FAQ
- Estimated turnaround on Standard Custom orders is anywhere from 6-10 months. Please understand that things can happen along the way to make this longer (supply shortages, accidents, sickness, etc) and that this is an estimated turnaround time, not a guaranteed one.
- Estimated turnaround on Ultimate Custom orders is anywhere from 6-18 months. Please understand that things can happen along the way to make this longer (supply shortages, accidents, sickness, etc) and that this is an estimated turnaround time, not a guaranteed one.
- After you place the order and deposit on a Standard Custom, we will send a follow up email to confirm your official spec sheet. If you need to make changes to your order specs, it would be best to do that then. Any requests beyond that run the risk of getting lost in a sea of email threads, and we can't be responsible for any mistakes on changes made after the initial spec list confirmation.
- Ultimate Custom series orders are initiated by paying the non-refundable $1000 deposit and submitting the build form. Shortly after, we will arrange for a phone call, or can go over specs via email. That deposit goes toward the starting price of $3500 on a fully personalized build. This process will likely need one or two phone calls and/or a long email conversation before confirming specs.
- If you absolutely need this instrument by a specific date, DON'T place a custom order. Check out our list of dealers to see what's in stock now! Nothing makes the build process less enjoyable for us than feeling rushed, and a hastily made instrument is never the best one.
- In almost ten years in business and (if our math is right) a couple thousand guitars, no one has ever NOT received their completed custom order. So even if we are running late, please be aware that we have never not delivered. If we are slow to respond to emails or running behind schedule, it is because we are busy making guitars, or running late because we're answering your emails.
- Feel free to email us to check in, but please be understanding if we do not reply right away. The act of looking up an order number and seeing where it's at in the build queue, coming up with a very arbitrary guesstimate on when it will be done, and typing that out in an email only takes about ten minutes, but if we get six of those in one day, that's an hour out of a work day not spent concentrating on making excellent guitars.
- Please be aware that all deposits are NON-refundable! In the event that you do not want your guitar when it is finished, we can list it for sale for you and refund your deposit once it has sold.
- We do not accept returns unless there is sizeable shipment damage, or if a new product is defective beyond what is considered repairable by a local tech (for example, a guitar needs a setup or electronics looked at after shipment). Used and B-stock items are not returnable unless in a different condition than described. No return will be accepted after 7 days from which you receive it.
- If you are outside of the US, please be aware you may be liable for some amount of import tax/duty! We do not pay for this, and are not experts on every country's policy, so please do your own research on this before placing the order.
- We are reasonable and honest people, willing to help you with any issues that may arise. The above listed terms are here just to ensure we are not taken advantage of. :)
Where are Dunable guitars, basses, and pickups made?
All our USA Custom Shop instruments and pickups are built, finished, and set up right here in Southern California by a small team of skilled individuals who love guitars and riffs. The hardware and other electronics components are made in a variety of places such as America, Germany, and various places in Asia.
Our new DE series is manufactured in South Korea.
Where can I try a Dunable guitar or bass?
Check our "How To Buy" page at the top of this webpage for a list of our dealers in North America, South America, and Europe/UK!
How does the custom shop order process work?
see the first item in this FAQ
Why isn't my deposit for a custom instrument refundable?
No, sorry. Those deposits go towards specific parts and materials to make the custom guitar in question, as well as to pay for the day to day expenses our business has to pay for. If you decide you don't want the guitar after all, you can always sell it (these things tend to not last long in online stores such as Reverb.com), or we can help you sell it once it’s finished to make your money back that way, but we cannot refund a deposit until a guitar is done being built.
Even if the build is taking longer than you originally quoted?
Yes, even then. This kind of work is very prone to take longer than expected with all the variables involved in customizing every instrument. We are doing our best to stick to projected time tables, and as of October 2020 we are moving much faster than we used to. But delays can happen, and honestly at the end of the day, our waits are relatively short for a built to order guitar.
Once I've placed my deposit, should I follow up with you from time to time to see how the build is coming along?
You are more than welcome to send us an email to see where we’re at with your custom build, but please be merciful with us as we are a small crew and each time we need to look up an order's status, it takes something like 10-15 minutes to look it up and give you an honest assessment via email, and if we get a couple of these requests every day, that's 30 minutes we could have spent getting some work done. As our company grows, we are adapting to the workload, and batches are getting bigger, and it is hard to send updates to every person, but I think you are entitled to a progress report here and there, within reason. Just please don’t pressure us to rush your guitar out. We have done this before with mixed results, and honestly rushing the process at all can potentially compromise the quality of your build. The Titanic was rushed, and look what happened there! The best thing to do is let us do our thing, and we promise you will love the guitar.
