We can work with you to create a very special and personalized guitar featuring hand carvings and inlays portraying your life story, loved ones, memorable places, favorite pets or any other theme you propose.
Custom projects typically take from 12-16 weeks from conception to delivery. The deposit is 50% at the beginning of each project, with the balance payable just before delivery.We will provide artists’ drawings and photographs of the guitar’s progress as it is being built.Prices vary depending on the project but generally range from $3,000 to $6,000 USD.

After you contact us by email or telephone, we will arrange a call with you within 48 hours to discuss your idea for the theme of your guitar as well as your preferences for guitar shape, body size and building materials (see next section) based on which we will prepare one preliminary model drawing for your approval.

We will then provide you a detailed price quotation. Once you approve the quotation, we will send you an invoice for a deposit. Following its receipt, our art department will begin theme sketches for your approval. The sketching and approval process usually takes about two weeks.

Before quoting a price, we will need to know your preferences for the following criteria.

2.1 Instrument type, body shape and size

Acoustic instruments:

to choose from Dreadnought, Grand Concert, Classical, Jumbo, Jumbo Classical, Parlor, G-Type. Tenor, Travel-size, Ukulele, Baritone, Acoustic Bass, Harp Guitar, Double-neck, Mandolin. (Include sketches of the typical body shapes, shown upright facing the top carving. Accompany each template picture with the corresponding music or playing styles.)

Electric instruments:

to choose from Electric Guitar, Electric Baritone Guitar, Electric Bass, Hollow Body Electric Guitar. (Include sketches of the typical body shapes, shown upright facing the top carving. Accompany each template picture with the corresponding music or playing styles.)

2.2 Headstock configuration

3 tuners on each side or 6 inline tuners. (Provide sketches of each configuration) Number of strings: 6, 9 or 12 strings, except Ukulele (4 by default) and Classical (6). Note: Left-handed guitars are available in every configuration.

2.3 Additional structural features

(provide artist’s sketches or photos of each feature)

Grooved top, back, and sides

Grooving of the top of guitars is a unique feature of Blueberry guitars. The grooving process is done by specially trained Balinese wood carvers using delicate hardened steel chisels to carefully furrow approximately 25% of the top surface of a guitar while keeping the thickness of the top to standard guitar building dimensions. This surface treatment allows the soundboard (guitar top) to be lighter than that of any other guitar and thus project brighter and fuller. The groove geometry is carefully calculated when carved so as not to interfere with the structural integrity of the soundboard.

Grooves greatly enhance the projection and resonance of the instrument. They are also applied in a variety of artful patterns and, as a secondary benefit, effectively mask cuff marks, scratches and dents on the guitar’s surface. (Record sound clips of a plain top and a grooved top, built with identical woods, to compare)

Sound monitor port with or without a sliding door on upper side of body

A monitor port directs a portion of the guitar’s sound at the player and thus allows you to hear the true sound your instrument is producing. In addition, there is a noticeable gain in soundhole projection. A structural feature that songwriters particularly appreciate.

Cutaway under the neck (Venetian, Florentine or double)

A cutaway is a curved indentation in a guitar’s upper bout typically below the neck, which allows easy access to the upper frets. This feature is favored for its aesthetic appeal and also for the freedom of movement in the upper register that it enables.

Several cutaway styles are available: a soft Venetian, a sharp Florentine, as well as a double cutaway applied below and above the neck.

Carved fret indicators on the back of the neck

Our signature development with which locating the key frets “on the blind” becomes a straightforward matter.

Palpable notches are carved in specific patterns on the backside of the guitar neck on 3 rd, 5 th, 7 th and 9 th frets. The player’s hand sliding down the neck instantly feels the grooves, which helps the player to navigate the neck without looking down on it, especially in low lighting conditions.

Sound pickup
Acoustic pickup of your choice or our recommendation. We recommend LR BAGGS iBeam or Anthem pickups due to their exceptional performance and wide harmonic range.

Strap buttons
An essential add-on for most performers playing their guitar with a strap.

