I read a review about Haywire Custom Guitars here that I feel in my heart is just not true. I have over 25 guitars set up and repaired by Rick at Haywire Custom Guitars, so I can tell you hes knows what he is doing. Many of these guitars are very valuable and I want them to keep their value. So I trust Rick will treat my guitars with care and respect as I would do. I live within 10 miles of the shop, so if I want to drop in and check on the work being performed he is always glad to see me and shows me in detail exactly what hes doing. As well as he always explains what and why he is doing it on my instruments. Rick is interested in teaching me as much as he can about my guitars, which I very much appreciate. Whoever this guy Jamie is, he didnt get his work done at Haywire Custom Shop.

I ordered a Jazzman in Sea Foam Green with a maple fretboard and boy am I jazzed!!! It came set up impeccably and felt like an old friend right out of the box,. Its the brightest and fullest sound of any guitar I have(And I have chambered and Semi-Hollow guitars in my collection!) which is important to me because I live in a apartment bldg. and usually dont use my amp. It sound awesome through the amp though and the treble bleed circuit is great. Do yourself a favor and try them out. It is a supreme value and I love it!!!

Haywire Custom Guitars is your go-to place for specialty guitar work - period! Big jobs, overhauls, or small tweaks all get the same highly professional treatment. Add to that Ricks fantastic communication, extremely fast turn-time on your project, and quick shipping. Local luthiers cant hold a candle to Haywire, so I send all my projects to him!

I called Rick and told him what I was wanting to accomplish and he was so easy to talk to and really sounded genuinely excited to help me. I really like thinner type necks as I own a 2000 Carvin and several Ibanez guitars as well and love those necks too. I loved my Les Pauls tone and also my Custom Warmoth Sustainiac Guitar but just hated the baseball bat type necks. So I sent Rick my Carvin neck from 2000 as it is my most favorite neck of all. I also sent him my Warmoth neck and my Les Paul guitar. Within a week I received everything back and the Warmoth and the Les Paul had the same feel as my Carvin. I just couldnt believe how great they turned out and how much better they play now. You cant even tell they were modified. They look and feel that good and were cosmetically matched very well. I will be sending another 1974 Les Paul Custom to get the neck shaved so I can actually enjoy playing that one too. For the price you cant beat Ricks services. Very professional, Quick turnaround and Highly recommended. I will be doing more business with Haywire Custom Guitars for Sure !!!

After four months of going back-and- forth with a completely clueless Guitar Center tech who was seemingly incapable of acquiring and installing a new preamp in a Thunderbird Pro V - and finally just pulling out guitar out of Guitar Center and ordering a Bartolini preamp - I stumbled upon Haywire Guitars in aGoogle search for guitar technicians. Rick had our Thunderbird singing again in less than two hours, preamp installed, and the guitar setup for maximum playability. A professional guitarist himself, he takes the time to explain everything he does, and why, to help get your instrument into peak playing firm. I highly recommend Haywire, and will definitely use Rick’s services in the future.

I cant say enough about how positive my experience was with Rick at Haywire Guitar. Rick was able to take my unusual custom design and turn it into reality, with a reasonable timeline (in spite of COVID related delays), and at an unbelievable price. Honestly, you could pay double or more and not get anything better. I was especially impressed with the quality of the electronics (a lot of guitar makers have trouble with this aspect), and the fretwork. As soon as I started to play the guitar I noticed that my hands were more relaxed, and even after hours of playing I had no strain or cramps (something us not-so-young players have to worry about), and the tones I was getting were absolutely stunning. If you need a top quality custom guitar made to your specs, and you dont want to get a second mortgage on your house to do so, give Rick a call!

Rick Mariner and his team do the highest quality work with blinding speed! I shipped a bass guitar neck to Haywire on a Wednesday with my specifications for reshaping and received it back the following Monday! The work they performed was outstanding as well as personal communication from Rick. If you are looking for superior custom guitar work thats coupled with unsurpassed customer service, there is no place other than Haywire Custom!

Haywire Custom Guitars is very special as Rick not only knows his stuff inside and out but he genuinely wants to help you. Being very detail oriented he goes the extra mile to fully complete any project hes working on. I would recommend him to both beginner and expert. Simply the best.

