Haywire Custom Guitars Inc.

Haywire "rocks" on acoustic guitar repairs as well as electric!! My beautiful Martin guitar was repaired with the greatest precision, care, and effectiveness. ... Beyond what I ever expected. The binding around the body of the guitar was separating in several spots and it was only getting worse. Rick took time to assess the current and future challenge to minimize the chances of it ever happening again. Not only did he repair "Martina" so well she looked like she just came off the showroom floor....he offered advice and shared his knowledge and expertise. Rick's humble yet confident mannerput me at ease that I had found the right person to handle this delicate and important repair.Haywire was fabulous, timely, and a very fair value. I have already hired Haywire to assist in making another guitar more playable with proper setup and maintenance. My appreciation to Rick and Haywire Custom Guitars for a five star job on my acoustic guitar. More...

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I am disabled with Degenerative Disc Disease which has caused a weakening in both hands. It has been increasingly difficult to play for more than 10 min at a time. One day I came across Haywire's Website and decided to give them a call. Rick Mariner said that he could help me out. I've had the guitar about ten days now and I am just blown away! The guitar is beautiful, plays effortlessly and is incredibly solid while being so much lighter than my previous guitars. Thanks to Rick Mariner and Haywire Custom guitars for handing me a new lease on my guitar-playing life. I also believe that I could not have found a better combination of quality and price. Haywire Custom Guitars is a first class outfit that listened carefully to my concerns and then put together a guitar that addressed my special needs. More...

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If you are looking for top notch quality service and customer care, then Haywire Custom Guitars is the company for your guitar repair needs. Rick the owner is a great gentleman who treats your guitar as if it were his own. Rick is a master at his craft and puts great effort into customer satisfaction. Also, Haywire provides extremely reasonable pricing and they work on your guitar the second it's in their hands. From the day I shipped out my guitar, it was completed and back to me in less than a week. I am extremely happy I found Haywire and I will continue to use them for my guitar needs. A+++ for Rick and everyone at Haywire! More...

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So let me tell you about Haywire Guitars! I’ve been playing guitar for almost 20years. I got the opportunity to sit down with Rick and truly design my very own custom guitar! From the colors I want down to the specific specks in the pickups. For such a great price comes a great person behind it building a wonderful guitar for the true player. Rick is very humble and very underrated for the magnificent builds he makes. I just got mine and had to fight to put it down just to write this. Thanks Rick for a true jam up job. Recommend to anyone who wants a real guitar! More...

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If you want someone who knows what they are doing to work on your equipment, there is no better than Rick. Rick is not only a great luthier, he is also a great player and spent years on the road playing for a living. This gives him an advantage when it comes to understanding your needs. He is fair and honest. He is not a sales person that tries to push something on you that you do not need or want. If you are looking for great work or a great instrument at a great price, I highly recommend you check out Rick before making your final decision. More...

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Rick is a good guy and really knows his stuff

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Rick, It was an absolute pleasure meeting you. Thank you so much for helping me choosing a awesome guitar! Your kindness and honesty is very much appreciated!

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Rick, Here are my thoughts, now that I've had the guitar for a month. I bought a Black Tele from your eBay store on 10/9/2017. It's not one of your "custom" instruments but it's definitely a quality instrument. Pretty much everything you claim about your guitar appears to be true. While I have yet to find out exactly what you mean by "SRV" pickups, the sound of the instrument is very balanced, even unique. It is clear and full at the same time. The tone control is very strange in a good way…it changes the tone differently than any other Tele I've owned. It almost feels like it is interacting with the impedance of the pickup circuit and makes for some really useful colorations rather than just rolling off the highs. Your treble-compensation circuit works well and keeps the sound from getting muddy when turning down the volume control. The custom rosewood fretboard neck is straight as an arrow and really flat, something some pickers may not like if they are looking for a more standard Fender radiused neck. For me, the 12" radius and flat fretboard are exactly what I was looking for. The frets are perfect and I like the fact that the truss rod is accessible without removing the neck. The action is easy and true all the way up the neck. The guitar tunes easily and accurately. The body is heavier than I expected. The Strat-like sculpting on the back of the body is a nice touch. The paint and finish are great..the Black color is deep and rich. While I have found a couple of cosmetic imperfections they are hardly significant. Overall: Given the very reasonable price of this instrument it is a very worthwhile, musical, and pleasing investment. The construction and component quality is excellent, the playability is excellent, and Haywire Guitars obviously takes great care of their instruments and customers. These folks know what they are doing. I would not hesitate to recommend them or to buy another instrument from them. drk More...