Tapered back
A structural alternation suggested to us by our fan, now very popular among our female customers.
The upper half of a full-size guitar body is tapered at the back, thus leaving more space behind the guitar at the player’s chest level. This modification makes playing the instrument while sitting down significantly more comfortablefor women, preventing any painful sensations in the chest.

Rib rest or elbow rest El
Elbow rest – an ergonomic feature that chamfers (softens)the hard binding edge of the guitar in the lower bout, the section that normally comes into contact with the player’s
forearm.
Rib rest makes a large guitar much more comfortable in handling, with the rear binding chamfered at the top. Women likewise appreciate the ergonomic comfort that this feature
affords anatomically.

2.4 Choice of woods and materials
(Give descriptions of the resulting tone, add photos)

Top wood
Alaskan Spruce – for a bright, open, clear tone.
Canadian Cedar – for a warm, soft, open tone with beautiful overtones.
Balinese Rosewood – for a clear tone with punchy highs and warm mid-frequencies.
Balinese Koa – for a sweet melodic tone with pronounced mids and defined, but not sparkling highs.
Mahogany – for a well-rounded mellow tone with emphasized mid-range and no sparkle.
Soundboards can be built in single-wood, split-top or tripletop arrangements (Show typical photos of split-tops)

Back and Sides
Mahogany – for a balanced warm tone with a clear but moderate top end. A highly responsive wood.
Balinese Koa – produces beautiful lows, solid mid tones and moderate highs. Great for firmer playing.
Maple – gives a clear mid-range and highs combined with long sustain and very focused output.
Balinese Rosewood – offers a clear tone with full bass, warm mids and punchy highs. Great loudness.

Headstock, fretboard and bridge
Macassar Ebony (hardest wood) or Balinese Rosewood
(softer than ebony). These parts are not directly involved in
the sound production.

Back of neck
Combination of Mahogany and Rosewood, Mahogany and Macassar Ebony, or Maple, always to match fretboard. These parts are likewise not directly involved in the sound
production.

Inlays
Colored stone, mother of pearl, white Angel Wood, Jack Wood. Inlay materials do not noticeably impact the tone.

Tuners
Gotoh tuners or as per customer preference.

Pickups
L.R. Baggs iBeam or Anthem (acoustic), Seymour Duncan (electric) or as per customer preference.

Nuts and saddles Bone.

Action
Set as per customer preference.

Body finish
The finish is always satin.

Accessories
Hard-shell case or gig bag.

After the deposit has been made, we will work with you closely and gather as much information (photos, drawings, etc.) about your idea as you are willing to provide – or start with a vaguely defined motif and let our artists draw inspiration from it. You will be surprised at how often they capture our clients’ thoughts spot-on on the very first sketch!

Our very talented artists will work with you and submit drawings for your approval based on your ideas. Once you give us a written approval of the final drawings, we will begin building and carving your guitar – no changes to the design will be possible after that time.

Your instrument can be customized with various decorations inspired by your personal theme:

Headstock
Hand-carved, encrusted with mother of pearl inlay or combination of pearl and carvings.

Fretboard
Pearl inlay, wood inlay or combination of pearl and wood inlays.

Bridge
Always carved, with optional pearl inlays.

Rosette and sound hole
Encrusted with pearl inlay or wood carving. Shaped to preference.

Top, back and sides
Surface-carved.

With the final sketches approved, our master carver and his team of luthiers will take over the project. Your guitar will be constructed from finely selected tone woods, with the parts assembly, inlaying and carving phases all photo-documented at the workshop every step of the way. Progress photos will be sent to you weekly (define how frequently updates are sent), and your feedback on the work will be thoroughly attended to.

(Include several shop photos from the past projects)

Once your instrument has been built, coated and polished, a unique registration number will be assigned to it, as to any Blueberry instrument, proving its authenticity and granting you a lifetime warranty on any defects of workmanship. The instrument will be shipped to you from our Montreal shop where an inspection and final setup to your specifications will be carried out.