Ron Kirn Custom Telecaster

2009 RK Signature Tele made in Jacksonville FL by Ron Kirn
U S and A, no Kazakhstan, high five!
Pickups: PAF humbucker in neck and traditional tele bridge - both made by Ron himself
4 way pickup selector (extra setting to blend coil split bucker with bridge)
Thin 60's style maple neck
Solid body with sunburst finish and black pickguard
Came with a light weight case

The features are outstanding. The neck feels great and is exactly what I wanted. The 4-way selector and split coil setting make the guitar more versatile than standard teles. Ron builds guitars with many different materials. I came in with a certain idea of what I wanted but his recommendations on the coil-split and the choice of wood made the guitar so much better.

I don't play in a band. I play blues rock and funk in my basement for my own enjoyment. My favorite guitarists are Keith/Ronnie, Jimi, Freddie King and all the guys who played with James Brown. The guitar is perfect for the music I like to listen to and attempt to play. Despite being an amateur, I am very demanding about the tone and quality of my electric guitars.

I have a Fulltone OCD, Crybaby wah and a 15W Fender Princeton Reverb amp. The guitar is a delight to play with this set up. Plays great clean. The Fulltone OCD lets the unique character of the 4 different pickup settings shine through. It is not noisy at all.

I own a 1974 Telecaster that I compare all Teles to. It has an old Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck that kicks *** and it has great twang and spank on the bridge pickup. The minute I played it in the store I knew I had to have it. I have played dozens of teles (Fenders and G&Ls) in different stores but never found anything even remotely close to the 74's tone. I've also played teles from other famous custom tele builders (who shall go nameless). I thought they all stunk. Perhaps it is the aging of the wood and the electronics or the craftsmanship (altho the '74 is post CBS... shrug). I thought it could be impossible for new guitars, be they mass-produced or custom-made, to measure up to that sound.

Ron Kirn delivered the goods and more.

The bridge pickup is phenomenal has a great twang and spank to it. It pops it, locks it, unlocks it and then pops it again. It packs an equal punch as my '74 but the tone is much more consistent between high and low end (and the '74 has been professionally set up). The neck pickup has a pleasant warm sound that produces a warm mellow tone. I must admit that I prefer the neck humbucker in my '74 which is a little hotter and grabs the listener by the ears. The RK neck pickup still has a great sound, more akin to the '57 Classics that Gibson puts in ES-335s. The setting with the split-coil combined with the bridge creates a beautiful strat-like chime that I think is great (and I don't like most strats). Having that additional sound puts this guitar over the top.

Overall it is more versatile, consistent and pleasing to the ear and the bridge pick up is just as good as my other tele.

Ron spends a lot of time on the set-up and it is outstanding. Intonation was perfect. Action is low as I requested. The pickups play at consistent volumes and blend nicely. Perfect frets. Flawless. Having it set up so well with a neck I chose helps my musicality and soloing (well I guess I am always soloing since I rock out in my basement...) It plays like a dream.

Durable, solid and dependable. I would absolutely use it for a basement gig for my wife and kids without a backup.

Honestly I have never had a better customer experience with any other purchase. He could tell I'm not a pro musician and yet he treated my questions and concerns with respect. His recommendations vastly improved the guitar. He responds via email same day (sometimes same minute). Ron stands behind the quality of his work and truly takes pride in what he does. This is old-world craftsmanship that you cannot put a price on in today's mass-produced world. He puts a price on it but the price is extremely reasonable for a world-class guitar made to your specs from an honest and talented guy that obviously loves what he is doing.

I toyed around with an old Fender Bullet in high school but wasn't serious and didn't play for years. I got back into playing guitar a year ago and now play every day. Guitar helped me maintain my sanity in the market crash of 2008. This is a passionate hobby for me, not my living, but I hope to become good enough to be a professional one day.

My current guitars in order of preference:

1. 2009 RK Signature Tele (yes Ron Kirn is ICHIBAN that means #1!)
2. 1974 Fender Tele
3. 2006 Gibson ES-336
4. 2008 Blueridge BR-40
5. 2008 Reverend Volcano

If you buy a guitar from Ron, know what you want but seek his advice. He made some great suggestions.

If it were stolen or lost I would start to cry. Then my godfather would slap me in the face and tell me to start acting like a man. Then I would order another from Ron.

