Ron Kirn Custom Telecaster

My custom Tele has a one-piece mahogany body, with wild flame maple bookmatched top. It has a single top binding which was done flawlessly. It is honey-sunburst similar to the honeyburst you commonly see on Les Pauls. It has custom lettering on the neck pocket where I had my son's name put there, because I had Ron build this guitar to commemorate my first son's birth. Ron has corresponded with me at great length to come up with exactly what I wanted in this guitar. Between the two of us we have over 300 e-mails concerning just this one project. When it comes to making Telecaster style bodies Ron is second to none. When I received this guitar I literally could not believe my eyes. The guitar is brand spanking new, in flawless condition, yet it looks like it's been around for 50+ years and has just been left in immaculate shape. It just has a quality about it that no guitar manufacturer today could ever compare to. I own 3 other Telecasters (all Fender and two are American) and after holding and touching my Ron Kirn Custom Tele, the Fender's feel like $50 Wally World starter electrics. I have owned American Strat's and real Gibson Les Pauls, and the sentiments remain the same when comparing them to my Kirn. The finish is luscious! Every inch is heavenly. The neck is a Clapton V-shape from USACG, but it has been reworked by Ron. Ron has made this neck feel smooth as silk, literally, and it is just a dream to play. Without question, this is THE best quality guitar I have ever seen. PRS's, Les Paul's, they seriously can't even compare.

If the look and feel of this guitar wasn't enough to blow me away, when I plugged her in for the first time that was it! The pickups are Ron Kirn's own hand-wound pickups! Ron is not only a master builder in the woodshop, he makes a pickup that is to die for! If I were to compare these pickups to anything I would definitely say that they resemble Barden's, only better! They are silent. If I didn't know better, and if I couldn't see the front of my guitar, I would think there were humbuckers in there. They have such a broad range of sound. I would HIGLY recommend if you buy a guitar from Ron to get his own pickups that he makes himself. You won't regret it.

I didn't know a guitar existed with this kind of action. The action is unreal. I have been able to play things on this guitar that aren't even possible on my Fender's, simply because of the way Ron sets them up. Another of Ron's customers said it when he told me that Ron's guitars played like "Buttah." I didn't know at the time what he meant, because I hadn't received my guitar yet, but now I know. And that's the only word for it--Buttah...

I've already stated that this guitar was built with a quality that I thought only existed 50+ years ago. People nowadays just don't build stuff to last. It is obvious from the moment you pick up one of Ron's guitars that he appreciates the masterbuilders of an older time. He indeed is one of them. I can't believe how great the contrast is when I compare this guitar to my Fender's. It is stark, and I cannot believe how much time and money I've put into Fenders when Ron's guitars existed all along!

Like I said, Ron and I have over 300 e-mails back and forth concerning the details of making this guitar everything I could've dreamed. You can't get that kind of service anywhere else. I can't imagine how he finds the time to treat all of his customers like this, but he does. I am just a regular guy who contacted him about a guitar, and he has treated me like he really WANTED me to have the guitar of my dreams from day one. And he DEFINITELY delivers!

I can't give Ron any higher than a 10 or else I would. You will not find a better builder, and you will not own a finer guitar than one of Ron's. Oh yeah, the price is amazing for the quality received. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions from a very satisfied customer. I have set my e-mail address to be visible if anyone wishes to contact me.

Check out this url to see my guitar being built by Ron!
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/88209-building-guitar-hummmm.html

RK Custom Tele: 1200 year-old black swamp ash... "What did he say?" It's true, the wood was harvested from a 500 year-old barn in Ontario, Canada. The exact age of the wood is unknown because obviously the beam from the barn doesn't display all the rings from the tree. However, there are approximately 17 rings PER INCH of what is seen. Apparently the experts agree that the wood must be at least 1200 years old. Ron has joked with me about luthiers who charge outrageously high prices for guitars that are suppose to have "spooky mojo,"... well let me tell you, this guitar (and my RK Strat made from the same wood), have some very spooky mojo. Just holding that kind of history in your lap is inspiration enough, to say anything of the tonal qualities... of historic proportions.

Vintage 52 American Fender Hot Rod Tele neck I bought on e-bay, Duncan STR52-pups, Vintage style tuners, Gotoh bridge, D'Addario 11's.

