We all love playing guitars, but these days, unlike two or three decades ago, more and more people are collecting guitars. When I started playing, it was only mega-rich guitarists who owned a stack of guitars, and most of them were their tools of the trade, giving them the sounds they needed when recording. But now, the majority of high-end guitars are not bought by rock stars, but by wealthy business founders or owners, lawyers, accountants, etc.
This has led to one segment of the guitar market exploding—custom-built guitars.
According to industry reports, the global guitar market should reach $11.82 billion by the end of 2025, growing from $11.01 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate of around 9%. And the custom and boutique build sector, in particular, is experiencing massive demand.
What’s driving this surge?
Well, quite a few things, including:
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personalization
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technological advancements
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social media influence
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post-pandemic leisure trends
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sustainability concerns
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economic shifts
Nowadays, players aren’t just looking for guitars that are tools to play, gig, and record; they want an instrument that is an extension of their identity, and nothing quite achieves that like a custom-built guitar.
So, let’s delve a little deeper, starting with…
Why is the sale of guitars booming?
2010 to 2020 saw a gradual decline in the number of guitars sold globally. But then a worldwide lockdown hit us, and lots of people decided to take up or rediscover their love of the instrument.
As people stayed at home, playing music became a therapeutic outlet, which rekindled the love and enjoyment of playing the instrument. This resulted in sales numbers close to the highs following the end of the Second World War.
Since then, guitar sales have continued on an ever-increasing trajectory. Electric guitars are currently the most popular, accounting for around 60% of all sales, with most players going for established brands such as Fender, Gibson, PRS, Squier, and Epiphone.
However, custom builds are continually gaining in popularity within the premium sector (ranging from $2,000 for basic customs to over $10,000 for high-end masterpieces), with boutique luthiers and custom shops reporting waiting lists of many months or even years.
Last year was exceptional for luthiers, with a 7.7% increase in the demand for handcrafted instruments. But this isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about a shift in how guitarists are considering what to buy. Players are no longer satisfied with ‘standard’ off-the-shelf models—they want unique guitars specifically crafted to how they play, the sounds they want to create, and the image they want to project.
One example is Gibson’s Made to Measure program, which allows players to customize anything and everything, from neck profiles to unique finishes, such as matching a guitar to a car’s paint job. If you’ve got a dream Gibson build and the money to pay for it, it’s well worth checking out.
Click to watch the full video.
At the more affordable end of the market, Epiphone’s Inspired by Gibson Custom Collection allows players with more reasonable budgets access to premium features, giving them a degree of customization without breaking the bank.
Making Your Guitar a One-of-a-Kind
The heart of any custom guitar has to be personalization. Most guitarists, by their nature, are exhibitionists to some degree. If we weren’t, why would we spend all those thousands of hours practicing to get up on a stage in front of people to blow them away with our skills?
And why just impress people with our soloing skills when we can choose an instrument that is truly US, one that is not only created to match how we play and the sonics we love, but also allows us to show off our personal style, our individual voice. Custom builds offer endless options, from exotic woods such as wenge for enhanced resonance, to custom inlays, specialized pickups, or even any shape or color of guitar that you can imagine.
Boutique guitar shops focus on stock guitars that feature a few interesting options, but a true custom guitar goes way beyond that to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. But they do come at a hefty price. So what makes them worth the money? Well, that leads us nicely on to…
Quality and Craftsmanship
Custom guitars far exceed mass-produced ones in terms of quality. Each one is hand-built by skilled luthiers, using premium materials and meticulous attention to detail.
The countless hours of the finest craftsmanship, as well as the cost of the very best materials, the highest-quality hardware, etc., all add up, which is why if you want the highest possible standards, you have to pay for it.
As mentioned, going custom doesn’t come cheap, with relatively standard custom guitars starting in the $2000 range, going up to one-of-a-kind masterpieces hitting $10,000 and upwards. So, you’d think that there really can’t be that much of a demand. But you’d be wrong, as the waiting list for these types of guitars shows. There are enough players out there with the money to spare to keep all the quality custom builders very busy.
