I need to know more about YOU and what kind of person and player you are.

Remember one thing; I do not make custom guitars.

I make guitars as I chose and what I like. Whatever interests me at any particular time.

If you like what I made, then I may sell it to you, if I feel that it suits you and you will be able to appreciate it.
Regardless of how much money you have, I will not sell you any guitar if I feel its not right for you or that you don't deserve to own it.
If its not right for you then you will not appreciate it. This is of no advantage to either one of us if my guitars are not what you need or deserve.

Ask yourself these questions:

- Will you be happy with a Zachary guitar 1 year, 5 years or 10 years down the road?
I know that you don't have a crystal ball but what is your gut feeling? If you don't feel that this will be your ultimate no.1 guitar then it will not benefit either one of us.

- Is it just an impulsive decision?
Are you what they call a "gearhead" or what I call a "materialistic hack" who buys new toys constantly only to be unfulfilled and wanting to buy even more "things"? I know we are all guilty of this to some point, however, if you have a bad case of this, retailers may love you but its a sickness and you should have it looked at. Will a Zachary guitar be just another one of these short lived toys that you will loose interest in, like a kid who no longer pics up his expensive toy 2 weeks after Christmas? If you think this may happen, don't buy a Zachary guitar. It will not benefit either one of us.

- Are you a competent enough player to take advantage of what a Zachary guitar has to offer?
You have to either be a competent player or you have to be knowledgeable about guitars to appreciate a Zachary Guitar. If you posses both of these qualities, you will love my guitars. If you can not make good use of what these guitars have to offer it will not benefit either one of us.

- Will you play the guitar?
My guitars are for playing and they are built for players. Will you play it religiously every day or will you just store it in the case and pick it up once a month, every six month or hardly ever. Even if you suck as a player, you can still play the guitar. If you will not play the guitar then it will not benefit either one of us.

 

If you are not truly serious about owning a Zachary guitar for the long term then lets not even do it and save everyone the hassle. I need a long term commitment from whoever buys one of my guitars. Yes, its like getting married. I am in the enviable position to be able to choose who I sell a guitar to because I do not build guitars for the money. I do it strictly for the love of it. I have another business that pays the bills very well.

I have made some mistakes in the past that still bother me. I sold some guitars to individuals who I should not have sold to.
People's lack of knowledge and experience about guitars, lack of playing skills and an impulsive shopping disorder all contribute to sending a Zachary guitar to the wrong home. This always makes me sad. This type of scenario creates problems and discomfort for both me and the customer.

Please understand that buying a guitar from a builder is very different from buying a guitar from a store. A store does not care who they sell to as long as they sell as much as possible. Its your money they are after. People who own or work at music stores are not emotionally attached to any of their products. With me its a very different situation.
When you buy a handmade guitar from the builder, you are taking a part of the builder with you. A handmade guitar is a personal creation and has emotions attached to it.

But you already knew all this.

Thank you for understanding.

Now go on down to that fancy music store and put a deposit down on that heavily advertised, flashy, vintage, signature model with the killer top.
Its much easier than dealing with this crap and the fucking attitude.

---

 

Eli Friedmann sums it all up and makes these very important points, which I totally agree with:

OK, I have to make just this one comment... anyone who is physically unable to really play....should NOT NOT NOT get a Zach. Period. Get a Mexican Strat with 9s on it and be done with it. Or the most 3d looking flamed top Ed Roman abomination with the pick ups installed backwards. Perfect for hanging on the wall. I mean Come ON. these Zach guitars are for playing so for fuck's sake if you cannot play it just forget it. Anything else is just insulting to the guitar maker and the guitar. Especially some of these stripped down performance machines. And if you somehow are addicted to looking at Zachs but cannot play just buy a big ass computer monitor and browse the web site. The pictures are fantastic and somebody who deserves to own the guitar (and will play it till the frets are worn down to nothing) will get it instead. Imagine, 12 guitars made in a year one painful step at a time...to have even one just sit in the case without being put to real use...screw that. Seriously!    Eli

 