Amp: Two-Rock CR Signature and Two-Rock Jet, Fulltone TTE... Two-Rock has made most of my other Fulltone pedals obsolete, Rivera and Raezer's Edge cabs: With sound, I'm always looking for balance between wound and unwound strings as a priority... followed by that "snap" or "pop" that punches and articulates the note. I'm not sure any guitar could sound bad through a Two-Rock, but having said that, this Tele (and my RK Strat made from the same 1200 year-old swamp ash) is the best sounding of my 12 solid body guitars. Ron was the patient genius who found this wood (on an Amish farm no less), but I gotta give Mother Nature the nod on this one... damn she does great work! There's almost a piano quality about the sound...

Action, Fit, & Finish: Pretty much as good as it gets x 3...

Quality parts, quality craftsmanship... my only back-up would be another RK.

As always, he treats me like a friend... 'nuff said.

This is my 4th review of a Ron Kirn Custom Strat or Tele... he's made 7 for me. I really thought just saying he's made 7 guitars for me would be review enough, but HC might not appreciate that, so I gave some details. I own 17 guitars, of the electrics, I play my RK's about 90% of the time. I've got a John Suhr Strat that I really like, but not as much as as either one of my "ancient" RK's. I'm actually not much of a gear-geek, I play 3 to 5 hours a day and would much rather play than talk or write about gear. However, I've been on a serious tone quest for about 6 or 7 years now, and being lucky enough to sample and own some of the best gear available has made me a bit finicky. (Rarely is there anything in GC that will get me excited anymore.) I've been playing jazz, rock, fusion, latin etc. for over 40 years and if I had to give up all my gear except a Two-Rock, Raezer's Edge cabs, the Fulltone TTE and one RK Tele and one RK Strat... just give me some coconuts on the palm tree, and I'll spend the rest of my life on this desert island. If you want a guitar, buy a Fender, a good guitar, buy a Suhr... a great guitar, give Ron a call... (I gave two "9's" because I rarely take straight "10's" seriously... but RK, as always, comes very close.)

This Tele came to me indirectly, originally ordered
by someone else, who took a strat at the last minute.
Custom Telecaster with Nitro - Candy Apple Red finish.
with a black pick-guard.
Light Ash Body. - Guitar weighs in at 6 3/4 lbs.
Merle Haggard type bridge with six saddles.
Pick-ups - Bridge/No.1 Barden type Neck/Novack Humbucker
Vintage V Neck with a rosewood fretboard.
Had a 5-way switch which I had changed out to a regular 3-way.

I play lots of type of music, from Jazz to Country,
it is a very versatile with the pedals I use
Tubescreamer, Boss Mx, Pod XT and a Mesa Boogie
Express 5:25 combo amp. Being that it is so lightweight
I can play longer without getting a sore back. The Novack
humbucker is rich sounding just like i like it, and the
bridge pick-up is crisp and clear, they are both loud
and responsive. Lots of sustain on this guitar.

The Action was actually set too fast had to raise it a hair :)
The guitar is a piece of art, so glad I bought this guitar
cuz the more I play it the more I like it, it feels that good
in your hands. It will take you anywhere you want to go.

Seems very well built. I don't forsee
any problems.

Ron is the Man, answers all emails promptly
and honestly. Helps any way he can.

Been playing for over 25 years, not professionally
but as a hobby, I have a fender baja tele
and a les paul deluxe and this fits in just fine
with those.

Have the nitro finish in candy apple wine red.

Sustain for days, a tone monster.

Action is fast, feels great
in your hands.

Seems very well built, all quality
parts. The finish is A+ all the way.

Ron is very friendly and honest
and answers his e-mails.

Each Tele that Ron makes is absolutely and totally custom. Virtually every aspect of the guitar can be selected and tweaked as desired. I selected an ultra lightweight swamp ash body with a butterscotch finish. I also wanted a vintage tinted maple neck with birdseye figuring. The finished product was exactly as ordered. I rate a 10 here because it was exactly what I had wanted, nothing more, nothing less.

Sound is extremely subjective and so I'll just say that I love the sound of my guitar. I cannot ever imagine selling or trading it. I had Ron install a Dan Armstromng designed 6-way selector switch that gives several useful tone options in addition to the standard 3 tele sounds.

The action fit and finish are at least equal to any custom shop or masterbuilt guitar that I have ever owned or played. The neck, frets, and overally action are simply the best. With Ron you get one man doing what he does best. He has about 45 years experience building guitars and it definitely shows. His website has a ton of great information about nitrocellulose finishes and other aspects of guitar building that I found very useful. He is a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge about telecasters and stratocasters and how they're supposed to be built and sound.