Enjoyed meeting Rick, super guy, set my newest guitar right, Ill be taking him a few more to set intonation and more than likely talk about a build.

I will be receiving my Surf-Green Strat from Haywire Custom Guitars in the coming week. This is the 2nd guitar that I purchased from Haywire Custom Guitars. Rick showed me a picture of this guitar and it looks spectacular!!!!! I am a big fan of retro colors. I love my first guitar from Haywire which is a Shell-Pink Tele. I wrote a review of that already. This is what I will be getting from Haywire Custom Guitars.......Chris,I Very much appreciate your patronage for your second guitar Chris! Added is a new Quarter sawn Dark Rosewood neck with Medium Jumbo frets, leveled, crowned, dressed, tested and played. I selected a very dark Red-Brown color for your fret board. Why use Quarter sawn? Its a great a milling method used for fine guitar necks and fingerboards because, in addition to being visually appealing, the straight grain makes the board very strong and about 50 percent more stable than a plain-sawn board. Quarter sawn wood is less susceptible to wear, shrinking, swelling in width, twisting, warping and splitting.Also included is the White Pearl guard you especially like in the sample photo sent. The pickups are our own noiseless SRVs with the Treble Bleed circuit included as well as a tone control on the bridge pickupnot found on Fender Strats. The pickups scatter wound with wax potted coils. The Middle is RWRP for humbucking operation in positions 2 and 4. The Neck 7.58K, Middle 7.4K, Bridge 7.9K & custom wiring allwork together perfectly to capture a Great vintage sound. After the pickup install proper pickup height adjustments were achieved for best sound reproduction possible.All work completed for you for $622 and includes: shipping neck install, angle set, truss rod adjust, setup, fret level, fret dressing, intonation set, strings, rolled edges, action set 10 gauge strings and New tuners and Full setup. Added also is the Haywire logo on the headstock.I think youll love it as much as the Pink Tele. Thanks again for your trust and confidence! I look forward to our next project.Sincerely,Rick MarinerHaywire Custom Guitar Shop HaywireCustomGuitars. comMusicians working for musicians. . . Now that is not only quality but customer service to the 10th degree!!!!!! Haywire Custom Guitars are the best unknown/little known guitar company I believe in the USA. My Shell-Pink Tele that Rick constructed is built like a tank but plays like a dream!! If you want a guitar that is $2000 on up quality but half or 1/3 the price; then check out Haywire Custom Guitars!!! And NO, I am NOT being payed by Haywire Custom Guitars to write this review. I am an EXTREMELY HAPPY customer!!!Christopher L. Sinisi

I have been playing for 50 years. Here is my most recent purchase, a Haywire P bass with a lightweight body plus a matte finish on the neck that has been set up exactly to my specs. This my third Haywire. (One Strat and two P basses) I have been a customer close to ten years and all I can say is that I wish I had discovered Haywire when I was younger! RIck also can modify and adjust any guitar. He does restorations as well. Thanks for the good service as usual.

Rick and Haywire are first class. Awesome service and response. We went back and forth on my custom project, making it better and better. His work is unbelievable.

My husband took 2 guitars to Rick, one to be worked on and the other to have measurements taken from. The guitar he was having worked on was supposed to have a new Floyd Rose system with all the new hardware installed and the guitar neck shaved to match the measurements from the other guitar. Upon picking the guitar up, it was discovered that none of the new hardware for the Floyd Rose was used, the new nut wasnt installed, and not only was the neck shaving was not straight, but the back of the neck was not refinished to be smooth--the wood is pitted. I would not suggest taking your instrument to Rick, especially if the guitar has value. Were now on the hunt for a real luthier to fix our lack in judgement.

It has been a first-rate experience working with Haywire Custom Guitars. It was my goal to assemble a Telecaster style guitar with a 1 3/4 neck to accommodate my desire to play fingerstyle and get jazzy on a Telecaster. Rick from Haywire set me up beautifully. I purchased a loaded Nashville Tele he had available, and he built me a custom neck. The neck is awesome and the set-up of the guitar is the best Ive ever had. The guitar plays fantastic looks great, and came to me at an awesome price. Rick is an excellent communicator, and he guided me through the entire process meeting my needs and offering excellent guidance. Its no problem to add any tweaks you desire--I did request locking tuners. Its clear that pride in workmanship and the highest level guitar experience are front and center at Haywire. When the guitar arrived--and it did so quickly--I was blown away. I recommend Haywire very highly!!