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Haywire Custom Guitars are THE best at any price. TONE for days, fast, comfortable neck, perfectly built, and setup, gig-ready right out of the package. Rock on!

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Just bought my second Haywire Custom Guitar. An amazing value!I've been playing 40 years and have never owned such a great playing, sounding and comfortable guitar. My Haywire Strat is way superior to the Fender American Strat that I recently sold. They do a spot on professional setup and are super friendly and easy to deal with. More...

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Bought three great guitars from Haywire - great quality and value!

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Great work! Master builder. Love my strat!

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Great customer service and has done a couple of fixes on some of my instruments i would recommend him 100 % the work he has done on my instruments have been phenomenal.

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I cant say enough about Rick. He is so knowledgeable and talented on all aspects of guitars . Rick has done several set ups for me on guitars that were barely playable and turned them into guitars that I really enjoy playing now. Most recently Rick helped me with a frankencaster tele I was attemping to put together from scratch . Rick provided me with "a lot" of what I needed to complete the guitar and when I encountered problems with the neck/neckpocket fitup he instinctively knew exactly how to fix it. He does beautiful builds and mods and can set up a guitar to anyones preferences. I definitely reccommend Rick whether its a new guitar purchase , mod or professional setup. Rick is very personable and professional . He treats everyone with respect and is intent on making sure you are happy with your guitar. More...

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I truly enjoyed my experience with Haywire guitars. Rick's patience and thorough questions of what I wanted made for the perfect guitar for me. He encouraged me to consider a wider neck and I'm so glad I listened and took the chance. This guitar is such a pleasure to play and I'll say that comes down to Rick's insight. His costs are absolutely reasonable and I would encourage anyone looking for something special to highly consider Haywire Custom Guitars. More...

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Very happy with the strat I purchased about two years ago. I asked Rick to set it up before shipping with .011 strings tuned to eflat. I wanted a guitar to revisit all the SRV-Hendrix records I grew up playing along with. The setup was perfect , but more importantly it has held up. I have several guitars , so it often sits in the same cardboard case that it came with, but after a friend told me the other day that “oh I don’t like to tune a half step dow cuz it gets all out of tune and blah blah” ; well I broke out my haywire after it had sat a couple months. Honestly that baby came out of the case in perfect tune exactly dialed with SRV. ! It stayed there to for a good session of basement jams. I will say I use a dehumidifier in the basement which probably helps, but yea I love this baby. It was his least expensive model. I am most likely going to get a tele this week , because the corporate guitar company prices are not proportionate to real people’s wages in 2018. Definitely need a Rick setup, I am not a builder. More...

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I used to own a Fender Squier Affinity bass. I say used to because it's now a beautiful custom instrument. The original Fender had some real issues with the quality of the neck. It had been back to the local music store several times and I had attempted to do the setup myself in desperation. Rick got his hands on it, leveling and finishing the frets, replacing one fret that couldn't be dressed enough, shimming the neck, and doing a setup on the guitar. Voila! No more fret buzz and a lowered action that made the bass playable. Since then Rick has modified that guitar, installing new pickups and pots, a Warmoth neck, and tweaking the setup. Coupled with the changes I've made along the way, I now have a beautiful instrument. Oh and did I mention that Rick is GREAT to work with? I'll be using Rick for all my instrument work and builds in the future. Thanks Rick! More...

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5 stars is not a high enough rating to describe the wonderful work that Rick Mariner did on the Guitar he crafted and fine tuned for me to accommodate my eye for beauty and ease of play. Large hands no problem,pickups and configuration to my specs and not a single delay in getting the Guitar finished. If you're on the fence about your next guitar then take my word for it and contact Rick,you will not regret it! More...

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I have 2 Haywire Guitars. One that I bought on Ebay,absolutely beautiful.the other I sent the loaded tele body,Rick did his magic& it, the best playing I have. Great work,please check them out.

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The strat I purchases from Haywire Custom Guitars, is a great value. I own 2 TA's and 1 Suhr guitar. If the house was on fire, I would grab the strat. Rick was great to work with, and setup the guitar for me, saving me time and money. More...

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Absolutely hands down best value for money item I think I may have ever purchased in my life. Best guitar I've ever played, please god don't go anywhere else these guys are amazing.