The idea of beginners or people with phisical disabilities or lawyer/doctor/collector/non-players buying Zachs just bugs me. First, build up your ability on a crap guitar....then maybe you will really get the most out of a Zach. Hard playing, soft playing, slow, fast, clean amp, OD amp, punk rock, whatever your style...it does not matter. But if that CONNECTION is not present...it is all a total waste of your time and serious efforts. I’ll admit, watching someone not be able to really do anything on a Zachary guitar is a little disturbing. These guitars just say ”PLAY already!!” These are crazy sound machines. You just look at the trem equiped models and all these nutty things come out. However, if you do not have the ability, you will not be able to make it do anything. Can you at least do some nice driving rhythm playing?....one really well played note? An original song? Most peole do not deserve a Zach. You have to earn it. Shit, when I have an off day or am not practicing enough I do not deserve my Zachs either. These guitars do not respect you when you are not on your game....I will be shedding extra hard in 2006 so those 11s on the hollow do not humiliate me.  Eli

If anyone wants to contact contact me personally he should feel free. I can explain in detail why it is a BAD idea for anyone who is not able to really play 100% to order a Zachary guitar. The only purpose of the instrument is to be played 100%. they are not for "half playing" or hanging on the wall or looking at or anything else. If your hands are out of commission because of chronic illness you should not buy a Zachary. I say this because some have wasted Alex's time and then could not play the gutiar. It is a total waste for both you and the builder. If you MUST spend large sums on an instrument you cannot really play get a "private stock" PRS. Or one of the hundreds of other guitars that are perfect for not playing. Since Alex goes out of his way to explain that he screens his customers I think this all makes perfect sense. He picks his customers and cares what happens to the guitars once he sells them.. Why should he spend 4-6 weeks of hard work building an instrument by hand if it will not really be played??

I should only add that I am no expert on arthritis. SO if there is some special kind of arthritis they lets you have full pain free use of your hands and you can really play the crap out of the guitar...then obviously that should play no part in whether or not they are somebody who should receive a Zachary guitar. All other things being equal they should order one. If you are an incredible bad ass who can have horrible disabling swelling/pain in the hands and STILL can play for real and are devoted to doing this....by all means, order a Zach. I have a feeling this theoretical person does not exist. If they DO, I have nothing to say on that except congrats to you. Side note:

Some may get angry at my comments. Some may want my neck broken like rich lawyers and doctors, guitar collectors, impulsive middle-aged materialists, ebay rats who buy and sell gutiars on a dayly basis, all people who cannot play. If you feel you are being discriminated against, then just be realistic and remember that if you are not a serious player a Zachary guitar is not for you. Don't be first in line for a Zach which will then not be played and still have all 24 (or 26) frets unblemished after years of "use".

If for ANY reason you cannot play and will not be able to in the future, DO NOT order a Zach. That is the bottom line. There are hundreds of companies that are delighted to take your $ and they do not care if you ever touch it after that point. It is not like a Zach will make you any cooler to the outside world. The outside world will be more impressed with a PRS or "custom shop" Gibson or Fender. The fact that "super fancy" and/or "special" or "handmade" guitars are disproportionately bought by people who do not play them is a shame and this company is the exception to that rule.
And finally, I am just a player expressing an opinion. I determine no policy by anyone.   Eli (NYC)

 

Here is a comment from very angry "Houndog" ...aspiring guitar tinkerer

(Zachary is saying) - I'm going to start building what I feel like building, then I'll decide if you deserve my guitar and maybe, MAYBE, I'll condescend to sell it to you for an amount that is several hundreds of times more than it is worth. How does that sound for a business plan? That guy has got to be the biggest ass in Canada. I wonder how long it took him to write all those unbiased, unsolicited testimonials from his disciples? Oxygen is waisted on people like him.
If money were no object I'd become the biggest collector of his "guitars", and every year I'd host a huge party where every guest gets to smash one to smithereens and throw it on the enormous fire built entirely out of his high priced firewood. Personally , I'd like to "earn" one of his guitars by smashing his head in with one!
Walpole, Ma. - Jeff 'Houndog' Porter - part time tinkerer/full time guitar chat room poster