Custom77

I have no background or education in design. Everything started as an accident.

Guitar design history is amazing but there is still many things to do. And I’m just designing the guitars I’d love to play and that doesn’t exist yet.

I was pretty much forced to become one: With the other guitarist of my band, jerome, we decided in 2007 to create a guitar brand named Custom77. We started with classic electric guitar models that almost every company is doing. One and half year later we started to think about making our own designs. And as a matter of fact, I made a guitar design long time ago for a Fender competition, and that I’ve never sent because I discovered it was limited to US citizen. So I took that design, reworked it and it was the first original design we produced: The Lust For Life. And from that, we’ve continued designing new and original guitars and it seems we’re pretty good at that in our industry.

The small difference is really the artistic feeling of the designer. Everyone can study design but you have to have something in you that cannot be taught. That twist that will change a good guitar player into Jimi Hendrix. We don’t know what makes a great musician different from a good one. It’s the same for a designer. Because he’s an artist.

The details. Many guitars have a pretty nice design but details are missing. It’s the final touches that will change a good design into a great design. This is what a great designer do I guess.

Because a good design speaks to the feeling and not to the logical aspect. And when you touch someone in the “guts”, then the work is done. It will be hard for someone else to convince him to not buy this design.

I’d love to design for a guitar company like Fender. But major brands are unfortunatly cold feet with new designs. And I’m pretty sure they’re wrong to restrain themselves. Mainly because they’re biggest opponent is the second hand market they created through years. And new design is the only way to oblige customers to buy something new from them. I’d love to work for ESP guitars and bring a vintage feel to their catalog. Ibanez and Yamaha have great design history and are under exploiting their heritage. Rickenbacker has enormous potential as well, but cold feet too. Actually, many major brands would be amazing to work with.

The Yamaha SG5 guitar and the Mosrite. It’s totally original but not too crazy so it doesn’t scared guitar player. The curves are really sexy. In more recent years, I loved the Yamaha CV820WB designed by Wes Borland, the ESP FRX, the ESP Xtone (that could have been even better with some twists)...

I have no particular favorite. The Lust For Life which was the first one is important because it defines the overall design style of the brand and everything comes from it. The Blackout matters too as it’s for that design that we won many design awards worldwide. It’s really an original design that pushes boundaries. Looking really extreme but never scaring people.

I wouldn’t define me a designer as my main activity is running a guitar company with my partner jerome. The design is just a part of the whole thing. But if it was my main activity, it would be amazing. Unfortunately, there’s no point in designing 20 new guitars a year. Every model has to be then promoted and too many designs will cannibalize each other. So I have to restrain myself...

In the guitar industry, I’d say design is transforming a sonic tool into a visual beauty.

Jerome is a big part of our success. I do most of it but at the end, when I hesitate, he’s the one who help take the good decision. And that small twist can make all the difference.