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Rick at Haywire did a great job!! Just few calls and bam he had it on the way for me to play.. Right out of the box it plays like a dream. I am very happy with my new axe, and if I decide on another Rick will be the first call I make.. Just can't go wrong with a Haywire guitar!! More...

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Just the BEST !! put P 90 pickups in my vintage archtop, looks & sounds awesome. Thanks, Bernie

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About all I can say is WOW !First of all …. If you didn’t know the neck had been worked on …. You wouldn’t be able to tell from a visual inspection. The feel of the ‘new’ profile …, is really, REALLY noticeable especially in the area of the 1st thru 7th frets. The chunk-i-ness of the ‘old’ neck has always made rhythm work a little more difficult ( for me ).The ‘Heel-Crest’ mod is spectacular ! As soon as you start to play licks around the 15th fret and you can certainly tell ! Quite frankly, it seems to make a difference even as low as the 12th fret !The scallop is very nice too ! But I only asked for it because the E & B strings would sometimes slip under my fingers when bending in the 21st & 22nd frets …. It’ll take some adjusting to …, insomuch as I don’t need to choke the neck to keep the string under my fingers any longer !Having significantly less wood in the neck has ‘thinned’ out the tone slightly …. But …, not in a ‘bad’ way at all ! In fact, it seems to have shifted the mid-range focus from more of a low-mid ( before ) to a high-mid ( after ) !ALL in ALL the sum total of these changes have been unbelievably positive, and more than I could have even hoped for when I first contacted you !Finally …, I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that you pretty much ‘saved’ the guitar for me ! As I mentioned previously long periods of playing would cramp my left hand ( probably from some of the extreme stretching and reaching I had to do in some positions ) ….And all of it would have been pretty much for nothing if I can’t play it comfortably ! I’m very happy to say that based on first impressions I don’t think that’s going to be necessary !THANKS AGAIN for everything !– R.D. More...

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Rick did a great job installing my guitar neck and setting up my guitar for me. The work was done in a timely manner and It was a pleasure doing business with him.

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Rick has made, modified, restored, finished guitars for me. He is by far the best guitar builder that i have come across in my 35 years of playing professionally. I live in Toronto, Canada and I gladly sent my guitars to Rick in South Carolina when special attention is needed. More...

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The quality of the Fender Telecaster , that i bought from Haywire Custom Guitars , is awesome. The feel of the "custom " neck fits me perfect. The electronics , with coil tap , Treble Bleed Mini-Humbucker, etc. The action is low ( for light touch ) and set up ready to go . I love it !! I got it at about 1/3 the price i paid for my Fender American Deluxe Strat , and now i'm trying to decide which one i like the best . Also , the service and communication that you get with Rick Mariner is the best i have ever seen ! More...

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I recently purchased a custom Nashville Telecaster and in the 45 years of pro playing I have never been more impressed or satisfied with the quality, value or playability of any instrument I've ever played. This Tele is a sculpted solid maple body with a shaved, standard 3 piece Tele neck and ebony fretboard. It has the single coil complement of SRV pickups, 7 position switching and the treble bleed circuit. Every component is first quality, and the depth, clarity, sustain, and variety on tone in Haywire's innovative circuitry design is phenomenal. The flexibility and professionalism of Haywire's team allowed me order a premimum instrument with design appointments to my taste and ear, and I ended up with a finely crafted bit of butterscotch blonde magic for $685. It was delivered to my door, perfectly set-up with my string preference. All I had to do was tune it concert and plug it in... several hours later I managed to set it down... for a little while.There is really no reason to spend three times as much for a stock designed guitar when you did can have one made to your specifications. Haywire's team are all pro players, and besides their years of experience and impressive client list, it's just plain on it's face they know their business when you play one of their guitars. You will never regret your investment in a Haywire Custom Guitar. Alton R ~ Austin, TX More...

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Rick Mariner of Haywire guitars is the best in the business, not only through his flawless work, but with the timeliness with which he get things done. Having someone who appreciates that we need things done right away, and is able to do so with superior work, is invaluable to most of us. Anytime I’ve sent him a guitar he gets it right on the bench without delay. He’s worked on at least seven of my guitars, with some pretty serious work being done, including neck shaves on six of them. He’s handles the electronics like an ace as well, and is an amazing designer/builder in his own right. Someday soon I’m going to get him to build me one. Go with Rick at Haywire, there’s some very serious, long experience and expertise there - you won’t regret it. –Dave Kincaid, The Brandos, New York More...