All components are first rate. No cheap parts were used to cut corners. From Schaller locking tuners to electrosocket jacks every part used is made to stand up for the long haul. I expect my son will be playing this long after I'm gone.

Customer support is flawless. I have been fortunate enough to have had several guitars built including telecasters, other solid body guitars, and some archtops. Ron is the absolute best in responding to phone calls and emails. On a few occasions he responded 4 or 5 times in one day to deal with a question of mine. There was a misunderstanding between us that resulted in my having to send the finished guitar back because the frets were a bit too low for my tastes. Ron installed a new neck that was exactly what I wanted and I now have my perfect Tele. In short, customer support is what you'd expect from your best friend or relative building a guitar for you. Always there and always very helpful.

Been playing since 1963 and have owned many great guitars. This Tele is certainly among them. If Ron built archtops I'd have one being built as we speak. I realize my ratings are all 10's, but I honestly believe that in this case it is deserved. His prices are much less than any equivalent masterbuilt guitar and the quality is actually better. Seems like a no brainer to me.

My Tele has a fat 22 fret maple neck.I forget the wood he suggested for the body, It is VERY light and looks like ash.
It is a beautiful 2 tone sunburst
I had him use Barden pickups, Glendale bridge , Kluson style tuners but you can choose whatever hardware you like, He is a great guy to work with.
It was delivered in a nice tweed case

I play through a Allen Sweet Spot most the time, Rock/country/ blues.
This guitar can twang, cry or rock out with some overdrive.
It has a great full sound and can get jazzy on the neck pickup with a nice clean tone, Very versitile guitar.

The guitar was delivered in excellent shape, and that ain't easy since I live in Honolulu! It has a great neck, wonderfull fretwork. I have had it about 6 months and I haven't changed anything pickup height etc. He sets the action pretty low which is fine with me.

I have gigged quite a bit with this guitar, it is nice and light, very sturdy. I only take one electric to the gig and wouldn't worry about this one at all. I depend on it all the time, no sweat.
The finish looks great , better than most. I've onlyhad it 6 months but in that time no problems at all.

Ron is cool as hell about making sure you get what you are after. I put some big deep gouges in the finish and he was real helpful in straightening that out. I had to send it back to him and he was real quick and friendly about repairing the damage I caused to the finish. Plus he is real understanding about what neck/tuners etc. you want to use and whatever you have in mind during the building stages.

I own a few Teles a 1969, a Highway 1, and a put together Esquire. The Kirn is better than the rest. It is really well made and I got to specify whatever I wanted (hardware, neck etc.) My bro has a Grosh Tele which is a real nice guitar but has NOTHING on my Kirn tele. I played an Anderson Tele quite a bit, also very nice but I went with the Kirn. I was lucky enough to get this Tele, all the planets alligned and I had the $$. I don't regret spending the dough at all and am glad I did. Ron is a great guy that makes a great guitar and is good to work with, Plus he's from JAX!

The pine lumber used in this guitar was reclaimed from a barn erected 168 years ago. The body is solid, and one piece, finished with the original formulation that was O???Brian???s Fullerplast as a sealer just like Fender used way back when and then sprayed and polished multiple times in genuine Nitrocellulose lacquer to obtain a thin finish. Time consuming, but as good as it gets for solid bodies. The 3 tone burst finish gives an extra dimension, shimmer and sheen to the one piece old growth Pine body. The body???s shape was carved using routers and templates, much like they did 50 years ago in Fullerton. Beautiful without unnecessary quilty gaud, chic without ostentation, sheer elegance. Why kill good resonate wood with glue and laminate.
Now the neck, one piece Lightly Flamed Maple, soft V profile and traditional 7.25 radius, 1 5/8 at the nut, 21 frets (one size up from vintage) complete, extremely precise fret leveling and crowning. The Keys are German engineering, a vintage style replica, but with a much higher ratio to allow for more precise tuning and stability. Klusion style but well executed. No chocking or going out of tune when bending. A beautiful thing! Amazing how experience and diligence can dispel myths about the vintage radius. Harder to execute, yes, but when well done the feel is out of this world! Double stops become simple to play fast and cleanly.
The bridge is a Fender Custom Shop: individual six chromed brass saddles on a tele style heavy bridge/pickup plate without raised ridges. If you don???t use the ???ashtray??? cover then you don???t need the annoying ridge walls. Fully intonational and action adjustable without loosing that signature tele steel plate to wood coupling design.
The pickups are Barden, Danny Gattons. The electronics are CTS, Switchcraft, metal film, vintage cloth covered wire and silver solder. The circuitry was designed by Dan Armstrong, using a 5 way switch. It provides for some amazing combinations. While most switching arrangements alter the tone, that is the Bass, Treble mix, the Armstrong design introduces totally different voices. It???s much like going from one guitar to a totally different one. You get the normal selections with in and out of phase mixed pickup combinations. Simplicity (no confusing mini switches) but still achieves total versatility.
A semi hard case was included, form fitted and zips to close.