Incredible experience!!!The knowledge, skill, and willingness to make it happen to the satisfaction of the player/customer can not be more evident. Rick walked us through the process step by step; and with each application we were able to test the instrument on the spot. On top of the five star rating .... We would like to add ten thumbs up!!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

When I started shopping for a new guitar Rick at Haywire was one of a half dozen emails I sent out. He was the only one to call me and we talked for at least a half hour. After another long call early one morning I purchased a beautiful Furch that I love, and then sent him my 45 year old Martin D-28 for some set-up work and pickup installation. He also repaired a small scratched area on the back at no cost! Rick is very knowledgeable and a true craftsman. His prices are very reasonable - I just wish he was close to me so I could easily visit his shop. If you are in the market to buy, or need repairs (or if you need a custom guitar built - Rick is a luthier) Rick Mariner and Haywire Custom Guitars get my highest recommendation.

Hello Haywire Custom Guitars Inc...Thanks for selling me a great guitar at a great price. My greatest expectations were fully realized when I unboxed your beautifully crafted Sky Blue Classic-Jazzmaster Guitar. This beauty plays and sounds just as good as it looks. By the way, thanks for your extra attention to detail. Your service is all at once, professional, proficient and polite.Thanks, D.E. Culbertson

EXCELLENT SERVICE!!! It is very difficult to get to and find!! And DONT count on ur GPS either!! It is out of a home on the river not a store!! BUT!! He is an awesome freakin guy!!! Super sweet and kind!! And did a GREAT job of restringing my travel Guitar!He BLDS guitars he said for professional artist all over! And he did a wonderful job with mine and was above and beyond nice and kind!Please give this guy ur bus because HE IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE PRIVATE BUS FOLKS WE NEED TO NE SUPPORTING!!!ANDDD HE ONLY CHARGED 10 TO RESTRING MY GUITAR AND FILE MY FRET BARS ETC... JUST A GREAT GUY!He is off hwy 90 near Conway! Rt on the river! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍✌️✌️🤘🤘🖖🖖😁😁👌👌🙋

Found by accident. Needed pickups in a custom 90s jackson. Guitar center was lost. Also set up on brand new Kramer Dave Szabo. Fast comfortable environment. The sound and feel without robbing the bank. Gig ready is an understatement

I been trying to find a Luthier that can do it all in my area and I had no luck until I called Rick Mariner Haywire Guitars. Rick took my 60’s Gibson SG Jr. which was unplayable and he brought it back to life. Rick is the go to guy in the Pee Dee area.

Rick knows guitars! He has been able to correct issues with my guitars without hesitation, effortlessly. He is very accommodating with his time also. A great musician who understands what other musicians need with their instruments. I feel fortunate to have someone like Rick available to help me with my passion of music. Reasonable price for his work, great at what he does, and a cool guy. Win! Win! Craig Peacock

Rick @ Haywire Custom Guitars was absolutely awesome in helping me get a hard to find Furch acoustic guitar at a great deal. He handled all the communication with the distributor and was persistent in getting me the guitar I wanted (which was hard to find). He also set up the guitar to my preferences. Rick is a very knowledgeable, kind, and passionate guy, one who’s all about helping out fellow musicians. I know that if I ever need another Furch guitar or want to purchase a killer electric guitar I will definitely contact Rick and Haywire Custom Guitars.

Rick has made, modified, restored, finished guitars for me. He is by far the best guitar builder that i have come across in my 35 years of playing professionally. I live in Toronto, Canada and I gladly sent my guitars to Rick in South Carolina when special attention is needed.

