Through a lifetime of practicing, performing, and searching for the source of that stubborn buzzing – guitarists often hold a vision of the “perfect” guitar in their minds.

As craftsmen, many luthiers (the guys who fix your guitar when you blow it up) spend long hours working with our medium thinking to ourselves:

“[it] would be perfect if [it] just had ______.”

But here’s what stops us all… when is that vision of the “perfect” guitar not a custom?

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The big labels have been offering great custom guitars on their lineups for decades, but they’re not inexpensive. There are a variety of small labels and boutique-luthiers also doing great work in this space, but they haven’t solved the problem of price either.

For many of us who already have an idea of what the “perfect” guitar might look like, the dream might be just out of financial reach.

Da Chief has been toying with the idea of creating a custom line of guitars for some time now. There are two main obstacles that have prevented Guitar Chief from moving forward with this idea.

The first is that we’re already in the business of customizing and perfecting restored guitars. Got an ax you love, but hate the pickups? We’ll drop a new set in for you! Would you love your guitar more if it had skulls for volume and tone controls? We have a drawer of skulls for you to choose from.

How would we distinguish a custom line from the work we’re already doing?

Second – it’s hard to anticipate the wide variety of tastes and preferences existing in the music world. This brings us back to the beginning of the post: musicians, by their nature, are already creatives – and there must be ten times as many “perfect” guitars out there as there are people who are willing to play them.

It’s hard to imagine a production line that perfectly anticipates that level of creativity.

While Da Chief continues to explore the idea of a custom line (he’s still accepting commissions for custom work) he couldn’t resist at least getting his feet wet!

Introducing: Regal Indigo

At the end of 2018 Guitar Chief commissioned this extraordinary piece to fill the unmet need for a truly awesome, custom guitar.

The artwork, entitled “Regal Indigo” is meant to capture the iconic blue and gold plumage of the male Indian peacock. Vivid, thought-provoking, and beautiful – the peacock has long inspired admiration among naturalists and elite societies.

The acrylic paint over a wooden acoustic guitar body was hand painted by a budding, young artist who paints under the name Mad D. Her portfolio includes large-scale wall murals used for staging model homes. This is her first work for sale to the public. She is a local of Batavia, IL.

The guitar was finished in early 2019 with one last feather on the headstock. After receiving the piece and polishing it to a hi-gloss, glass-like finish (to protect the artwork underneath), Guitar Chief went about giving it our custom luthier treatment. This piece will play as smooth as it looks!

As with all of our guitars – the body was sourced from a previously unloved instrument which had suffered a fair amount of regular wear-and-tear over the years. The original backside was preserved intact, with its eye catching silver flecks glittering through the waves of blue.

As a final touch for the buyer – the label inside the sound hole (which was peeling) will be replaced with a Guitar Chief’s Customs label, and signed by the artist to demonstrate provenance.

Chances are you already know someone who would be thrilled to own a piece like this. The half-sized body is perfect for a guitarist looking for a small travel guitar to busk with, or as a decorative show piece to add to your art collection.

As it’s a unique piece, guaranteed to turn heads, whoever owns this will surely be the stand-out act in whatever setting they choose to showcase it.

Regal Indigo is available for purchase now. If you’d like to find out more about Regal Indigo, or other Guitar Chief products check out our seller’s pages on eBay and Reverb.

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We hope you’ve found this article about Guitar Chief Customs and Regal Indigo valuable. If you enjoyed this article we would appreciate your support with a like, comment, or a share!

It’s Guitar Chief’s mission to put affordable instruments in the hands of every deserving musician, and to help you to keep playing. We live in St. Charles, IL and regularly participate in community events in Geneva, Batavia, Chicago, and much of Northern Illinois. If you’re looking to buy guitars, sell guitars, or have an instrument maintenance question, we would like to be a resource for you!