Plenty of honk and twang, sustain and overtones. I???ve been playing for almost 40 years and professionally working in the music business for 27 of those years. Yep, this is my life. My current working stable of guitars include: a 63 Fender Stratocaster (currently being retired and replaced by a Todd Krause Fender Master-built), Matt Artinger custom semi-hollow body for humbucker chores, Woody Phifer Archtop and a Santa Cruz acoustic. I have played PRS, Gibsons, Giffins, Tylers, Andersons, Pensa-Suhrs, Hubers, Teuffels etc. during my tenure in this business. I am not an endorser for any guitars. My amps are anything that is provided. To audition this guitar I used a Revera Clubster for small gig applications, a Komet head w/410 Tone Tubby cab and a custom built Nick Greer Tweed Deluxe, my usual recording amp of choice. In playing, listening and recording this guitar, the feel, voice and sustain remains consistent throughout the neck. The notes all have clarity and definition when played clean or overdriven. Most of the harmonic content of the acoustic sound is captured by the pick-ups. Usually, with humbucker guitars it is common to use a treble booster to add clarity and with single coil instruments an 808 style OD to thicken the tone. This instrument needs neither. There is plenty of girth and clarity on tap without resorting to tone sucking devices that add treble or fullness at the cost of robbing harmonics and dynamics. The notes blooms quickly and sustains long with plenty of overtones and sparkle, remaining rich and harmonically complex. One of the most harmonically complex instruments I had the pleasure of playing. It out-shined some of the most colorful vintage instruments it auditioned against. Chime, twang, growl, bark it does it all. I sincerely believe, wood that has been dried and seasoned naturally for a long time not only lightens, hardens and stabilizes but, if it also has that natural ring and tone, it will resonate and vibrate longer at more frequencies than young recently harvested and quickly dried tone wood. Add superlative craftsmanship, sensitive pick-ups, solid hardware and a stable neck and you get the voodoo that makes great instruments.

Superb low action, intonation and precise construction.
Enough room on the neck to allow for vibrato without rolling off the rolled edges. Fast but one can still dig in for dynamic playing. Nice fat neck without the baseball bat feel. To allow bending without choking on a vintage radius neck is only accomplished by a luthier with years of experience, hard labor and close attention in dressing the frets. This one aspect of building separates a real pro from novice builders and mass producers. Deep, beautifully stained 100% nitro finish.

She was shipped Thursday from Fl to NJ and received Friday. Saturday, she was on the road already to Ann Arbor. In and out of planes, cars, clubs, hotels and studio. Faithfully, staying in tune and keeping a straight neck. Only my old 63 manages that, the only difference being, the sweet smell of fresh Nitro on the Kirn curing under hot lights. Played as the main guitar without any adjustments or problems. This was to be a slow acclimatization with back up duties but turned out to be the workhorse and the only instrument played. I have great confidence in this instrument.

Built according to Leo???s philosophy and beyond. Don???t see a reason to need much support. However, Ron is easily accessible and willing to go out of his way to build you an instrument that is the best you can get. Get one before the supply and demand thing happens. They are reasonably affordable and available. That may not remain the case if he gets ???discovered???. For now, no advertised hype, just solid honest craftsmanship. Maybe, you won???t have the name brand bragging rites but if you are a player, you will possess one hell of an instrument.
My advice: keep it simple, don???t pimp out a classic design, just have it executed to the highest standards.