But what if I just can’t afford a custom build?
No problem, there are lots of options for players who don’t have the money to splash on a custom-built guitar; we are not all earning the mega bucks, after all!
You’re going to have to be quite a craftsman to create your own custom acoustic guitar, but an electric is a lot simpler, so we’ll take a look at that.
Let’s start with the body…
There are three basic options: use the body of a guitar you already own, buy a custom body in your choice of wood and shape, or, if you’re carpentry skills are up to it, make a body from scratch from a nice piece of wood.
Next, we have the neck. Again, you have the same three choices, but creating a DIY neck is a lot harder than crafting your own body, so I’d recommend buying a custom neck in your choice of wood and headstock design unless you're a carpentry wizard.
Moving on to the hardware, starting from the top, you’ll need some tuning machines. You’re going custom, so you probably want something a little bit outside the box. So how about the…
They’re available in all the standard colors—chrome, gold, and black, but why be so boring when you’re creating a ‘custom’ guitar? Go for something that will make your guitar a one-of-a-kind, such as the stunning purple and blue option shown above, or the blingy red and gold.
And don’t worry, you’re not just paying for the pretty colors; these are super high-quality locking tuners that will effortlessly get your brand new custom creation in tune in no time, and make sure it stays that way.
Next, pickups. The choice is nearly limitless. Do you want single coils or humbuckers? Or maybe P90’s for a best of both worlds option? And how many, neck and bridge, or a new configuration? Then we have guitar wiring options. Do you want to be able to split coil your humbuckers to give you single coil sonics? Or maybe you like the sound of humbuckers but not the look, if so, a stacked humbucker is the one for you. Endless options!!!
You could even copy Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel and explore every pickup position on a single guitar, and while you’re at it, why not add a speedometer to see how fast you're playing?
Regardless of a speedometer, you’re going to need to be able to dial in the tones on your new wonder guitar, so you’ll need some control knobs that set you apart from the crowd. Again, there are countless options, including the beautifully constructed Guyker CKB050 Brass Control Flat Top Knobs Dia. 6.
And, depending on the design you go for, you’ll need a scratch plate. But plain white, black, or tortoiseshell just won’t do; you’ll need something that really stands out, something like the…
Or, to match the stunning control knobs we’ve just looked at, the…
And finally, the bridge. Do you want a hardtail or a trem system? And, if you love your dive bombs, do you want something basic, or would a full-on Floyd Rose type be the only option? Again, no end of choices.
If you’re building a strat-type guitar, you could go for something like the…
Or, if you prefer a Les Paul-ish bridge design but fancy some fun trem action, you could go for a Bigsby, or how about something really different, the…
You’ll need to get a bridge to match, such as the Guyker GM008 Adjustable Tune-O-Matic Roller Saddle Locking Bridge, but what a pairing—a roller bridge with a trem tailpiece on a Les Paul style guitar, super cool, and very custom!
Wrapping it Up!
So, there you have it, my in-depth look at why custom guitar sales and resales have never been higher and how to create your own one-of-a-kind custom guitar if your budget doesn’t stretch to a hand-crafted luthier-built work of art.
With the guitar market predicted to reach around $20 billion by 2032 at a growth rate of about 7.5% per annum, custom builds will continue to be a major part of the premium sector. Add to that advancements in 3D printing and AI, and an even higher level of guitar personalization will become possible.
But a custom guitar is more than just a slab of wood with some strings on it—it’s a story, a musical partner, and a friend. With so many creative channels being slowly (and rapidly) taken over by AI, people are, more than ever, looking for authenticity and uniqueness, and nothing can offer a guitarist that more than a custom guitar.
I’ve always loved the classic guitar designs; they do exactly what I need them to with no need for any major modifications. But they don’t work for a lot of people who want the highest possible sonic and build quality, as well as specific design features. That’s where custom guitars excel, giving them exactly that!
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