Things to remember before/during/after placing an order:
- Every instrument that has ever been ordered has been made. You are in zero danger of us taking your money and not making you a guitar.
- We are a small business run by actual human people who prefer to deal with other actual people and treat them with respect, almost like we would with a real-life friend, acquaintance, or collaborator on an art project (essentially what we are doing here). If you have any questions or issues, we are happy to talk it out and figure out a solution. If that is not the kind of relationship you're looking to have with us, please do us a favor and spend your money somewhere else.
- Please DON'T send any serious correspondence relating to your order via social media DMs, as it is nearly impossible to keep track of. Please stick to email!
- Deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE.
- We don't take returns unless there is something defective or broken that can't be fixed easily. If there IS a minor issue with electronics or setup due to it getting rattled around on a Fedex truck for a week, we will pay for whatever repair work needs to happen. Just provide a receipt. See our warranty info below for the full details on what we will cover.
Do you offer some kind of warranty?
Yes, we guarantee our guitars for life against any structural defect such as warping or falling apart as long as it didn’t do either as a result of negligence or ill-advised tampering, such as but not limited to leaving your guitar in a hot car all day, running over it with your car, or throwing it out of a window. If you have any specific questions about what is and isn’t covered, send us an email. Pickups are guaranteed for life as well. Other electronic components are guaranteed for one year from date of purchase. In the event that something needs repair, get in touch with us and we will either fix it ourselves or send you to a good tech in your area. An unauthorized attempt at repair will void all warranty.
Can I order custom specs that aren’t listed in your order form, such as bolt-on or neck thru construction, 7 or 8 string, some other bridge, or some other body wood? What about my own custom body shape?
We are willing to do just about anything you can dream up, and typically enjoy new challenges as long as you have the American dollars to pay for it. Send us an email with your ideas for a price estimate.
Why do your guitars cost so much money? I saw plenty of others at McGuitar’s for like $300
Unlike whatever you are talking about, these instruments are made in California by skilled, experienced people who are experts at making, playing, and listening to loud electric guitars, meaning we have to be compensated with a livable wage by American standards and by the standard that you would pay an expert to do their job, like a plumber, dentist, or aeronautical engineer. Our guitars are made with meticulous love and care from the moment we mill up a bunch of wood until we make sure the last nut slot is cut just right. You won’t find more level frets or a more one of a kind finish on any guitar anywhere. We also use high quality wood and parts from companies such as Hipshot, Grover, Graphtech, and CTS for electronics, all of which are superior products that come together to make an excellent instrument. Sure, there are tons of great guitars out there that we are fans of as well, but we do our best to be just as good, if not better.
Why do you make your own pickups and why are they better than every other pickup out there?
“Better” when it comes to pickups is mostly subjective, but as it relates to these guitars, Dunable pickups are better because they are designed with the scale length, pickup placements, and construction of a Dunable guitar in mind, which is different than that of most guitars that aftermarket pickups are designed for. I have tried A LOT of the pickups out there in these guitars, and I’ve taken note of what works well in them. Those notes informed the “recipes” of my main pickup models. Of course, these pickups do sound spectacular in any guitar or bass you put them in.
How much does it cost to ship an instrument? And will you ship to my country?
Typically around $75 within the US, and around $140 to anywhere else. Yes we will probably ship to your country, just check with us first.
How does the serial number system work?
First two numbers = year, numbers after that are the number in production from that year, so:
19137 = 2019, #137 in line from 2019.
EXCEPT 2020 WHICH IS JUST A 2 AT THE BEGINNING. We realized halfway through the year that we were doing it wrong and never corrected it. So a 2020 serial number would be:
2245 = 2020, 245th guitar in production, or 2034 - 2020, 34th in production.
What strings do you use?
Our default and for guitars sent to retail, we set up our guitars and basses in standard tuning with 10-46 strings (guitar) or 105-45 (bass), both in regular old nickel wound. We actually use strings from a bunch of brands. Daddario, Ernie Ball, Dunlop, and others make appearances. We actually enjoy trying different brands out. And we can set up your custom guitar to any gauge you want.
What are your standard neck profiles?
25.5" guitar neck =. 1.65" nut width, 2.21 wide at 22nd fret .84" thick at first fret, .91" thick at 12th. Medium oval/C shape.
34" and 35" bass necks - 1.5" nut width, .85" thick at first fret, .9" thick at 12th, round C shape.