I was talking to a friend over beers when he snapped directions in the conversation. “Listen, if you're going to get a custom build at some point, you need to check out Jillard.” Apparently, somebody had come through a recording session or jam with one and he couldn't stop raving about the neck. We ran out of time before he got to the rest of the instrument.
While it's sad that so many of the big manufacturers like Gibson, Fender and PRS are facing a bleak future, it's great to see what's out there from luthiers who clearly love what they're building.
With that in mind, meet the Blue Tyrant from Jillard Guitars.
It's got a paulownia body (I admit that I had to look that up) and a wenge fretboard on a 100 year-old maple neck. The pickups are hand-wound with tele-style in the neck, filtertron-style in the bridge. Hipshot open locking tuners, Graphtech nut and stainless steel frets, including a zero fret on a fanned fret neck.
And, of course, being a small shop, there's always room for customization that fits your style.
