Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2010.01.12

How do I order a guitar?

At the moment, our business model is to build instruments of our own design and specification, and then offer completed instruments for sale.

Our reasoning is this: At the moment, Decibel Guitars is not a full-time venture. As such, our workflow – which includes things like research & development, scheduling shop time, building supplier relationships, acquiring wood, parts and hardware, coordinating supplier deliveries, etc. – is not functioning at “production” speed. We don’t want to get into the position of orders being placed, money changing hands, and then having paying customers waiting months (or years) for their instrument to be delivered.

We’re starting slow, working at a manageable pace, and hopefully avoiding some of the issues that have befallen so many small builders in the early stages of growing their business.

We want the business to grow, but in a sustainable way. Once we’re building at a steady pace, we may open up a “waiting list” for completed instruments. Further down the road, we may be able to start offering “build to order” instruments based on a limited set of base models with options and upgrades. But for now, you’ll have to watch our blog and our Twitter feed if you’re interested in acquiring one of our instruments.

At this time, it looks like the first couple of instruments will be released for sale in the Fall of 2010. Stay tuned for more news!

How much do your guitars cost?

At the moment, we are still in the prototyping stage, so pricing has not yet been set.

Our instruments will not be inexpensive, but not terribly expensive, either. We recognize that we are newcomers to the market, so we know we have some “brand equity” to build. However, it’s important to bear in mind that these are hand-made instruments that require a great deal of time, skill, tools, parts, materials and dedication to build. Pricing will be fair for the customer but also fair to us as a startup company… we don’t want to price ourselves out of business by going either too high or too low.

We hope to have a comprehensive pricing structure in place once we’re ready to commence sales.

I really like your [x] model, and would like to make some modifications. Is this possible?

At this time, no. We have a significant amount of research & development time invested in the current model lineup. Our current building workflow involves using templates and jigs that do take time to create in order to deliver consistent and high-quality finished instruments. Modifying any of our designs would require further testing, R&D time, and changes to our tooling and template process that would not be efficient in terms of our time, or the re-tooling costs that would have to be passed on to our customers.

Will you make me a copy of [insert guitar make/model here]?

The short answer: No.

The long answer: No. But here’s why: There are lots of outstanding guitar designs and talented luthiers out there. If you’re looking for a copy of something, you can certainly find someone to build it for you. Unfortunately, it won’t be us. One of our core business principles is to only produce instruments we’ve designed ourselves. We feel design is a valuable differentiator in a marketplace that’s already filled with copies of one sort or another. We also feel that in order to be taken seriously and have our intellectual property respected, we need to respect the intellectual property of others by not making copies of established designs.

I’m in a band. I’m looking for a guitar endorsement. Can we work together?

I make guitars. I’m looking for money. Can we work together?

Seriously, though… Decibel is a small builder. While we do have big dreams, our number one goal is to grow in a manageable and sustainable way. Giving away guitars (or selling them at a discount) just isn’t something we can do and maintain the business. Even if you were a big-name guitarist and the PR value of the endorsement would make it worth our while, we wouldn’t be able to keep up with the resulting demand. Again, this would be bad for business.

So while we’re flattered to be considered, if you like our instruments, the only way to get one is to buy one.