Ron Kirn Custom Stratocaster

2009. USACG 54 maple neck (Fender C width). Callaham tremolo bridge. 6105 frets. Novak calibrated set strat pickups. Blender pot. Sperzel locking tuners.

Ash body made by Ron. Nitro finish.

Have to give it a 10 here because it is exactly as I ordered it!

Unplugged it sounds chimey and full. Hands down the finest sounding unplugged electric I have ever played.

Pickups are great. Still getting used to the options with the blender pot (never had one before). Can ring or quack as needed. Distinct from a vintage strat. Not better or worse, just unique. Having expanded tone options brings out some interesting things in playing. Above my ability, for sure.

Quiet as can be. Played straight through a 67 pro reverb it is humbling in that the sound is so classic I find myself wanting to practice just to be able to approach doing justice to the tone. Through a bassman reissue it also shines. 66 Princeton reverb makes me get out a few surf compilations and revisit things I haven't played in ages.

Ron takes a lot of pride in his setup. I asked for a bit more medium (still fast but not the crazy fast I have heard about) action and he obliged (mostly). The fret work is outstanding. The construction is solid or beyond. The intonation is close to perfect, even with some shifting of the saddles during shipping. We had a bit of mixup on strings but that was likely due to my communication skills rather than any fault of Ron's.

I'm not sure how much shaping he did with the neck but it is outstanding. You can see from the specs it's a big beast and it is an absolute joy to hold and play. I'm pretty sure it is from Tommy at USA Custom but, again, not sure. I do know Ron takes a great neck and perfects it.

The finish (blonde) on the guitar is the standout for me. Along with the neck I don't believe I have ever seen a more stunning example of finish work. Really is breathtaking. Aside from the solid construction and sound, the finish shows the character of the work.

Solid. Solid. Solid. (to the point of felt washers for the strap buttons to protect the finish. Bill's bridge and tremolo are functional works of art.

Ron is an easy guy to deal with. I ordered the guitar (didn't know I needed it!) after an interesting situation. I had heard about the tele builds and so ordered a couple of his booklets from the website. He sent me an email explaining that since the books covered a lot of the same material, he would send me another booklet covering finishing free. We struck up a conversation and the timing was right so I ordered the strat. Kind of happenstance.

Some of the guys go on and on about the endless emails they exchange with Ron but we actually communicated very little after I sent him the specs. When he had a question, he asked and I answered. Pretty simple. Probably set a record for low number of emails w/him! He's fast and he's honest and he does great, great work. The turnaround time (more or less a couple of months) is mind-boggling. I think it might be safe to say no one else can give you such professional and detailed work in so short a time. Truly amazing.

One thing I found remarkable is this: no matter what day or time you send an email, you will get one back in a crazy short period of time. I swear the guy never leaves the shop. It's obvious he loves what he does and it comes through in not just his quality of work but also his enthusiasm for the process.

Warranty is lifetime.

I probably would go with a more vintage fret. The 6105s are a bit tall for me but I'll get used to it.

Were it lost or stolen I'm not sure I could bear to replace it since it seems so special. Would always be thinking "now, my OLD strat....". It's really hard to put into words how a pile of wood and steel could come together in a way that makes grown folks wax poetic. But the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts. Makes me happy just holding it, much less actually playing it.

I really feel like I got more than my money out of the experience and can honestly say I'm lucky to have had Ron build me this great guitar.

This is a hard tail Strat shape but without the ergonomic contour, so in this case it is also kinda Tele like guitar. The body is made out of a beautiful old piece of wood ??? I think Ron said it was black ash ??? that was recovered by an Amish community close to Guelph, Ontario, Canada from a building that was made in the sixteen century. I am not sure how this is known or what kind of building that may have been because at that time I don???t think any European have been invading that region yet, so it must have been an Iroquois construction. The notice also says that the tree rings counted showed that the log came from a nine hundred years old specimen, so the wood that was used to build this guitar body according to Ron, would come from a tree that started growing around the 7th century A.D. I do not know if this is true but I liked the idea of a piece of wood with an unusual history linked to it, like a precious artifact that has witnessed a lot of events in North America and has come in a time machine to me. The piece is so pretty that I asked Ron to only use a thin coat of transparent nitro and to not use a pick guard to hold the pickups in order to show as much wood as possible. The back of the guitar has the space rooted for the single volume pot and the 5 way pickup selector. It has a black plastic cover. I should have asked Ron to keep some of the excavated wood to build the cover; it would have looked much prettier. The jack is connected like a Tele on the edge, again to preserve the appearance of the wood best. I wanted to use TiSonix Titanium parts for this guitar and I have the bridge, the ferrules and the plate that attached the neck to the body made in Titanium. It is a very fine work indeed. Ron is so meticulous with his craft that he integrated the neck plate to the wood, so it is on the same level as the wood. It looks very nice. He should have done the same for the jack connection plate. The three single coil pickups are made by Slider (Rod McQueen) in Sydney Australia. The connecting wire is my own custom made silver platted pure copper in Teflon.
The neck is made of two piece of quarter saw flamed maple, the truss rod was installed by the top, not from the back, and then a fret board extremely flamed was placed on top, making it look like a single piece of wood without the usual strip of darker wood on the back used to cover the truss rod installation. The neck is shaped exactly like I asked Ron to build: very narrow but very thick like a baseball bat ??? U-shaped. The frets are jumbo type. The head is the very nice design Ron uses for his Custom Signature Strat, the thickness is slightly bigger then usual Fender Strat. Machines head are Sertzel locking keys, don???t yet have an opinion about them???The nut was perfectly made, correct size and height??? Ron forgot to glue it so it moves when I bend the strings, not a problem that can not be easily fixed. This is one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen, I am not sure why Ron did not post pictures on his web site. The case she was delivered in, although very solid and safe, does not mach the quality of the instrument. I would have like to have the choice to pay more and have a better looking case like some other luthier get custom made for them.

