NGD - PS Tremonti Stop Tail

xxxadixxx

New Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2022
Messages
586
This one has been a long time coming and it has not fully sunk in yet. Many of the forum members helped answer questions in the early stages which allowed me the opportunity to have my dream guitar built. The process started in August 2023 as I began working with my selected Dealer (@Brian G and team were amazing!). We had the initial design completed by Sep 2023 and finalized with a vault visit (and plant tour) in Dec 2023. That began the long wait until an email last month indicating the guitar was completed. Brian's Guitars sent some initial pictures last week (which some of you may have seen on their Instagram) and I received it today. The pictures did not do it justice. After a few tweaks, I put in about an hour test drive. It is simply stunning. The step up in design and fit & finish from even wood library is amazing.

I went down this path after seeing a Paul Davids video with his PRS which has the birds of a feather inlay. I could not get it out of my head. As a woodworker, the detail and execution required for that inlay just blew me away. The other details that required a PS build was a black limba back and rosewood neck. While there have been some WL builds with one of the two, PS was the only way to get both and the inlay. This is how the build started when I interviewed Dealers. The team at Brian's Guitars were the most experienced, have impeccable designs, and very knowledgeable about the process. The final build is very much a collaborative effort with Brian, who personally added several design elements I never would have imagined. It's a true dream come true to go through the process which resulted in a guitar more incredible than I saw in my head.

Design Highlights:
Model
- Tremonti Stop Tail, semi-hollow (without F-hole)... it weighs ~7.5 lbs!
Top Wood - Quilt maple
Back Wood - Black Limba (amber nitro to even out the color a bit)
Neck Wood - Ziricote
Fretboard - Ebony & Quilt maple
Inlay - Birds of a feather (stained to match the top)
Finish - high gloss nitro Sub-zero glow smoke burst

First impressions of the PS build quality are great. When comparing their finishing on the fretboard to my other ebony guitars, there is no comparison. No tool marks and it is impeccable. The rolled edges, fret condition, etc. It plays effortlessly. I used to be one of those "is PS worth it?" people and I get it now. With that said, I still recognize it is a crazy amount of money and therefore the quality should be top notch. The guitar rips! I knew what I was getting as this is my favorite model, though I was uncertain on how the semi-hollow change would impact the guitar. It is much lighter than my other Tremonti's (even lighter than my DC594's). The tone has a very small amount less bottom end. The resonance is incredible and adds a great physical feel while I am playing. What else can I say, I am very thankful and ready to play more punk/metal on the most incredible guitar.

54214566977_9390409b38_c.jpg


(Rear view from Brian's)
54215708553_7445c4bb03_z.jpg


That inlay!
54214567187_469d245020_z.jpg
 
This one has been a long time coming and it has not fully sunk in yet. Many of the forum members helped answer questions in the early stages which allowed me the opportunity to have my dream guitar built. The process started in August 2023 as I began working with my selected Dealer (@Brian G and team were amazing!). We had the initial design completed by Sep 2023 and finalized with a vault visit (and plant tour) in Dec 2023. That began the long wait until an email last month indicating the guitar was completed. Brian's Guitars sent some initial pictures last week (which some of you may have seen on their Instagram) and I received it today. The pictures did not do it justice. After a few tweaks, I put in about an hour test drive. It is simply stunning. The step up in design and fit & finish from even wood library is amazing.

I went down this path after seeing a Paul Davids video with his PRS which has the birds of a feather inlay. I could not get it out of my head. As a woodworker, the detail and execution required for that inlay just blew me away. The other details that required a PS build was a black limba back and rosewood neck. While there have been some WL builds with one of the two, PS was the only way to get both and the inlay. This is how the build started when I interviewed Dealers. The team at Brian's Guitars were the most experienced, have impeccable designs, and very knowledgeable about the process. The final build is very much a collaborative effort with Brian, who personally added several design elements I never would have imagined. It's a true dream come true to go through the process which resulted in a guitar more incredible than I saw in my head.

Design Highlights:
Model
- Tremonti Stop Tail, semi-hollow (without F-hole)... it weighs ~7.5 lbs!
Top Wood - Quilt maple
Back Wood - Black Limba (amber nitro to even out the color a bit)
Neck Wood - Ziricote
Fretboard - Ebony & Quilt maple
Inlay - Birds of a feather (stained to match the top)
Finish - high gloss nitro Sub-zero glow smoke burst

First impressions of the PS build quality are great. When comparing their finishing on the fretboard to my other ebony guitars, there is no comparison. No tool marks and it is impeccable. The rolled edges, fret condition, etc. It plays effortlessly. I used to be one of those "is PS worth it?" people and I get it now. With that said, I still recognize it is a crazy amount of money and therefore the quality should be top notch. The guitar rips! I knew what I was getting as this is my favorite model, though I was uncertain on how the semi-hollow change would impact the guitar. It is much lighter than my other Tremonti's (even lighter than my DC594's). The tone has a very small amount less bottom end. The resonance is incredible and adds a great physical feel while I am playing. What else can I say, I am very thankful and ready to play more punk/metal on the most incredible guitar.

54214566977_9390409b38_c.jpg


(Rear view from Brian's)
54215708553_7445c4bb03_z.jpg


That inlay!
54214567187_469d245020_z.jpg
Nice
 
How do you like the semihollow without the f hole? Does it sound different than a semihollow with an f hole? Really curious.
Great question. I do not have any direct experience with a semihollow. This was an adjustment as they were building the guitar when the observed it might be a bit heavy. All I can compare it to is my other Tremonti's with the only difference being slightly less bottom end and more physical resonance (I can feel it vibrate more) when playing. I would imagine those would be the same for a semihollow with an f-hole though its only an assumption.
 
Great question. I do not have any direct experience with a semihollow. This was an adjustment as they were building the guitar when the observed it might be a bit heavy. All I can compare it to is my other Tremonti's with the only difference being slightly less bottom end and more physical resonance (I can feel it vibrate more) when playing. I would imagine those would be the same for a semihollow with an f-hole though its only an assumption.
Thanks for the prompt reply! My girlfriend keeps asking me this question for when my PS arrives (ETA changed from November to February) so I’ll ask you, what was the first thing you played on it when you got it?
 
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