Building Process
Protocaster Guitars are largely a handbuilt affair. The basic building blocks are sourced from a couple of small one-man operations like myself whose parts are wrought using a series of older crafting methods.


Necks particularly receive a great deal of hand crafted attention. I receive necks in a somewhat rough state, such that they have an entirely square back and require frets as well as inlays. With a spoke shave, flat bastard file, rasp, and various grits of sand paper I'll carve out the neck profile for each Protocaster, using a contour gauge and calipers to ensure consistency. This allows me to offer a wide variety of neck profiles although I do have a particular shape and set of dimensions I find works well for most playing styles which I recommend highly I call the PROTO V, a medium/large soft V shaped neck profile.


Does this process yield a guitar that sounds better than one produced entirely by a CNC router? I don't see much in the way of evidence to support that idea, but it does afford me greater control as a builder and allows me the ability to offer a broader bevy of options, not to mention that there's a pretty neat cache that goes along with the idea of simple tools producing a thing.
Options
Having a great deal of control over the basic parts that are coming in allows me to offer a wide array of options for custom builds. Wood species, color scheme, neck tint; your choices are effectively limitless which can in some cases be intimidating, so don't hesitate to reach out for some design assistance. My primary interest as a builder is creating interesting variations on vintage precedents whether those variations be purely functional or entirely aesthetic in nature, so feel free to contact me to brainstorm some ideas.


  • Have you got a neck that you particularly love? With a few measurements I can clone your favorite carve for you.


  • Add a contour to your heel for greater playing ease and access to the upper frets.

  • Consider an arm or belly contour for increased comfort..


  • Or if you're looking for a custom pickguard I can do that too.


Email me and we can discuss some cool custom ideas.
The base rate for a custom built Protocaster is $1700 and this includes the following standard options:

  • Your choice of body and neck woods
         (certain types of figure may carry an
         upcharge).

  • Your choice of color. Send me a sample and I'll try my best to match it.

  • Your choice of distress level, ranging from lightly used to aggressively loved. Unfortunately NOS finishes are no longer an option.

  • A host of neck options including radius dimensions, shape, fret size, and nut width.

  • CTS pots, Switch Craft jacks, CRL switches, and 50's NOS capacitors.

  • Gotoh vintage tuning machines.

  • 50's NOS Daka-ware parts where applicable.

  • And Peter Florance Voodoo pickups.


Some parts options do entail an upcharge, certain brands of pickups or highly figured wood for instance. Feel free to contact me for further details.
Custom Build Rates