I get a lot of questions everyday about my guitars. I feel like all the questions really stem from the root question of “Why Choose a Rohlack?”
Hopefully this page will help you out a bit. First of all, my main answer is “You don’t have to.” Seriously, I won’t ever pressure you into getting a guitar, nor am I after your money. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I’ll tell you a little more about who I am and what I do. I’ll wait for you to get your popcorn and a soda.
Putting together and playing guitars has always been a passion of mine; ask any of my friends or my bandmates. I’ve been a guitar player since I was 15 (currently 30). I would sit in guitar stores for hours and test out guitars (acoustics and electrics). I would take apart and put together guitars because I love to see how things work. I would put together the puzzle pieces of correlation between: price tags, cosmetics, woods, shapes, electronics, brands, feel, and “hype”. Some guitars were a “bang for the buck” and some were “This is a great guitar….but not (insert price) great.” What always got my interest in a guitar was:
I’m attracted to it. Looks can be deceiving, but it will always get my interest.
It feels good. The weight, the neck, the finish..easy to play.
It inspires me and brings out the best player in me. Could be the neck profile, the pickups, the set-up, or the idea of being in love (guitar players know what I mean). There are certain guitars that I can play that bring out a certain player inside me that other guitars can’t do. It’s a weird science. I also only write songs on piano. Piano does that to me.
If I’m being honest, I kind of want people to be (a little) jealous that I have this certain guitar.
When I started building guitars, I wanted people to have that experience. I want people to play my guitars and be attracted to them, to love how they play, and to be inspired when they are playing it. I’ve always loved vintage guitars. Not just for the look, but for the FEEL! The rubbed off neck, the wear and tear, and I never have to look down and say “oh no…a scratch!”. So that’s the vibe I was going for with Rohlack Guitars, except I added some modern twists to the design/electronics that I feel are more applicable to today’s (touring) musicians, like: locking tuners, truss rod adjustments @ headstock, custom wirings, exotic woods, etc. I like to think they are the vintage guitars 50 years from now inspired my guitars from the prior 100 years (let that sink in).
Did I re-invent the wheel? Not at all. There are so many talented builders out there that have the passion I have. Did I get into this to make money? Didn’t even think about it. I’m a full time accountant (Which is why I don’t depend on this for income, and can keep prices down). I built the first guitar for me and my own pleasure. Then came “dude, can I buy one of those off of you?” If no one ever bought one, I’d still be doing it (for as long as I could afford). It’s what I love to do, and you should know that before you take my advice or give me a dollar.
So why choose Rohlack Guitars? You don’t have to…but I stand behind my work and I’m a guitar player that knows good guitars and what makes good guitars…good. I’m not out to make a profit or get your money or be the biggest “hype” brand on the market. I’m also not too proud to admit that I may not be the guy to build you your guitar. Every guitar I build would be a guitar that I would love to have and play. If it’s not, then I usually will refer you somewhere else. Yes, I’m talking about bigbys, 7 strings, baritones, floyd roses, etc. Those aren’t bad things, but I know what I’m good at and I know what I don’t care to be good at. Money is the last thing I talk about in all my emails. I just want you to be excited about the idea of a guitar that you’ll love to play.
SO if any of the guitars attract you, you owe it to yourself to send me an email, especially if you’ve read this far. Let’s talk about the guitars that you enjoy and dream up an idea of a guitar that will inspire the best player that you can be.
Did you really make it to reading this far? I wonder if that deserves a discount.