I have never written a guitar review or filled out a customer response for anything. I don't have the time and I usually don't care enough. I posted this review because I feel so strongly about this guitar and the guy that made it. Buy a custom tele from Ron Kirn - you will not regret it. I am an avid guitar shopper and I try a lot of different guitars. In my opinion this guitar is far superior to anything that anyone else is making today.

2009 Ron Kirn Custom Telecaster. Custom build by Ron Kirn in Jacksonville FL. Neck was a compound radius built by warmoth but frets, finish, inlay work and pretty much all the good stuff finished off by Ron. 22 frets with ebony Fretboard and maple neck. Medium Jumbo frets, c-shaped neck with sperzel locking tuners.
The body is mahogany with a stained back and black top, wrap around 1/2 inch down the sides. Gorgeous wood work! Ron finishes the wood with "genuine" nitrocellulose lacquer,(Check out ronkirn.com, he explains it much better than I could!!!)
Pick Ups -Neck-Bare Knuckle Missipi Queen (humbucker size p-90
Bridge- BK Nailbomb
Gotoh locking bridge (awesome!)
3 way p-up selector, killswitch and emg pa2 booster switch
Ron shipped it in a nice hard case (I wasn't expecting) which saved me having to hit the shops!!!

Radiohead (guitar era)Muse,and U2 (the good stuff!) I use a fair amount of distortion and effects through an Mesa Road King.
My new Guitar has balls, simply put. Its meaty and warm but still bright like a tele should be!!! The Setup and action makes playing almost too easy!!! No more noise than anything else I put through my rig (must be the effects setup). It has depth and a quality of sound that I do not get from my other guitars. Its perfect. I listened back to a live recording of my last show and it sounded amazing! I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and don't have any misgivings!!!!!

The setup was better than I've ever played. Its smooth and fast and extremely enjoyable to play. Pickups sounded excellent and didn't need any adjustment at all. The finish is breath taking!!!! I could hang it on my wall and call it art!

I picked the hardware after doing some research and I'm happy with the choice! Time will tell but thats always the way! My guitar is 9.6 pounds so its heavy (not the normal tele weight) but its weighted very well so it doesn't bother me (unlike les pauls).
I installed dunlop straplocks. I use them on all my guitars and I'm uncomfortable without them!!! I'm sure Ron would have installed them but it slipped my mind until the last second!!!!
I never gig without at least two guitars but thats mainly for different tunings, but would have no problem with turning up with just this baby.

I found Ron through Premier Guitar (top 5tele builders) and did some internet research on the 5. Ron came out on top of the list in terms of customer satisfaction! After dealing with him you understand what real customer support is! I have an email list of 70 plus back and forth from the first inquiry until he emailed me the morning it arrived to give me the heads up!!! No question too small or big and Ron responded everytime within the hour!!!! Couldn't be better!

I've been playing guitar for 15 years. I've owned a Japanese Strat, American tele, and a Gibson sg. I've played plenty of other tele's, strats, Les Pauls, Ricks etc...
This guitar does it all. It has range that others lack. From big, meaty and warm to that bright tele twang.
The neck and setup make it amazing to play. I love teles and was either going to buy another but I went with Ron and couldn't be happier.
He'll build pretty much whatever you ask and you won't regret it. He was extremely helpful throughout the build process answering any and all questions. Ron had it done ahead of time when I asked and did a superb job!!! The whole thing came out better and more beautiful than I could have hoped for and when its time for a new one I'll be calling Ron again!!!!
If it was lost or stolen I would be distraught.....and then I'd call Ron for another!!!!

Alder body traditional telecaster shape guitar finished in all nitrocellulose laquer. All gold hardware, modern sytle bridge and locking tuners. Body cavities are shielded. Body, pickups and pickgaurd all hand made by Ron Kirn. Very nicely flamed maple neck by USACG and finished by Mr. Kirn. Two telecaster style pickups and a 6-way switch, tone control acts a a blend nob. You can get all the traditional tele sounds, plus more very usable tones. I can't imagine a more versatile guitar that retains a traditional vibe.

Well, it sounds like a telecaster, and then some. I use it through Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb, 63' Gibson Ga-30RVT, or 58' Gibsonette. I usually play clean, but sometimes will use a Fulltone Distortion Pro, TS9, and a UniVibe. The variety of sounds available from this guitar is unbelievable. The traditional tele positions are top notch. The bridge position has a very "Steve Cropper" vibe to it. My favorite position though is the pickups in parallel. The sound is huge clean and fat, almost like an SG. The out of phase positions have the typical funk sound, and offer a nice contrast to typical overdrive sounds. The neck with tone down has a cool lo-fi quality too it, dark but still clear and not muddy.