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Fantastic guitars. Way back I got a strat with some hot pickups after my les Paul was stolen. Truely loved that guitar more then the Gibson. As far as quality goes well strats are mass produced. Your getting a hand made instument here so for sure the quality is beyond even the higher and strats. Even those really expensive signature models. It's like getting a custom shop strat without the brand name or the price! And Rick is just about the nicest guy you'll ever speak to. He cares about your satisfaction and truely takes pride in his work. He'll sit there on the phone with you and make sure you get everything you want out of this guitar. He's also very knowledgeable and will make suggestions that I know helped me out a great deal especially with pick-up selection and neck widths. I took a class on building guitars and it used to be a hobby of mine to go to guitar center and play all the different guitars so I like to think I know a thing or two about guitars. NOTHING I've picked up sounds looks and most importantly feels as good as my Haywire. Ever since the first one it's all I buy. Especially for the price it's a steal. Really I just returned a Stevie strat to order one of Ricks masterpieces. Like i said I'm hooked. After feeling the quality in the craftsmanship in these guitars you cant go back to buying anything else. And as far as sound like I said Rick Wil take the time and work with you to get that thing sounding however you'd like. And the stainless steel frets i can't even find on anyother guitars. The sound and the feel you get out of them really makes a unique instument. Again Rick is very experienced and knowledgeable which really helps when you talk to him about the feel you want in the guitar. I always worry about the neck getting a guitar i haven't played yet. The necks gotta feel right in my hands. And boy does he get it right. You tell him what you want and he'll give you a neck with the exact feel you want thats where his experience really shows. My absolute favorite part is having a guitar that is truely my own. Something unique that I can get on stage with that no one else can. Like Eddy Van Halens Frankenstrat. If your performing youll surely get some attention with these unique instuments that nobody else will have. These guitars have a soul you can really feel it. I love your guitars Rick. Keep rocking More...

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Rick is such a rare and talented professional. His deep passion for his work shines brightly in each of his unique creations. Don't waste your time and money on others for any repairs you may need. He's simply the best. More...

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Excellent and lovely guitar built for me. The craftsmanship was superb!Haywire Custom Guitars really does the job. Thank you Rick for a very special instrument, you have exceeded my expectations.

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There are repair shops and there are repair shops. None of them are as good as Rick at Haywire. He did a lot of work for me. New wiring harness, replace pick ups, setup 4 guitars and repair some finish work. His prices are some of the best you'll ever pay. His work it outstanding, I can't think of a better word for it. He plays the guitars and they have to meet his standards before they leave his shop. All the work was flawless and the time to do them repairs was the shortest I've ever had. More...

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I love my Haywire it's one of my favorite guitars the craftmanship and attention to detail is far above that of the big companies. It was a joy to work with Rick he took the time to make sure I got what I wanted . Thanks Rick for all your help More...

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I recently contacted Haywire Customs about finishing and assembling a telecaster body for me. I was initially skeptical about reaching out for assistance but I had read several great reviews about his work. Rick is a great guy and quickly put my nerves at ease. He was very patient and willing to make sure I got exactly what I was looking for. I am thrilled with the finished product and the cost of his services are very reasonable. I would highly recommend and will definitely use him with future projects More...

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This isn’t a “I have had my guitar for a whole 3 hours and I mean to tell ya it’s the best guitar I’ve ever owned!” review. I bought my custom Stratocaster from Rick in June of 2015. I could have EASILY paid twice what I paid at “Unnamed Guitar Warehouse” and gotten half the guitar (I know because I’ve been there and done that!). After playing it for a full year in my home studio, I can tell you it is, hands down, the best guitar I have ever owned… and I have played the guitar for 43 years and have owned / currently own some classics. I write and record music in my home studio, and I love how pristinely quiet the electronics are. When I’m recording, forget noise gates… a noisy guitar is a show stopper. The Strat is the first guitar I’ve ever owned that didn’t have an electronic buzz depending on whether my hands were touching the strings or whether I was wearing shoes, etc. The Strat’s custom Warmouth neck fits my hand perfectly. The active EMG-SA pickup system sounds sweet. The action, was the best I had ever played – that is until I received my refurbished Gibson from Haywire 2 weeks ago (more on that below)!Don’t take my word for it… read his website, and you’ll quickly realize that this guy gets it, and he does. I will never buy a store-bought guitar again. In addition to all of this, it is beautiful. Rick’s name for it was “Active Blackie”… black body, black pickup guard, black pickups, natural finish neck, and all gold hardware (at my request). After a year of playing it, it is simply a phenomenal studio guitar.I have been so delighted with the custom Strat I bought from Rick in June of 2015, that a few weeks ago, I sent Rick my ’76 Gibson Les Paul Custom to refurb. I have had it back for about 2 weeks now, and to my surprise and delight, it plays even better than my Strat! The action is insane. I’ve never had a guitar setup with action this low that didn’t buzz on the frets. I wanted new gold hardware, which Rick added, but he sent me all of the original parts when he returned my guitar. The treble-bleed circuits he put on the Gibson’s pots make the guitar sound much better at low volumes. I could have paid someone else double the amount I paid Rick, and there’s no possible way it could have been done better. More...