I asked Rick to swap out some hardware for me on my Floyd Rose and to shave my neck down he didnt use new equipment that I had paid for and tried to tell me that thats not what I asked for. I also asked him to shave my neck down and when I told him it wasnt straight he said thats the best he can do and wouldnt do anything else more for me if anybody has a guitar I would not take it to him he has no idea what hes doing and he wont back up any of his work

I purchased a lovely semi hollow hand made custom guitar from Rick Mariner at Haywire guitars. Rick’s guitars are unique and beautifully crafted. He’s a wonderful guy and works really hard to provide instruments that answer the needs of individual performers, rather than expecting you to conform to the sensibilities of his instruments. If you want an artisan quality instrument, with its own voice, rather than a hastily made cookie cutter carbon copy of someone else’s, this is a great place to go.(All this and he will work with you to craft a project that you can afford!)Skip Gailes35 years in the jazz faculty at Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFulbright Scholar Specialist

I had Rick set up my Gretch guitar and have had him setup several other guitars. He is the best at what he does. My guitars had already been setup but they really came to life after Ricks setup. He is very knowledgeable and talented at what he does. He is an excellent player to boot and knows what guitarist need for top level playability. Highly recommended.

Haywire is the real deal. I have had Rick set up/mod my guitars for a few years now and he takes the time and has the skill to get it right. Recently decided to do a custom build T style guitar and met with Rick to go over the specs and materials. He finished it in a very timely manner and I couldnt be happier with the results. The guitar plays, sounds and looks incredible (2 shows in and I havent touched my prior main guitar). If youre in the market for a guitar or need repair/modification I would definitely give Rick a call.

One of the most friendly guy Ive ever done business with. He stands behind his work and checks with you to make sure your satisfied. He has shaved and changed the profile on 2 necks for me. All I can say is he done a professional job. 100% satisfied Thanks Rick

Haywire does awesome work for reasonable rates. Rick is knowledgable and gets right to the point with the work at hand. My guitars have never played as well or sounded so good.

I had 2 guitars set-up by Rick today at his shop. A Takamine acoustic electric and an Epiphone Les Paul electric. What a wonderful learning experience. Rick first worked on the acoustic, explaining each step, the tools used for each step and how those tools remedied the faults in the guitar. He left no stone unturned. He checked an adjusted both necks, set the action, intonation, pickup clearance, checked every string and fret repeatedly for the slightest hint of string buzz. So methodical! He truly wants the customer to have the best instrument possible. To top it all off, he has a great, easy going personality. I felt I made a friend when I left. Quality work done by a quality person. Highest recommendation.

I was tentative at first to let Rick - or anyone for that matter - work on my guitar, but once he set the first one up I knew he was knowledgeable and skilled. So now I wont leave him alone, I have a Gibson and Tele that were both buzzing out when Id do bends - he fixed. I had a 12 string Conn -left for dead - he completely re worked it (had parts on hand) and put a pick up in it, now i play it often. I would give him 10 stars if I could, one of the nicest people Ive ever met.

Ordered my dad a lightweight custom P bass. Its beautiful and arrived very quickly and price was very affordable.

I have been a professional guitarist for 21 years and have very high standards for the instruments I play. Im also very particular about how I like those guitars set up and additional modifications. I have found Rick to be a high level luthier who is capable of any requests and willing to work with a perfectionist such as myself...not always an easy task! If you are looking for high quality guitars matched with high level courtesy and customer service, Rick is your guy. Hes made a few guitars for me and we still collaborate on how to make various improvements as my gig needs change. Thanks for all your help, Rick!

Rick is a true professional and understands what his customers want and need. He has delivered on everything I asked for in a timely manner and the end product is above and beyond expectations.

Rick is a joy and pleasure to work with. Not only are his prices incredibly fair, his work is of the highest craft and attention to detail. I am certainly going nowhere else for my luthier needs going forward!

Excellent service! Great job! Very fair price! Rick knows what hes doing!

Amazing job changing the keys on my classical. Never imagined it had so much to do with the sound. Unless you did extra stuff to it. And charged me not enough money. And during a flood at your property where you had to boat in and out in hazardous conditions. I cant say enough about how good Rick is at what he does.

Does awesome work. Glad I found his services for supping up my guitars and helping with my own custom guitar builds. The best luthier around.

If you are looking for top notch quality service and customer care, then Haywire Custom Guitars is the company for your guitar repair needs. Rick the owner is a great gentleman who treats your guitar as if it were his own. Rick is a master at his craft and puts great effort into customer satisfaction. Also, Haywire provides extremely reasonable pricing and they work on your guitar the second its in their hands. From the day I shipped out my guitar, it was completed and back to me in less than a week. I am extremely happy I found Haywire and I will continue to use them for my guitar needs. A+++ for Rick and everyone at Haywire!