This is where the guitar really stands out from the crowd. Action is low and buzz free. Much lower than I'm used to. This creates a very touch sensitive guitar. Not that it requires a light touch, but you certainly don't feel like your fighting the instrument. The frets are the star here. Perfectly level, and smooth as a chrome bumper. The neck is Enourmous C and I had a little trouble getting used to it at first, but now it's a joy to play.

As far the the finish, I haven't found a flaw yet. It's nitrocellulose lacquer. I prefer the feel of it. I think it's more a personal taste. Whether or not it affects the overall tone of the guitar, I'm not sure. But it sure does look pretty. This guitar is white with an opalescent clear coat. Very classy !

Overall you can tell this guitar was assembled by a craftsman, not a machine.

I see no reason why this guitar will not last as long as any other telecaster. The finish won't last as long as a new poly one, but that's one of the reasons why we love nitro. Plus the neck "feels" broken quicker.

I haven't had any issues with this guitar, but Ron Kirn is very knowledgeable and easy to get a hold of. His service has already been above and beyond the call of duty.

If there is a guitar that deserves all 10 this is the one. Great feel, great sound, super versatile, and nice looks. For less than the price of a Custom Shop you can get the guitar of your dreams. If it were lost or stolen the thief better be pretty tuff is all I'm gonna say.

recieved Ron Kirn standard tele(Mahogony)with Danny Gatton pick-ups.Beautiful,perfect set up.Thru paces including recording,single string,fingerpicking and thru Fender Twin Celestions(Warm,Steely)and surprisingly even better world class sound(Warm,cutting especially when fingerpicked)thru Clarius 2/Razor's Edge ER-Highly recommend-like a custom more expensive guitar-thanks for keeping price not completely out of range,Ron! jon

B string slightly loud-contacted Ron for stategy-always quick,available!

Ron custom made a one-piece mahogany body to match a rosewood neck, that he finished off perfectly. He dyed the body to match the color of the rosewood. Finished it off with Lollar pickups and a cut to match tortoise pickguard. Standard tele style controls and a darn nice case. What more do you need... Only that which is essential. The beauty of a tele.

Oh my god. This is first and foremost the topper. She is not only beautiful, she sounds incredible. No sounds that you do not want. Many teles can sound like a tele, however great craftsmanship makes a tele toneful. That is what Ron does. These really are tone machines. I got home today and took it through its paces. She goes from warm to bright and is responsive as heck. The tone knob actually works.

While the sound is the topper, action, fit, and finish is the meat of things. You gotta love to play her or you won't. She will set in the case while another gets playing time. Ron takes the time to make sure that the setup is perfect and lets her settle and resets her up again. His time and attention pays off. She got to me and set up perfectly, just as I asked for her to be.

Only had her for the day so far, but I can tell you that she is solid. Some guitars just feel like they could go on you at any moment. She feels like my old coonhound, solid, supportive, and always going to be there for you.

Wow. Ron is great. Always there, answering questions from me, no matter how stupid they may be. He knows it is your baby, and he wants to get it right for you. Great warranty and I know he will be there if anything goes wrong, which I do not expect it to.

Waited around this morning, waiting on Fed-Ex, as I knew it was to be delivered. Had to leave for an appointment, and Ron emailed me to get home that she was delivered. I actually did rush home to see her. My mouth fell to the floor. I am a sucker for beautiful things and she was beautiful. The attention to detail showed. I plugged her in and I was even floored more. She matches up to the best of the best and pretty much tops any of them, for much less than they charge. I already have another planned with Ron and know the price of it, so I will say it...Ron could charge more for his work!!! I know he will not though. He does the best of the best and will give you an incredible deal on it. I don't say this very often, but I can say if you are looking for a great buying and dream building experience, go no further. Premier Guitar names Ron as one of the Top Tele Builders to know, and that is for a darn good reason. Buy from him, you will love it. End of story. Stop thinking about it.

My guitar was hand made by Ron Kirn in Florida. It has an ash body with maple neck. Killer grains in the body, just beautiful. Old style tele tuners, humbucker in the neck position, kind of like a mickawber style Keith guitar. Six saddle bridge that was recommended by Ron, standard tele electronics and switch. Came with a hard/soft case, not too impressive, but I aint pressed.

