Custom made to customer specs in about ten weeks, luthier John Iliov is a compulsive guitar maniac - and that's a good thing. The guitar has everything! (At least, it has everything I wanted.)

This baby is shaped like a Jaguar (because I love that look), but it isn't finished like any Fender and it certainly doesn't sound like a Jag. With a silky smooth, tung oil finish, a flamed maple top and a hollowed out walnut body, surrounded by a 24 fret, 24 1/2" fat five piece neck. The contrast between light and dark woods continues through the neck's walnut and flamed maple, and its wenge fretboard, up to the hand-made compensated bone nut.

The hollow body keeps the weight down to about eight well balanced pounds, rounds out the tone and lets me practice without an amp (if I care to). To top it off, I designed the sound holes based on an elongated yin/yang pattern of my own creation.

Three Golden Age single coil pickups are controlled by a five position switch and a pull-up switch on one of the two tone pots, offering seven distinct sounds. Its got a Schaller Roller Bridge, speed knobs and Grover locking tuners.

John includes a hard case, an extra set of strings and some picks.

This is a tone monster, with a clarity of sound and perfection of intonation as good as I have ever heard. I'm into blues and rock, and this guitar can do them to death. From chiming and bell-like rhythm to the thickest lead tones, the sustain is unbelievable. Golden Age pick-ups... who knew?

This axe actually sounds great without effects, even on the most soulless solid-state amp. Put all three pickups in series, and turn up the gain, but not too high, or you're liable to fry tender nerve endings.

The set-up was perfect, the action fast - this is a custom machine.

All three pickups are angled 10 degrees, Jimi Hendrix style, solidly positioned on precisely sized blocks of wood to receive the body vibrations directly. John says this increases the sustain and improves the articulation. I particularly like the hand carved maple pickup rings, each held in place with six screws - very sexy.

I'm cool with the natural wood finish; indeed it does feel natural and looks like the refined woodwork it is. This guitar is showy enough with its 3D figures, gold hardware and contrasting woods- it doesn't need bright colored plastic.

The rear access panel is laminated maple, as is the cover for the truss rod end at the headstock. And before John engraved my name on it, he asked me to choose my font - unbelievable.

I had one small problem with the Schaller Roller Bridge; my high E string liked to slip its groove when I get too enthusiastic. I've made a small adjustment, as per John, and it is much improved. Still, I'll deduct a point so I don't end up looking like a cheerleader.

It's too new, but so solidly built with all quality parts, I would expect it to be reliable and last longer than I do. The neck is 15/16" thick with two steel bars running its length, and it stays in tune beautifully.

The natural finish will probably require regular care, and there's no pick guard, but neither concerns me too much. I'll take off one point for the tiny bit of extra care this beauty demands.

It's still new, but through the entire ten weeks of manufacture John kept me up to date with pictures, explanations of why he worked a given way, occasional questions for me and answer to any I had. He really loves what he does and aims to please. It was very enjoyable doing business with him.

I'm a relative beginner who plays mostly for his own pleasure, and this was my big purchase. Originally, I was just looking for a slightly wider, thicker neck for my big, big hands, and that was something easily specified at JCi. After spending time at his web site and once I spoke to some of John's other customers and made the commitment, I kind of went crazy, and decided to max this machine out, and piled on my entire wish list... and I still got it for half the price of a fancy off-the-shelf guitar.

This unique guitar was designed for me, and now that it's love, how could I go back? I still have a Fender Showmaster, which I used to think was pretty good until this baby showed up, and there is absolutely no comparison.