Neck shave saved me from selling my best sounding guitar now I play the guitar daily with so much ease and a lot more faster in chord changes and especially playing lead and it took 1 week including shipping that is what is so great they matched the neck paint with the back of my head stock the guitar looks like that is how it was made If i ever get another softball bat neck I will definitely send to haywire for neck shave and it had no effect on my tone of my guitar

Haywire rocks on acoustic guitar repairs as well as electric!! My beautiful Martin guitar was repaired with the greatest precision, care, and effectiveness.... Beyond what I ever expected. The binding around the body of the guitar was separating in several spots and it was only getting worse.Rick took time to assess the current and future challenge to minimize the chances of it ever happening again.Not only did he repair Martina so well she looked like she just came off the showroom floor....he offered advice and shared his knowledge and expertise.Ricks humble yet confident mannerput me at ease that I had found the right person to handle this delicate and important repair.Haywire was fabulous, timely, and a very fair value. I have already hired Haywire to assist in making another guitar more playable with proper setup and maintenance.My appreciation to Rick and Haywire Custom Guitars for a five star job on my acoustic guitar.

I can not say enough good things about Rick and the work he did on my Classical Guitar! I was ready to sell it because I could not get the action correct. Rick fixed it and now it plays perfectly. Thank your Rick!!!

I recently purchased a custom Nashville Telecaster and in the 45 years of pro playing I have never been more impressed or satisfied with the quality, value or playability of any instrument Ive ever played.This Tele is a sculpted solid maple body with a shaved, standard 3 piece Tele neck and ebony fretboard. It has the single coil complement of SRV pickups, 7 position switching and the treble bleed circuit. Every component is first quality, and the depth, clarity, sustain, and variety on tone in Haywires innovative circuitry design is phenomenal.The flexibility and professionalism of Haywires team allowed me order a premimum instrument with design appointments to my taste and ear, and I ended up with a finely crafted bit of butterscotch blonde magic for $685. It was delivered to my door, perfectly set-up with my string preference. All I had to do was tune it concert and plug it in... several hours later I managed to set it down... for a little while.There is really no reason to spend three times as much for a stock designed guitar when you did can have one made to your specifications. Haywires team are all pro players, and besides their years of experience and impressive client list, its just plain on its face they know their business when you play one of their guitars. You will never regret your investment in a Haywire Custom Guitar.Alton R ~ Austin, TX

So let me tell you about Haywire Guitars! I’ve been playing guitar for almost 20years. I got the opportunity to sit down with Rick and truly design my very own custom guitar! From the colors I want down to the specific specks in the pickups. For such a great price comes a great person behind it building a wonderful guitar for the true player. Rick is very humble and very underrated for the magnificent builds he makes. I just got mine and had to fight to put it down just to write this. Thanks Rick for a true jam up job. Recommend to anyone who wants a real guitar!

I truly enjoyed my experience with Haywire guitars. Ricks patience and thorough questions of what I wanted made for the perfect guitar for me. He encouraged me to consider a wider neck and Im so glad I listened and took the chance. This guitar is such a pleasure to play and Ill say that comes down to Ricks insight. His costs are absolutely reasonable and I would encourage anyone looking for something special to highly consider Haywire Custom Guitars.

I would like to share a recent experience that I had with Rick Mariner at Haywire guitars I own a beautiful 2017 ebony limited run Edition nickel Hardware Gibson Les Paul Custom I love this guitar it is my prized possession. Then 2 weeks ago the unthinkable happened someone knocked it off the guitar stand and broke the headstock completely off of it and it really floored me I thought it was ruined I actually thought about throwing it in the trash but I remember hearing some talk about broken headstocks being fixed on a few sites on the internet so I did some research and found out yes it can be fixed I made some phone calls even called Gibson theyre backlogged and I heard they really dont do that good a job anyway they would rather sell you a new one and fix the broke one all the companies I contacted and spoke with made me more uneasy about having it fixed that is until I spoke to Rick at Haywire guitars I sent him an email and he called me the very next day he was he asked fabulous to talk to very knowledgeable he took his time with me answered all my questions put my mind at ease Rick is very personable professional and courteous and for all the reasons I mentioned I support him on just that so I sent my guitar to him over that weekend he received it Monday had the neck glued and fixed and strings back on it when I spoke with him Monday evening the whole job took less than a week and I had it back the following Monday when I received the guitar back I couldnt believe the outstanding job he did Im gluing the headstock back on not only did he do that he put strings on it and set the entire instrument up for me I thought it sounded good before its like night and day how good it sounds now Rick really knows what hes doing during the time he had my guitar I did more research on him and found out he does a lot of work for professional musicians I really got lucky finding Rick and I highly recommend him to anyone that needs any guitar work done or is interested in buying a guitar Im buying my next one from him thanks again so much Rick

