Gettin' in Tune at October Guitars

By Mark R. Smith, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

When Tony Leicht, owner of October Guitars, moved his growing business from a tiny space on Main Street in Ellicott City to a slightly larger location in Historic Savage Mill in September 2006, he took an important step toward making a name for himself as a craftsman of custom instruments.
That move proved prescient, as Leicht (pronounced "Light") started garnering a steady stream of orders for his designs, which sell for anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 each, from all over the country.
However, his next hurdle wasn't so much about his workspace - it was about the semi-constant buzzing and banging that emanated from his address. Woodworking (including guitar building, apparently) is not a quiet business, a fact that wasn't lost among some of his new neighbors.
What were Leicht and Steve Adler, the managing partner at Historic Savage Mill, to do? Get a move on, that's what, as Adler recently offered another space for the shop the next floor down that was about four times larger - for just $200 more monthly.
So the "problem" was actually a stroke of good luck. The company now has ample space for the construction, painting and finishing of the custom axes (slang for guitar); and thus has doubled its business. And that has spurred Leitch to exhibit October Guitars' wares at The 2008 NAMM Show (for the international musical instruments and products industry) in the Anaheim (California) Convention Center this coming January, with the market looking hungry for custom products.

The Finer Things
Leicht, who ran the business "hand to mouth" for a couple of years, has also hired four additional staff members since coming to the mill, including a technician to focus on repairs. That in turn has allowed him to work more on his specialty, which is building the instruments.
Today, the company is building about five new guitars that were primarily purchased over the Internet, as well as handling about a dozen repairs. "Any guitar that you buy, even an expensive one, is going to need some setup work," he said. "That means making sure the strings are close to the fret board and that the intonation is set correctly - and that's never the case with factory-bought guitars."
Those guitars might be built by respected industry leaders like Gibson or Fender and purchased from a big chain like Guitar Center (which was just purchased by Bain Capital Partners LLC for $1.9 billion, plus assumed debt), built in a factory like the offerings of Maryland-based Paul Reed Smith Guitars or part of some less expensive import line - in fact, Leitch might eventually go that latter route if October Guitars continues to grow.
"The setup work makes all of the difference in the tone and playability of the instrument," Leitch said, "but in those cases, human hands do not touch the guitars before the strings go on."
The type of wood and electronics (meaning the pickups, the volume and tone knobs and gauge wire) used "are the two main factors that have to do with sound of the instrument," he said, noting that mahogany is an open-grained wood with a warm bass tone, while maple is a dense with a bright tone.
And part of the allure of building custom guitars, which take about three months to complete, are the opportunities for personalization with recent emblazonments like a Confederate flag, various other designs with hot rod metal flake, airbrush graphics and even holograms; as well as fret boards that have been accentuated with inlays like moonscapes, initials, skulls and even crop circles.

Tell It Like It Is
Some of Leitch's customers were quick to explain the value of customization, such as Mike Graziano, lead guitarist of area rock band Stiff Richard.
"For one, Tony's workmanship is top notch, including the way the guitar looks, plays, feels and sounds," said Graziano.
"I love Les Pauls, but Gibson doesn't make one with a tremolo bar that I like," he said, "but Tony can build one. And if I had gone to straight to Gibson, it would have cost me more than $3,000 for their version. He can make one for me for less than half of that amount."
But the art of Leitch's deal isn't just about money. "He's more interested in building the guitar right," Graziano said. "The quality of all of his stuff is second to none."
Today, Leitch is working on the third custom guitar that Graziano has bought in the last couple of years at a combined cost of more than $8,000. It will feature a single cut-away body, a Kahler tremolo and dual humbuckers (pickups). "Now, I finally feel like I can sell my overpriced Les Paul that I bought at Guitar Center for $2,200 earlier this year," Graziano said.
Similar observations were offered by John Jones, a Pasadena resident who is in the midst of founding a rock band. He has five guitars, mostly Gibsons.
"All guitars have their separate features and uniqueness, and I decided that I wanted one that had the best qualities of each, like the spacing of strings or the profile of the neck," said Jones. "After buying a custom guitar from Gibson for $3,300, I figured that Tony would charge more than $5,000 for what I wanted.
Then Jones got the bill: It was for $2,400. "He educates you, yet listens to what you want. That's a big thing," he said, "because there are not many custom guitar builders in the region."
That's also a big thing because, while the large companies offer a custom line, those guitars are still considered to be off the rack, and they must be purchased through a dealer. "You can't call the big companies unless you're a big-name rock star and get what you want," Jones said.

Crank It Up
Leitch's timing in revving up his business engine might be just right, said Scott Robertson, director of marketing and communications for NAMM, who observed an increase in demand for custom guitars. "The market for fretted instruments is the strongest of any instrumental category," he said, noting net sales of more than $1 billion in 2006.
Robertson also said now is "the right time" for an entrepreneur like Leitch to start exhibiting to the mass market, as NAMM is expecting more than 86,000 people and 15,000 exhibitors to attend its upcoming convention.
It seems like "more of the big suppliers like Gibson, Fender and Peavy all have custom shops these days," he said, noting that Peavy just jumped into that market. "He will see manufacturers and suppliers from all over the world that may be interested in his product."
And the even better news? "All told, it seems that more and more people are interested in making music these days," Robertson said.