The sound of this instrument is a very unique kind that I have never heard before; I will try to describe it as best as possible with my limited knowledge of the English language. First of all, it is obviously due to the sum of the parts, so I will speak about the sound globally, not knowing precisely what is the influence of craft or of each component ??? old dry wood, Titanium parts, wire, pickups, frets, pot ??? She has a crystalline transparency in the tone. Not a thin sound, rather rich in harmonic, but a very clear sound. Unplugged, she sounds extremely open, lively and dynamic; these characteristics are found in the amplified sound as well. The output is not high, but the gain is the wide spectrum of the frequencies. There is no cancellation of certain frequencies like you often have with a Strat, with some notes more resonant then others. Here the entire spectrum is pretty much equal. When I compare it with similar guitars, it is like if I was removing a thick piece of felt covering the speaker. All five positions results in very distinct tone but always very clear and harmonically rich. The bridge pickup does not give the usual nasal sound; it is quiet open on the contrary. I find myself using more complex chords or unusual scale progressions because everything sounds so interesting with this instrument. The sustain is almost infinite. The sound is the richest when the volume is open full speed. When I turn it down I have the feeling I am canceling some lower frequencies. I suppose it is due to an electric issue with the pot itself or an error in connection, I will get it checked. Ron carefully covers the electronic cavity with a sheet of plain copper. This probably results in a very quiet guitar.

Ron sets up this guitar beautifully. The strings are close to the fret board but without any intonation or buzz issue. It is very easy to play all the length of the neck. The careful inspection of each square inches of this guitar reveals that Ron has done a superb job. There is no way one could have similar quality out of a big shop. The finish is the best I have ever seen. I own several boutique guitars made by the most famous builders and this one is frankly a step beyond.

Can not tell yet I received the guitar a couple weeks ago.

I will not repeat ad nauseam what is already said on these pages by other lucky owners of an instrument build by one of the very top builder in the trade. I just want to confirm that Ron is extremely easy to reach, responds promptly to any email, the silly ones, the obsessed ones, the geeky ones without ever loosing his temper. I don???t understand when he works or sleeps because you can send an email any time of the day or the night and within seconds you will get an answer. He is reserved and never tries to influence your choice one way or an other. If you are hesitant about what you want, Ron is not the right luthier for you. He will not advise you about any decision that need to be made. He is very flexible and accommodated me all along, never getting impatient, always keeping his sense of humor. The guitar was built promptly, exactly how it was agreed upon, no surprise, no waiting for months or years like with other well known competitors.

I am very happy with this new instrument made out of a piece of Native American history. It is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen and the most meticulously finished. The dialogue with the builder was straightforward, pleasant and informative.
The price is correct, that is rare enough in this environment to mention. I am recommending strongly visiting Ron???s web site as there are a lot of information that is useful to make your choice if you are in the custom market for an instrument. I never give 10 to anything, I am not going to start today but I almost did.

Black Cherry Strat 21 frets classic C shape with ebony fingerboard, Wilkinson tremelo with Rons hand wound passives, mother of pearl pick guard with solid copper sheilding throughout finished in nitrocellulose.

I've only been able to play her on my practice amp thus far but even so, in comparison to my other Strats, the Black Cherry is in a totally different league and is a world apart in terms of flavour and control. Beautiful rich and varied tones combined with outstanding sheilding makes this baby sing like no other, and all this on a practice amp! I'm gonna have to move to the outback where I don't get arrested for public disturbance.

The action is simply superb and even beats my Les Paul in terms of comfort and speed. I asked Ron for a fast set up but even I was surprised as to the level achieved, you can't underestimate the value of crowning and leveling either, which you won't find in 'off the shelf models' not to this detail anyway. The Ebony fingerboard is pure delight to the touch but she did require a slight adjustment to to the action due to some buzz however, considering she flew all the way to Australia and is exposed to a warm humid environment, it was to be expected and if you follow Rons instruction manual provided, corrections are easy. As for the finish well, I play her for a few hours and then just look at her for the next few, simply breathtaking.

