Customize Your Own Guitar or Ukulele

Lichty Guitars and Ukuleles are handcrafted by Jay in a one-man shop. Production is therefore limited to approximately 20-25 per year. While we typically have a selection of handmade acoustic guitars and ukuleles available for immediate sale, the majority of sales are built to order instruments. Given custom instruments are Jay’s specialty, he works closely with each patron in the design. On this page we’ve provided simple steps to follow to customize your own guitar or ukulele … well, at least to get you started!

The current delivery time is approximately 3-6 months. (Note: If your project is time-sensitive touch base and we’ll see if we can work it in sooner)

To view our special selection of instruments that are available for immediate sale see: Handmade Acoustic Guitars or Handmade Ukuleles.

Too, we invite you to check out examples of recent Custom Acoustic Guitars and Custom Ukuleles projects to get you inspired!

If you are interested in placing a custom order there are a few ways to get started:

Contact Jay to discuss your ideal instrument and to explore all the options.

Follow our simple Design Your Dream Guitar or Ukulele steps that follow.

If you’d like to give the gift of a Lichty to a loved-one you can learn more about our gift certificate program by clicking here.

Design Your Dream Guitar or Ukulele

1) Decide on the body style/size instrument you’d like. You can compare models and hear audio samples here.

2) View recent projects at our Custom Acoustic Guitar Examples or our Custom Ukulele Examples pages to get an idea of design elements

3) Visit the Guitar Tonewood Gallery of Ukulele Tonewood Gallery to narrow down your choices or to select the specific set of wood for your back and sides. Too, we invite you to read our post, Best Guitar Tonewood / Best Ukulele Tonewood ?

4)  Determine an approximate price based on the options you have selected by using our Custom Guitar and Ukulele Price Calculator

5)  Get in touch!

Once you and Jay have finalized all the details you will receive a confirmation form and projected completion time. Sign and return this form with the booking deposit of 1/3 of the instrument’s total cost and your instrument will be placed in our production schedule. Balance is due upon completion. All prices are indicated in US dollars.

Custom Features

As a custom guitar builder/ukulele builder Jay loves the challenge of blending the customer’s ideas with his own style and expertise. As an example, he currently works with a wide variety of beautiful and exotic tone woods. See the Guitar Tonewood Gallery or Ukulele Tonewood Gallery section on this website for a sample of what is currently available. Other custom appointments include binding, tuners, pick-guard, inlay, etc.

Base Price for a Custom Guitar: $4000 + shipping & taxes

Features include:

• Your choice of the following body styles: Dreadnought, OM, Parlor, Dream, Crossover or Small Jumbo
• Your choice of tonewood for a base-priced guitar includes: Honduran or African Mahogany, Sapele, Indian Rosewood, and others. See the Price Calculator to determine exact pricing.
• Your choice of Engelmann or Sitka Spruce soundboard
• Wood Binding: your choice from a variety of options
• Herringbone or wooden rosette (your choice from a variety of options)
• Ebony or Indian Rosewood fretboard and bridge
• Grover Sta Tite or Gotoh 510 tuners
• Camel bone nut and saddle
• Choice of nut width and neck size
• Mother of Pearl dot fretboard markers
• Hardshell case
• Cooperstand Guitar Stand

Base Price for a Custom Ukulele: $2750 + shipping

Features include:

• Your choice of a concert, high-g tenor, low-g tenor 0r baritone ukulele
• Your choice of tonewood for a base-priced ukulele include: Indian Rosewood, Beech, Walnut, Maple, Bubinga,  and more. (See the Price Calculator to determine exact pricing)
• Englemann soundboard
• Wood Binding: your choice from a variety of options
• Mother of Pearl, Paua Abalone or wood rosette (your choice from a variety of options)
• Ebony fretboard and bridge
• Grover Sta Tite or Gotoh tuners
• Camel bone nut and saddle
• Mother of Pearl dot fretboard markers
• Hardshell case
• Cooperstand instrument stand

Payment Options

Payments made be made via check, bank transfer or via credit card. We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and PayPal

Shipment and Warranty

Shipping: Upon completion of the instrument and receipt of the balance, your instrument will be shipped. Prices do not include insurance, taxes or shipping.

Warranty: The full cost* (minus shipping charges) is refundable within a 5-day approval period if you are dissatisfied with your instrument for any reason. Jay provides a limited lifetime warranty to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship. The warranty does not provide coverage for normal fret/fingerboard wear, or damage to the finish or other as a result of improper climate control or other improper care. Warranty cards are provided with each guitar.

*Certain restrictions may apply to highly customized special orders.