I have been playin forever, should be better than I am. This guitar sounds and plays just like a tele should. I play it through a Carr Mercury, with minimal/no effects. My pickups were wound by Ron, I believe. The bridge pick up is killer, biting, screaming, impressive. Neck humbucker is ok, not as good as a PAF, in my opinion, but the guitar sounds great. I play everything from blues, classic rock, garage noise, jazzy licks, etc. Needed a guitar that was versatile this thing is definately that. I like almost everything about it, except mine is heavy as hell. My first ash guitar, maybe that's the norm? I don't know. One of the heaviest guitars I have owned, and I've owned Gibson, Fender, PRS, Gadow, you get the picture.

Guitar was set up perfectly by Ron. This is where you get your money's worth. Ron talked to me on the phone, asked me about playing style, and set guitar up with that information, great job. Frets are flawless, you could kick the thing down the stairs and it would stay in tune. All components top notch.

I don't gig, but I'm sure this thing could withstand live playing. It's a tele style guitar, what could go wrong?

Like I said, Ron is top notch, dealt with him through the process, did everything I wanted. He actually asked me if I wanted a lighter type of ash, one used on japanese type of insturments, and i said yes, i don't need a slab of wood to hold onto. I don't know if we miscommunicated, or this is that wood, it's beautiful like he said, but damn if this thing aint on the heavy side...

Love this guitar, it is of high quality, I believe it is one of the best built guitars around. Maybe the whole real nitro cellulose lacquer process is wasted on me, the guitar sounds killer, but i've had guitars that sound and play this good. Wasn't cheap, but wasn't crazy expensive, either. I would deal with Ron again anytime, seems like a fun dude. Very professional and courteous. Looks killer, plays really well, sounds nice.. Case ******, heavy. But it is a fine guitar.

Ron Kirn makes guitars the way the customer wants them.

Mine is a super lightweight ash, It is a one piece body made in the tradition of early telecasters. Barden Pickups, also traditionally wired, a modern bridge, Spertzle tuners, 9 1/2 inch, soft V neck.

The finish is true hand rubbed nitro.

The Bardens allow for a lot of tone and power.

Sound is great. Quiet and plenty of punch. I've been a Strat man for years and still love 'em but this tele offers new tonal options. It can sound anywhere from sort of a les paul purr on the neck pick up to a tele twang on the bridge but what I like most of all is the great blues and rock tones

I play through a Frenzell 50 watt all tube head to a 2x12 loaded with a pair of emininece speakers.

Ron takes as long as is needed to insure each custom guitar he sells meets his exacting standards. This shows in the final product. Mine is beautiful without a hint of gaudiness. Just the way I wanted it.
The finish is real nitro like Leo used in the 50's. Action is smooth as silk and intonation is right on. What more can I wish for?

Time will tell but the guitar is rock solid and it is a tele...... one of the toughest guitars ever designed.

Ron Kirn is the company so you deal with the builder. He is willing to provide any and all support needed to make decisions on the build and is courteous and prompt with communication. A good experience.

I have been playing guitar for years and currently play with a rock/blues band in gold country in California. I have played many types of guitars over the years and I am here to say I like this one. It is a keeper for sure. Smooth, beautiful, tight, powerful and very playable. It feels like and old friend

Over all I am very happy with my custom telecaster and if I can save up the coin may have Ron build a Strat of my dreams.

Ron Kirn builds custom guitars in Florida the old fashioned way using tried and true templates and techniques. Ron just finished building my tele to my specifications. It is super light weight ash (bad back) natural finish in true nitro with Schaller locking tuners and Barden pickups framed by a hand cut bakelite black pickguard. It has the Clapton soft V neck with the best action of any guitar I have ever played. Better than the Parker Fly I got rid of befor ordering this little gem. My American made Strat has been my # 1 guitar for many years but will be replaced by this Ron Kirn Signature.

Sound is the best I have heard on my equipment. The Bardens are clear, articulate, nuanced and powerful. Sustain for such a light weight body (2.5 lbs) is excellent. Tone that makes my eyes tear up.

I am the rythem player in a cover/original-rock/blues band in the gold country of California. I play simple with just my tube amp, reverb unit and a tubescreamer for ther harder rock. Again, this little baby has all the tone I could ask for.

