Finally put a deposit down on a chubtone

ClintN667

Well-known member
I have been wanting an explorer shaped guitar for awhile and one of you bastards told me chubtone was doing them now so I spec'd it out, got a quote, and today I put put my deposit down. I was thinking about waiting a few more weeks but I told them I was going to do it before the end of the month and I try to hold up my end of a deal so I today was the day.

Anyway there were a few choices that I made that were not part of their usual order. I wanted a black explorer but without a pickguard and an unpainted neck would seem a bit off so that is going to add a little bit more to the build time. So a bolt on explorer, 25.5 inch neck with stainless frets, Seymour Duncan Black Winters, the thinner of the 3 necks, black hardware and tune o matic bridge.

I'm not really much of a Metallica fan but after looking for pics I guess this is similar to the ESP Explorer Hetfield used. I really struggled with the decision on whether or not to get a pickguard. Another reason for getting it custom instead of looking for an Edwards or something similar is I wanted ss frets. I've gotten used to them to where I prefer them. As far as pickups, I had black winter pickups in my Solar A1.6 and really enjoyed them. If I don't dig the pups I might swap them out for BKP or Suhr aldrich later. Finally getting an explorer in wood other than mahogany was something else that I wasn't sure about

Anyway I'm excited for this build and its way out of my comfort zone. Based on some of your comments I'm in good hands.
 
Sounds cool, hopefully it’s what you’re imagining when you get it.
Curious, what is the order process? If I recall I think it’s just a contract form on the site. How do you know what options there are?
 
Congrats mate! Curt is super awesome to deal with. He's inhumanly patient and provides incredible customer service.
 
Sounds cool, hopefully it’s what you’re imagining when you get it.
Curious, what is the order process? If I recall I think it’s just a contract form on the site. How do you know what options there are?
I emailed them and then they sent me an order form with the options. They go over it and then with me we had to iron out some stuff that didn't make sense(I'm kinda naive on some details). Then once you iron out the details they send you the quote. Then you send a deposit of $500 down. Pretty painless experience. They stated that most builds they can get to around 2k but mine was a little bit more since it's not a superstrat. It came out as about as much as a balaguer but actually a bit cheaper. One thing that motivated me is you don't often see them for sale. Also they posted a pic of a rising sun explorer that looked really cool.
 
I have been wanting an explorer shaped guitar for awhile and one of you bastards told me chubtone was doing them now so I spec'd it out, got a quote, and today I put put my deposit down. I was thinking about waiting a few more weeks but I told them I was going to do it before the end of the month and I try to hold up my end of a deal so I today was the day.

Anyway there were a few choices that I made that were not part of their usual order. I wanted a black explorer but without a pickguard and an unpainted neck would seem a bit off so that is going to add a little bit more to the build time. So a bolt on explorer, 25.5 inch neck with stainless frets, Seymour Duncan Black Winters, the thinner of the 3 necks, black hardware and tune o matic bridge.

I'm not really much of a Metallica fan but after looking for pics I guess this is similar to the ESP Explorer Hetfield used. I really struggled with the decision on whether or not to get a pickguard. Another reason for getting it custom instead of looking for an Edwards or something similar is I wanted ss frets. I've gotten used to them to where I prefer them. As far as pickups, I had black winter pickups in my Solar A1.6 and really enjoyed them. If I don't dig the pups I might swap them out for BKP or Suhr aldrich later. Finally getting an explorer in wood other than mahogany was something else that I wasn't sure about

Anyway I'm excited for this build and its way out of my comfort zone. Based on some of your comments I'm in good hands.
Man that sounds killer! I might have to start looking at Chubtone a bit more.

I tried the BW several times in several guitars and just liked the DD more. Or several others more, including a few BK models and JW Ironman. BW just had this...over distorted thing no matter what height I set it. It was weird to me, like there was this overlying distortion on top of the sound or something...hard to describe.
 
So u chose alder then?

If u don’t mind me asking why did u pic strat scale rather than Gibson scale?
 
Man that sounds killer! I might have to start looking at Chubtone a bit more.

I tried the BW several times in several guitars and just liked the DD more. Or several others more, including a few BK models and JW Ironman. BW just had this...over distorted thing no matter what height I set it. It was weird to me, like there was this overlying distortion on top of the sound or something...hard to describe.
Hmm I have only tried them in one guitar and they were like the Duncan solar except with a little bit more output and clarity. I know Jason Frankhouser put them in his sig other than that I never hear much about them.

I want to try the Bill Steer signature pickups at some point.

I'm finally content on amps so I'm trying to build up my guitar selection. I've been down to 2 or 3 for a couple years so an explorer and V are on my wishlist as well as another single cut. Unfortunately I'm going to have to wait on the V and single cut until next year.
 
Hmm I have only tried them in one guitar and they were like the Duncan solar except with a little bit more output and clarity. I know Jason Frankhouser put them in his sig other than that I never hear much about them.

I want to try the Bill Steer signature pickups at some point.

I'm finally content on amps so I'm trying to build up my guitar selection. I've been down to 2 or 3 for a couple years so an explorer and V are on my wishlist as well as another single cut. Unfortunately I'm going to have to wait on the V and single cut until next year.

Yeah man, not trying to poo poo the BW, that was obviously just my experience/preference.

I here you on amps. That's about where I am and have owned the same two guitars for a long time. Never had any guitar gas, just amps. I would like to grab 1 or 2 new guitars in the future.
 
