom Guitar. I still have a few collector guitars, but my Chafins are my main guitar when I play out.

I have been involved with Chafin Custom Guitars since 2002. You can call or email Ben Chafin and you will ALWAYS get a response from him personally, without any go between people. I have never had a problem with any of my Chafins yet and I have done 100s of shows with them. I haven't had to have anything repaired, but I know that Ben Chafin stands behind every one of his guitars he makes 100%.

I have been playing 40+ years professionally over 35 years. I would definitely buy another Chafin Volante Custom in a heartbeat. Other gear I own 2 Chafin Embers (original proto and 1st quilt top built), Chafin quilt top Helios, 1958 Les Paul Custom, BB King Lucille, 2 Buddy Guy signature Strats, Jimmie Vaughan signature Strat, Charley's SRV Lipstick Strat.

Chafin Custom Guitars and My Cousin Jays the best of both worlds! Ben Chafin world reknowned Master Luthier and Jay Doherty(aka My Cousin Jays) a team that has taken the guitar business to a new level of standard!

I just bought a new 2005 Chafin Volante Custom. The Volante Series is made in Korea to exact Chafin specifications. It has 24 frets, SWEET quilt maple top, "famous" Chafin one tone, one volume with independent push pull coil tapping, 2 Chafin design humbucking pickups, basswood body, 5 PIECE NECK (maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple) very nicely figured with ebony fingerboard, GENUINE mother of pearl BLOCK INLAYS (no plastic), Hi gloss natural finish, Semi-hollow double cutaway with multi-ply binding, TonePros bridge and tailpiece, Grover tuners, 24.5" scale with medium frets.

This guitar is very versitile. I can go from tele to ES-335 without having to change guitars. I play the guitar straight through a modified 64 Fender bassman. The guitar is very quiet and the tone range goes from "singing like an angel" to "roaring like a lion" and everything in between. I absolutely LOVE IT!

The fit and finish on this guitar is perfect. Although the guitar was made in Korea, the guitar was set up here in the states before shipping. Everything was perfect, right out of the box.

The quality and workmanship on the Chafin Volante Custom is 100% TOP SHELF! When you hold it, turn the tone or volume or activate the push/pull for coil tapping, you can feel the quality. I'm sure I'll be able to depend on this guitar as much as any strat, tele, Les Paul, ES-335 or PRS I've had and the best part is, I don't have to bring ANY of them to a gig. Just the Volante!

Jay at My Cousin Jay's (jaybathehut on ebay) is one of the nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure to deal with. I was also fortunate enough to speak with Ben Chafin personally. Feel confident in working with this dynamic duo!

Started playing guitar in the mid 60's. I have about $60,000 worth of other gear. If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, I am planning on buying a Volante Standard (solid body) as soon as they come in. I love the looks, feel and tone of the guitar. I guess that's everything. Especially the value. I can not believe this guitar only cost me $700! It's easily worth twice that to me. My advise to anyone interested in a Volante? Buy one now before they come to their senses and raise the price or become like other companies and start cutting corners to save a buck!