The build on this guitar is pretty much what you would expect on a Fender custom job and then some. Immaculate construction in every detail with the body custom made and the neck shaped and tweeked for maximum comfort. Ron uses the same type of nitro used in the early days of Fender construction and it is the best. I ordered figured maple for the neck and although it cost a bit more never regretted the choice.

The electronics are all top of the line American parts and the fit, finish and feel of this tele is rock solid, understated class.

Time will tell but I see no reason baring an unforseen calamity for this tele not being around at least as long as I am.

Ron is great. He walked me through the ordering process so that I got what I wanted. I had little contact with him during the build as my wants were simple and clear. I think he has provided a lot more contact to those who need it. Ron is also very generous in sharing his knowlege with others. I found out about him through the Telecaster forum where often provides advise, sharing wisdom and posting detailed accounts with photos of some of his builds.

I use a Frenzel tube amp with a Crash cab loaded with Eminence 12's... a Private Jack and a Governor. Like I said, I have been a Strat man for years and have played and owned many different guitars since i started to play over 35 years ago. I know what I like and more importantly what I don't like. I don't like heavy guitars. I don't like muddy sound. I don't like hard action. I don't like sloppy or unfinished builds. I don't like garish appearance. This fine little tele is just the opposite of the above.

My Ron Kirn Signature is a fine instrument capable of adding a lot to my playing enthusiasum and hopefully a little bit to my ability.

2008 custom Tele by Ron Kirn. Light ash, blonde finish. Fat, flamed maple neck. 2 Tele style pickups wound by Ron. Callaham 3 barrel bridge. Sperzel locking tuners.

Since it's a custom job, I requested most of the parts - so it was exactly what I was looking for.

As mentioned, these are Ron's pickups. 2 Tele style. Wiring is modern style. Neck pickup is awesome - with tone rolled off, it's the near perfect jazz tone without being muffled. Tone rolled full-on the neck pickup, sound is likewise great with an almost scooped fullness to it. Bridge pickup is pure Tele sting - this pickup is blistering and has tons of that Tele spank country players go for.

I never use both pickups at the same time on any guitar - so the middle position on the 3-way switch will not get much use from me.

There are no flaws (and trust me, I looked ...) anywhere. The guitar is immaculate. Neck/body fit is terrific, finish is unbelievable (and is real Nitro). Neck has a nice hand rubbed finish. Pickups are correctly adjusted. Action setup is FAST (i.e., very low). I knew Ron liked to set them up that way. I have raised the action just a hair - but not much - just to accomodate the way I play.

All the components are first rate. Even though many are what I chose, the ones that I didn't are first rate also. There is no question this guitar will be around a long time.

Absolutely would use it on a gig without backup - no question. As for gigging with it, I've not put this one on the scales yet, but it's very light - perhaps the lightest I've played. Probably somewhere in the 6 1/4lb range.

Ron has been a pleasure to work with on this guitar. There's no question that he both knows what he's doing and he stands behind his work.

Been playing 40 years - have owned dozens of first rate guitars - and played literally 100s.

This guitar is without a doubt a keeper. Incredibly light, resonsant and just has that something everyone looks for in a Tele. It gets all 10s because that's what it deserves ...

Can't recommend Ron highly enough. It's nice to deal with someone whose work actually meets expectations - in fact, exceeds them (and my expectations were very high).

This is a custom tele-style guitar that I purchased from Ron in early 2008. The amazing thing about Ron is that he has a very "no-BS" approach to building his guitars. He lays it out for you very simply: You pick all the parts, specs, materials, and he builds you a fantastic, hand-crafted-by-one-man-in-Florida guitar using original 1950's Fender production techniques. Add to that the fact that he's very straightforward with his prices and in fact offers such a higher quality product than just about anyone out there for a very reasonable price, and you begin to see why all of the reviews here are so glowing. Now on to the beauty that Ron built for me...

First of all, I'm a lefty, which is a brutal curse for someone who is obsessed with guitars because your selection is extremely limited, and custom lefties are typically either not offered or have jacked up prices. This is actually how I originally found Ron--I was weighing my options for custom lefty teles (because I had grown dissatisfied with my '52 reissue Fender) and I came across Ron's site.