True to it???s birthright of the ???junction of form and function???.
I have tried to explain in some detail my reasons for these ratings as well as providing some background about myself to reflect the experience that my opinions are based on. No, I am not famous just a working journeyman. I gave this guitar all 10???s because a great guitar is a sum of its parts and in this case all perform to their full potential because of Ron???s experience and devotion to detail. The build quality, selection of the woods, electronics and wiring scheme all contribute to tonal and playing nirvana. In my experience very few instruments shine brilliantly in all areas but this one does, well done Ron! As Bill Kirchen put it, a good tele is ???The hammer of the honky tonk gods???.

nitro cel 3 tone burst finish that is very deep looking and the colors blend together very attractive one piece swamp ash body and very light

tele stlye all the way the bridge is a six saddle with tele style
bridge/pickup plate vintage type tuners

the neck is one piece maple with real mild flame 21 frets the frets are one size up from vintage

a cool semi hard case was included form fiited and zips to close

i bought this guitar as a demo from ron perfect condition with a few pickguard scrathes only i think its a 2006 or 2007 model

this guitar has joe barden tele pickups quiet because they are humbuckers but they have the tele twang and more

ron wired the controls in a way that gives 10 tones a 5 way switch and rolling the tone pots brings a aray of sounds basically you gets the normal selectios with in and out of phase mixed pickup combinations ron told me this switching layout is a dan armstrong design i thought i would miss the tone control so needed on teles but not so with all the sounds you get all the tones are in there

first off even this a solidbody guitar it as acoustic quality
sustain and character of tone and pretty loud you can enjoy jammed by yourself with out a amp

i play jazz blues and some rock and teles are great for me and the things i play i use a germino plexi style amp with delay compression and a 808 type od and a treble/full boost and a teese picture wah

no single coil hum the barden are humbuckers i like all this guitar has to offer

here is the most important ron works his magic here fit finish
set up nothing over looked its not often one can buy a guitar no matter what the price point and not a adjustment to make to get the guitar to feel how you like not the case here the pickups action and pickups were all set perfect awesome awesome awesome

no worries just dont drop it

between emails and phone called ron never grew tired of me
his ears were open and so his mind emailed returns in minutes

ron kirn will always be there the keeps his guitars going
i have no concerns

all in all there are many real fine buiders out there
especially for strat/ tele style guitars

finding the one to make your dream guitar can take some time
but with spending a little time and research it begins to get easy after spending a few hours one rons website and emails
there was no doubt

Ron Kirn Tele
Nitro cellulose, clear finish on one piece-light weight swamp ash body and maple neck; string thru body, stop tail, old style Kluson tuners, 25.5" scale, fat neck; built 2005, 22 frets, 3 way controls with split coil option, Barden pickups. Superbly finished guitar.

Versatile Tele designed with Ron to suit jazz-rock-blues-pop music; super quiet Barden pickups; amazing clear,full, bright sound with much body resonance. Coil tap feature allows for many musical styles. Sweetest tele!

Best set up I have ever played in 30+ years; perfect action, pickups are perfectly adjusted, all routing is clean and neat; no flaws.

Excellent hardware and finish; guitar holds up well; locking strap buttons are excellent; completely dependable guitar.

Builder goes out of his way to ensure customer's satisfaction and stands behind his product. Shipping damage was repaired by Ron at no cost to me. Extremely helpful!

Been playing over 30 years; own custom shop Fenders and Gibsons. Ordered second tele from Ron and am having a third one built at this time. Can not stop playing his guitars, they are lively, sound great and play effortlessly; like everything about the guitar especially the action/playability; second tele ordered in a different color and third tele will be built out of mahogany.

This Tele has everything you want from a custom tele and more. stainless steel nut, the tuners, everything you want is top quality. Buy one yourself and see. Ron's guitars are as good as I have ever played.

My custom tele is relatively heavy so it both rich and twangy. I use a effects mainly to fatten the sound out further. in studio, the Tele rings as true as any guitar I have used.

The tele is the best i have ever played. the action is low and fast, no buzzing. It played so perfectly that I sent Ron my 74 Strat and said "do the same thing to it you did to the Tele." incredible.

I have had the tele for over year now, and it is holding up fine. I play most weekends and never have had any problems. Totally dependable, so far. and i know if anything does go wrong, I can contact Ron and it will get fixed ASAP

Ron is great. He knows his guitars as well as anyone out there, I think.

playing 35 years now, own a dozen guitars or so. I would buy another Ron Kirn custon Tele in heartbeat, if I needed to. but I hope I never have too--my RK tele and my re-tooled Strat will be with me for the long haul.