I've only had her for a week and managed to cram about 26hrs worth of playing but I have no doubt she'll withstand live playing, are you kidding, she's the showpiece! The hardware is solid and well made and everything is so smoothe and responsive, it makes a mockery of those cheap shop standard sets ups. It's Ron's attention to detail that sets him apart, that and his exceptional skills of course, the alignment, the neck, sound and look, all combine with exceptional craftsmanship. As for a back up at gigs (strings can break, punters will vomit) well thats a no brainer, give me two of em.

Ron's customer support is second to none, I felt I developed a great relationship with the man and he took time to understand my needs, that is exceptional considering it was done a world apart. I have no doubt,(should the very unlikely need arise) that Ron would see to any concerns promptly.

I've been playing for 33yrs and have owned a variety of different guitars and equipment, I enjoy playing a few different styles but blues is my favorite. This Black Cherry is by far the best axe I've ever laid my hands on and for a very reasonable price too, the guy is a master Luthier and should be revered as such. Apart from lusting after some of the others on offer, I'm giving him my beloved Les Paul for a total rebuild, I can't endorse him any higher than that.

Ron Kirn Signature

22 frets, solid body with laminated top. Mahogany body, quilted maple top (5A) - flame maple neck (3A) with rosewood fingerboard. (No fingerboard dots) Wired like a PRS with H/H configuration. Pickups are Ron Kirn hand wounds to standard PAF output, sounds Fendery when turned down .. and screams when turned up - a secret more people should discover. Very very pleased with the tuning of the pups to the guitar. Electronics is all passive, vintage specked.

As above, Mahogany body and maple neck ... 5A quilted maple top on the body ... 3A flamed maple neck .. rosewood fingerboard ( no dots ).

Finish .. work of art ... Nitro finished to vintage specs and looks .. and it sure looks vintage. The only guitar that I've hold and played with this kind of finish and look is a Johan Gustavsson. Flawless is the only word describing it.

Strat style guitar, Gibson scale ... Wilkinson trem. Sperzel tuners. Neck is fat, from a .86 slight V to a 96 C .. with 6100 Dunlop frets. Comes with a soft gig bag.

Other things to consider;
Ron Kirn is way way cool do deal with - he knows what he are doing .. then he knows more that you don't need to know about your next guitar. He is extremely easy to work with and understand all guitar players "kinks" ... more or less ..

The guitar is set up for what I'm going to is it for ... and that is perhaps not what everybody else is going to want. Ron gave me exactly what I asked him for. The Rascal will do straight rock, Jazz, Fusion to you if you want it from her. No noise .. cavity and and pups are shielded .. like it would be from a pro.

Pups and sound .. difficult to say. They fit me perfect, I told Ron what I wanted ... and he delivered. The guitar with the PRS wiring covers a lot of ground. You can easily cover a hole gig with this guitar.

Set-up .. out of the park. Ron Kirn is one of the best. Periode. Pups adjusted .. and wired, perfect for what I asked for. (((If you know what you need, Ron will deliver))).

Check out the bookmatch on http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=455548

If things are routed properly .. is an insult to this guitar. It is beyond. No flaws what so ever ... no problems with electronics and so fort .. what so ever.

The guitar is designed for live playing _ I'm sure it would stand up to whatever I throw at her. All hardware .. and other solution are made for a gigging instrument .. because that is what she is going to be.

I would use her without a backup, but I always has one. Just one of them things.

Ron is the best. No further comments needed.

Played for 35 plus years. I have both vintage and custom shop guitars .. from the big two .. and are going to small company luthiers for future instruments. I will work with Ron again in a heartbeat, he is very very cool to work with .. and he understands.

Every instrument has it own voice and use ... no further comments will be given.

Classic 'V' neck; Maple/ebony with sterling silver nut; Mahogony/flame maple body, GORGEUS finishing job; Wilkinson hardware. Standard Strat config with Fender Texas Special pickups.

Through a Hot Rod Deluxe with an Eminence Texas Heat 12" speaker, the guitar screams. Highly responsive, well-balanced, and everything you'd expect from a custom shop guitar and then some.

Ron's setups are key, and he won't let ya keep it until you're damn well happy with it. Haven't found any issues yet. This is pretty much the perfect guitar. Plays like heaven.

Solid as a rock. The finish is especially sound, has a wonderful 'organic' feel and really brings out the highly figured maple. Ron carved this baby himself, it's a homegrown workhorse worthy of a museum.

Ron is always punctual with following up with emails and his primary concern is that I'm happy with the guitar. He's set it up for me several times and is as involved as I am in finding that 'perfect' sound. He gives the type of attention that is nearly impossible to find. I am a concert classical guitarist, and am used to buying classical guitars in the $10000 range from an independent luthier- but Ron has offered more personal attention and concern for my complete satisfaction than any of 'em so far.