I was thrilled to find that Ron was unintimidated by my request for a lefty (and no extra cost!) and even more excited to learn I could pick literally every single element of this guitar, and I went straight to work doing it. Lightweight Ash body (gorgeous honey-blond REAL nitrocellulose finish) Curtis Novak Pickups (traditional tele in bridge and PAF style in Neck), unbelievable birdseye maple neck and fingerboard, soft-V neck profile, custom wiring (coil-tapped humbucker option, no-load tone pot to remove pickups from tone-circuit when desired), and... well you get the idea. This guitar is extremely customized, and extremely full-featured, and Ron was entirely accommodating of all my choices and offered his expert advice on numerous occasions.

This is actually a very unique-sounding guitar. It has a distinctly telecaster-style sound, but it doesn't sound quite like any tele I've heard before. It's more open, airier, and actually a little darker than most teles. However, I found that to be very much to my liking. In my opinion it makes it a much more versatile guitar, and the humbucker in the neck position is incredibly full-sounding and beefy, very much like the neck 'bucker on my SG Custom. It's fantastic to be able to switch between a thick Gibson-like sound to a killer tele twang at the flip of a switch, and I find myself able to drastically change the style of my play without switching guitars.

In the bridge position, you get all the bite and growl you could hope for, as well as the sweet and snappy cleans that are so ingrained in our minds from over a half century of music history. This is indeed the sound of rock n roll, country and blues.

The guitar is very sensitive to dynamics, and can go from clean to nasty with merely the touch of your picking hand. I've played it through several amps and it mated incredibly well with all of them, but my Victoria 45410 was a match made in heaven. Big, woody openness, lush overtones, complex midrange--it was all there, and I haven't separated the two since. It's simple, it's beautiful, it's everything you need.

I believe fully that the secret to this guitar's fantastic sound is very simple: quality parts and quality construction. Ron does not cut any corners in either respect, and it shows.

Of all the things Ron does well with his guitars, this is perhaps the most obvious. In comparison to other builders (and especially compared to any big manufacturer) Ron spends AGES on the guitar's fit and finish. His setup was immaculate, with perfect intonation, string height, pickup and neck adjustment. The frets are crowned and polished and practically blindingly shiny, not to mention perfectly installed. The nut is precision cut, the neck polish was phenomenal, and the body's honey-blond nitrocellulose finish was perfectly balanced to let some of the ash body's excellent wood grain show through. It plays like a million bucks and it's a stone-cold stunner in the looks department. That's about all you could hope for in the fit/finish. Top of the pops!

This guitar looks so good at first I was almost afraid to touch it, let alone play a show with it. However, a guitar that plays and sounds like this is meant to be played, and meant to be seen on a stage, so I quickly got over that. Besides, the only thing that could make this guitar look better is 25 years of natural wear and use, so I'm out and about with it now, showing it off. Thankfully it's built in the tradition of Fender's best guitars from the 1950s, which is to say it's built like a tank. I have no reservations about taking it on the road, and I have no fear of running into any issues. Yet again, Ron does not disappoint.

As happy as I was with every aspect of this guitar, this is the category that I was most satisfied with, and the one that makes me more likely to buy another guitar from Ron than anyone else out there. Simply put, Ron is completely without peer when it comes to customer service and support. In the process of building this guitar, we engaged in an email chain that was over 75 emails long, and every single time I sent one to him he answered me within an hour. He was always courteous, kind and informative. He offered advice, has a great sense of humor, and went above and beyond the call of duty at every possible intersection.

The wiring scheme I chose for my guitar was a kind of strange combination, but Ron went out and found the schematic. Some of the parts needed to accomplish this on a LEFTY guitar were very scarce, but Ron painstakingly researched it and delivered a number of options to get the job done. He offered to do an inscription for me at no additional charge. I mentioned to him that i was interested in learning to build guitars, and he sent me a copy of a book that he had written on that very subject (again, free). I mean, seriously? There cannot possibly be someone out there who is so kind and giving to people he barely knows. Ron is a rare kind of person who does this for the love, and is genuinely interested in helping you get the guitar you want.

This guy does not see dollar signs when he talks to you, and it's evident from the very first interaction. I cannot speak highly enough of Ron as a person and as a builder. Truly exceptional.