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I recently had Rick at Haywire Custom Guitars put together a Telecaster for me and I couldn't be more pleased with the results! I was looking for a really good player (not an heirloom), but had some modifications in mind that local stores either couldn't provide, or wanted excessive payment. Rick's stock of parts, available options, and willingness to work with me on my needs rendered a Telecaster just as I wanted it: natural finish, maple Warmoth neck, forearm relief on the body, upgraded pickups, and traditional switching. Looks great, feels great, sounds great, at a great price! I have no hesitation in recommending his shop! More...

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Rick is the man! He made playing guitar enjoyable again! He straightened out all the tuning issues I used to have with ALL my guitars!

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Haywire Custom Guitars “Floyd Special”In the summer of 2015, My brother gave me the awesome opportunity to have Rick Mariner, owner of Haywire Custom Guitars build me the guitar of my dreams. I had full input as to what I wanted in this guitar. I got to pick out the type of body style and neck, frets and pickups that I wanted. Rick even did custom routing on the body for me to have the 5 position selector switch and volume and tone knobs at the exact angle that feels perfectly comfortable for my style of playing. He also did a comfort cutout on the back of the guitar along with a few other pickup features for a multitude of tone choices. I have owned Hollow body and solid body guitars with humbuckers and single coil pickups. This remarkable guitar with three pickups can get pretty much any tone and sound that I need. I am loving playing this guitar and getting many positive comments about the appearance and tones. Rick Mariner did a fantastic job building the best guitar I have ever owned. He was also a joy to work with. Keep up the great work Rick! Randy Floyd - Statesville, NC More...

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I have 3 Great guitars from Rick Mariner. He is easily one of the best guys in the industry I've met in 15 years of being a professional guitarist. Every request I had he was able to accommodate. You won't be disappointed. More...

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I would highly recommend Haywire Custom Shop.I had a really great experience working with Haywire Custom Guitars to get a guitar made for a friend of mine. He loves it.The lollar pickups sounded great and the Warmoth neck was exactly what he wanted. Thanks Rick for making Micah a happy player.Kathy P,Charleston, SC More...

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I am very pleased with Haywire Custom Guitars Inc, This beautiful guitar exceeded my expectations! It was built exactly to my specifications and the company earned its name of "custom". It arrived in excellent condition and was built ready to play. Everyone admires it and I highly recommend this company to anyone who is a serious musician . If you require skilled craftsmanship, a great sound, and a reasonable cost, then Haywire Custom Guitars is for you.a More...

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Rick, at Haywire, has done his "magic" on several guitars for me over the last 2 or 3 years. He does great work at a great price point. I highly recommend his co. and his custom guitars to all guitarists.Check him out.. you will be glad you did. More...

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Rick does amazing work, and his custom guitars are works of art. The great thing about having a custom instrument is just that . .. it's customized just for you. In my case, Rick took my P Bass, wired it more like a Jazz bass, and shaved my neck so that the feel is right in between a Precision and a Jazz neck, which for me, is just right. The action and play-ability is better than it's ever been, (PERFECT, actually), and the intonation is spot on throughout the entire length of the neck. If you're looking for that perfect guitar that you've only imagined in your dreams, it's time to talk to Rick and let him actually put it into your hands for real! More...

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Rick is the man! I love my '72-Custom-Deluxe-inspired telecaster that he master built for me. From the first conversation to the moment the guitar was in my hands Rick was absolutely professional, helpful and available to answer any questions/concerns. The final product is simply stunning. All of the fine details that I was expecting were met and more. You deserve the experience of working with Rick and Haywire Custom Guitars. More...

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