Dude, you will not be disappointed. I got mine about a year ago and I swear I don't think I have had to tune it. It never goes out of tune and blows my mind. Lol.

Just remember that they get super busy so he doesn't do a lot of answering questions, etc. I have known Curt since the mid 2000s and bought a Charvel from him back around 2008. Great dude and my guitar kicks all types of ass and is a one of a kind
 
So u chose alder then?

If u don’t mind me asking why did u pic strat scale rather than Gibson scale?
Yeah I went with Alder. I don't think I picked the Strat scale I think that's it by default although if it wasn't that's what I would have went with. I tend to favor 25.5 inch necks.
 
I had one - they're great guitars & as stated - he's super easy to deal with, and a solid guy.
Enjoy your new fiddle when you get it.
 
I just got one last week - it is very nice and definitely high quality for the money. My build tuned out exactly like I thought it would and looks beautiful. Curt was very easy to deal with and cool. I knew they were slammed and with supply chain issues these days I did not expect it in 6 months. Got to be patient these days on custom builds. Both my recent custom builds in 2021 took longer than originally stated - but I expected that so I was not bothered by it. Low deposit for Chubtones too is nice. I would order from him again for sure.

Chubtone 2.jpg
 
Beautiful guitars ....Curt is top notch all the way. Had a recent late night cyber pickup shopping adventure that led me to Squid Music at 2:00 am. Bought a set of Suhr Thornbuckers and paid for them, got an immediate message from Curt after it went through and had a back and forth with him in the middle of the night. 36 hours later they were on my doorstep. Support the small shops all you can, Squid is super cool if you ever get a chance to swing by there.
 
I just got one last week - it is very nice and definitely high quality for the money. My build tuned out exactly like I thought it would and looks beautiful. Curt was very easy to deal with and cool. I knew they were slammed and with supply chain issues these days I did not expect it in 6 months. Got to be patient these days on custom builds. Both my recent custom builds in 2021 took longer than originally stated - but I expected that so I was not bothered by it. Low deposit for Chubtones too is nice. I would order from him again for sure.

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Congrats that looks great! Yeah my Aviator took around 7-8 months. My Mayones took a year and a half plus I have a Duvell on order that won't be finished until the end of this year that I placed in March of last year.

The way I see it, and this is an outlook I recently changed to, is buy an instrument that is what you want completely. Don't settle for a color or spec that you aren't 100% in love with. I've always bought guitars that were production guitars that didn't have everything I wanted then I had to spend money swapping out the pickups or tuners then a setup. Now I want to have guitars/amps that I absolutely love instead of settling for something that I will end up flipping within a year at a loss.

I'm looking forward to this and if it meets my expectations I see a few more in my future. I would love to have a U.S. shop to get all my guitars from. Typically the U.S. companies are way out of my price range. I currently have all my amps from the U.S. and most of the pedals I use are built by my buddy in germany. It's nice having a good relationship with the guys who are building my gear. It helps me avoid buying stuff that might not be my taste. Kyle Rhodes made recommendations for my cab and Ares, Shea knew I would love the Skeleton Key. Daniel at Deadweald knew what I wanted in a boost and noise gate then made it happen. If I had a good relationship with a pedal builder for delays/reverbs and a guitar company I would be set. For a home hobbyists that's an awesome feeling. These guys deserve all their success and then some.
 
Congrats that looks great! Yeah my Aviator took around 7-8 months. My Mayones took a year and a half plus I have a Duvell on order that won't be finished until the end of this year that I placed in March of last year.

The way I see it, and this is an outlook I recently changed to, is buy an instrument that is what you want completely. Don't settle for a color or spec that you aren't 100% in love with. I've always bought guitars that were production guitars that didn't have everything I wanted then I had to spend money swapping out the pickups or tuners then a setup. Now I want to have guitars/amps that I absolutely love instead of settling for something that I will end up flipping within a year at a loss.

I'm looking forward to this and if it meets my expectations I see a few more in my future. I would love to have a U.S. shop to get all my guitars from. Typically the U.S. companies are way out of my price range. I currently have all my amps from the U.S. and most of the pedals I use are built by my buddy in germany. It's nice having a good relationship with the guys who are building my gear. It helps me avoid buying stuff that might not be my taste. Kyle Rhodes made recommendations for my cab and Ares, Shea knew I would love the Skeleton Key. Daniel at Deadweald knew what I wanted in a boost and noise gate then made it happen. If I had a good relationship with a pedal builder for delays/reverbs and a guitar company I would be set. For a home hobbyists that's an awesome feeling. These guys deserve all their success and then some.

It is incredibly fun to spec out a build and love it. Not so much when you do that and don't love it. That has happened to me a few times....
 
I just got one last week - it is very nice and definitely high quality for the money. My build tuned out exactly like I thought it would and looks beautiful. Curt was very easy to deal with and cool. I knew they were slammed and with supply chain issues these days I did not expect it in 6 months. Got to be patient these days on custom builds. Both my recent custom builds in 2021 took longer than originally stated - but I expected that so I was not bothered by it. Low deposit for Chubtones too is nice. I would order from him again for sure.




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Looks awesome man and you got the roasted I see! Love the roasted neck on mine 😍
 
The Chubtone exceeded my expectations and I paid about $1900 for mine if I remember correctly. There are Chinese-made guitars selling for nearly that much. Hell, the EVH "Frankenstein" made in Mexico costs more. I got a quality made instrument, made by a pal on my forum, got to choose everything on there found to every single detail. Worth every penny!
 
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