I have been playing guitar for 15 years, and have gone through a pretty insane amount of gear in that time (especially considering I'm a lefty and my options are limited). This is a guitar that I will be keeping for the rest of my life, and I have no doubt that it will last for every second of that time. We are going to grow old together, and we're going to have a great time doing it. This guitar has a modern sensibility (as i dictated when choosing the parts) but is built in the tradition of that golden era when it wasn't just about making money, but rather about taking pride in the product. I would venture to say that there are very few guitars of this quality being made today, and I will certainly be buying another Ron Kirn custom guitar in the future. As for the one I have, I would cry if i were to lose it somehow. That's right, I'd cry.

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.

21 Frets Mahogany Body with a Wild Maple book matched top, finished in real Transparent Cherry Nitrocellulose lacquer. Fender Custom Shop Texas Special in the Neck position and a Seymour Duncan ST 59 in the bridge. Talk about a screamer. The Mahogany is a one piece, not really necessary with a book matched top, but Ron is a stickler for those kinds of details. The body is formed in much the same way the Vintage Fenders were done 50 years ago, none of that computer made crud in this baby. I give it a ten because that???s as high as I can go. The same guitar, if made by one of the Custom Shops would have cost at least $5000.00. No problems, no complaints, none nada . . . I???m as happy as a Kitten on a Catnip farm

My Tele was created in 2005 By Ron Kirn of Jacksonville FL. Sound?? I can???t shut the thing up.. every time I look at it is screams to be played???With the combination of the Texas Special and the SD pickups, I can play just about anything they throw at me. Screaming Shred or Twangy Blues, it???s all there, I can take my Fender Deluxe, and mike it for a small session, or pump the output into a rack and process the cra* out of it. It???s kind of like the universal guitar. Nothing sounds wrong on it. It can growl with the best of ???em, wait.. it IS the best of em. This has become my ???go to??? baby, and I protect it with a pit bull. No, I never sit it down between the Drummer and the bar, never. That???s guitar suicide. To sum it up, the sound is phenomenal, it turns heads constantly. The only drawback is having to watch it constantly, everyone wants a piece of ???er, and that is NOT going to happen.

Yeah, 10 again???. No kidding. The action was TO GOOD. My old fingers couldn???t feel the strings. The action was so fast I had to crank it up a few turns so I could feel what I was doing. After I had it for a few months he actually called me to check on ???er. I was ashamed to tell him what I did. He laughed and said that I wasn???t the first. The finish is his New Old Stock Finish. It???s NOT reliced, it obviously is new, but has just enough character so it doesn???t look like a ???New Suit???. There???s a word.. Ummm Yeah.. Beautiful says it all. The Soft V neck with the rolled edges left me speechless. It has the sweetest feeling, the finest playing neck, I have ever experienced.

Well it???s a Tele, there isn???t much that can go wrong with them, unless you screw up and sit it down between the Drummer and. . . whatever . . . during a break. What is it with drummers? The parts it???s made of are all of superior quality. You can???t wear out a Mercedes, and I???m sure this baby will out live me, my kids, and the War on Terror. As for durability, repeat of the above, while I will take care of something this beautiful, you can be sure it would endure being used as a weapon in a mass riot.

Like this should even be considered. Ron is always there. When you buy one of his guitars you have a new friend. Try getting to know the guy that built your guitar if you got it from Fender or Gibson. Ron has always answered any question. It doesn???t matter what the topic, Politics, BMW???s, Golf or Guitars, he???s there day and night. I have no doubts should the impossible happen and the Drummer finds my Tele, Ron, will be there in a heartbeat. One thing, while building the thing, he was constantly quizzing me to be certain I would wind up with the guitar I needed. He did not force any decision on me, but gently steered me. The results are spectacular. He sent me a few photos of other guitars he???s done, to assist in my decision making process. Ask him to send you a few of the ???Rocky??? Strat he did, Jeez???.. It would blow George Harrison???s mind. All in all, if you want a friend that knows guitars and will bend over backward to be certain you are happy, you have found your man.

Darn, I can only give it a 10 again. Like most musicians, I have a room full of guitars, all for a certain sound. Ron???s Tele is so versatile I have began selling some of the others, I just don???t need ???em any more. I just do not see how someone can take the same parts that any large manufacturer has at their disposal and create something that is so obviously superior to the norm. Perhaps he uses Pixie dust when no one is looking. I really don???t know, but I???ll tell you, other than the shape and basic tone, there is no comparison, and I have been comparing for a very long time. I had no idea one Telecaster could feel, sound and play so radically superior to all the others I have had the opportunity to encounter during my playing career.

Quit reading this stuff and just do it, you know you want it. Go for it.