Who are you?

Gosh. Great question and one I think I try to answer everyday. I’m a husband, father, guitar lover and I’ve also dabbled in digital marketing for the last 20 years. About 10 years ago when we purchased our home we were stretched past our budget just to get the house so any improvements were a DIY venture. I was the guy that was scared of the bandsaw. I had no clue what I was doing. I watched a lot of videos, I screwed up and I learned over time and eventually I got pretty good at some basic things around the house. Stoked!

And now that I knew how to use these tools the big question was what can I make that is more exciting than drywalling a bedroom and tiling a bathroom? The natural answer…..build a guitar! I started with simple telecaster body only and it actually came out pretty darn fantastic! So I did it again. And again. Then I tried an S-tyle body with all of the crazy contours…..and again success!

Surely I couldn’t make a neck right? That’s too precise? Well…..why not. I tried it. I completely destroyed 3 attempts and then…..I got a playable one. Amazing! And the next attempt had a much better neck profile. Now I’m actually excited about making custom necks that look & feel how I think they should.

So who am I? I’m a guy who loves making guitars and hopes that the small scale work I do helps the world enjoy a bit more music.

Why should I buy from blake guitars?

We are a small shop focusing on only a handful of projects at a time with the intent of getting each order 100% right for our customers. You pick the wood, pickup configuration and paint scheme and we will consult with you individually to create a one of a kind guitar for your needs. It’s basically like that whole “farm to table” thing at restaurants but with guitars.Why should I buy from blake guitars?

What materials do you use?

For woods we focus primarily on ash, alder and mahogany depending on price and availability but we are open to working with you on custom orders. Similarly we can add drop-tops of flame/curly maple or other woods depending on your preference & budget.

All of our products are finished with nitrocellulose laquer. The traditional choice of finish for old-timey guitar makers who didn’t know how terrible the fumes were for you and present day cork-sniffers who claim it “allows the wood to breath”. Also, it’s easy to work with and yields great looking finishes.

Our hardware is typically Gotoh brand which is top quality along with any bridge of your choice. From an old school 3 barrel tele to a divebombing menace Floyd Rose. It’s a real choose your own adventure.

Finally, for pickups….we love Seymour Duncan, another Santa Barbara based business. They have a pickup for everyone. But if you have a preferred brand we are happy to work with you. We also love BareKnuckle, Lollar and the occasional Dimarzio!

What is your turnaround time once I place an order?

We will do our best to have “in-stock” products available for immediate purchase. For any custom orders or finishes it will depend on our order volume at any given time as well as the complexity of your order. For example, a custom order body with a drop-top, chambered body, f-hole, front & back binding and a pinstripe sparkle paint job will take considerably longer than a straight-ahead run of the mill body with no extra bells & whistles. That said, we can discuss approximate turnaround times during your initial consultation email or call.

Are your guitars perfect in every way?

I do everything I can to make sure that all photos and descriptions accurately represent the product you will receive. However, we are not a CNC mill churning out thousands of products a day with Terminator-robot like precision. This is a by hand, homegrown operation and at times there will be some minor imperfections on occasion. Often-times the imperfections are intentional as many of our products are relic’d. All that said, each product receives a lot of love and individual attention with only one set of hands on it from beginning to end. I can say with confidence that our bodies are no better or worse in terms of quality than what you will see from major manufacturers.

I have a crazy idea for a guitar. Can you help me?

I hope so! Let’s talk about it. That’s how this all started…..I wanted to try to build something unique. Let me know what you have in mind and I can tell you if I can do it. If not, I’d be happy to try and refer you to the right resource.