If you want someone who knows what they are doing to work on your equipment, there is no better than Rick. Rick is not only a great luthier, he is also a great player and spent years on the road playing for a living. This gives him an advantage when it comes to understanding your needs. He is fair and honest. He is not a sales person that tries to push something on you that you do not need or want. If you are looking for great work or a great instrument at a great price, I highly recommend you check out Rick before making your final decision.

Rick is the man! I love my 72-Custom-Deluxe-inspired telecaster that he master built for me. From the first conversation to the moment the guitar was in my hands Rick was absolutely professional, helpful and available to answer any questions/concerns. The final product is simply stunning. All of the fine details that I was expecting were met and more. You deserve the experience of working with Rick and Haywire Custom Guitars.

I recently contacted Haywire Customs about finishing and assembling a telecaster body for me. I was initially skeptical about reaching out for assistance but I had read several great reviews about his work. Rick is a great guy and quickly put my nerves at ease. He was very patient and willing to make sure I got exactly what I was looking for. I am thrilled with the finished product and the cost of his services are very reasonable. I would highly recommend and will definitely use him with future projects

Awesome service, quick turnaround, and a cool dude to boot! Thanks again Rick!

There were problems with shipping parts to Haywire because of Covid 19.But once Ricks crew got their hands on them a very well made, top quality Strat was born.I am very happy with it and the 1 3/4 inch neck fits me well.

5 stars is not a high enough rating to describe the wonderful work that Rick Mariner did on the Guitar he crafted and fine tuned for me to accommodate my eye for beauty and ease of play. Large hands no problem,pickups and configuration to my specs and not a single delay in getting the Guitar finished. If youre on the fence about your next guitar then take my word for it and contact Rick,you will not regret it!

Rick does amazing work, and his custom guitars are works of art. The great thing about having a custom instrument is just that ... its customized just for you. In my case, Rick took my P Bass, wired it more like a Jazz bass, and shaved my neck so that the feel is right in between a Precision and a Jazz neck, which for me, is just right. The action and play-ability is better than its ever been, (PERFECT, actually), and the intonation is spot on throughout the entire length of the neck. If youre looking for that perfect guitar that youve only imagined in your dreams, its time to talk to Rick and let him actually put it into your hands for real!

This place is amazing for any musician and I would HIGHLY recommend you go here whether it is for some minor adjustments or to buy a whole new guitar. They have incredibly low prices compared to most other places and they do very high quality work. I just bought a used electric guitar and I dont know much about them so I figured I would take it to someone who knows a little bit more to check it out and adjust it as needed. He fixed the problem and even went above and beyond and showed me how to do it myself for future reference as well as touching up the guitar since it is rather old. They are very knowledgeable and I can garuntee that you will enjoy your visit and I can garuntee your guitar will leave there playing like new!!!

I am disabled with Degenerative Disc Disease which has caused a weakening in both hands. It has been increasingly difficult to play for more than 10 min at a time. One day I came across Haywires Website and decided to give them a call. Rick Mariner said that he could help me out. Ive had the guitar about ten days now and I am just blown away! The guitar is beautiful, plays effortlessly and is incredibly solid while being so much lighter than my previous guitars. Thanks to Rick Mariner and Haywire Custom guitars for handing me a new lease on my guitar-playing life. I also believe that I could not have found a better combination of quality and price. Haywire Custom Guitars is a first class outfit that listened carefully to my concerns and then put together a guitar that addressed my special needs.

I originally purchased a custom guitar from Rick that I liked so well I had one made for each of my brothers.All the guitars are built to my specifications and the workmanship is what you you would expect from much higher custom builds.Give Rick a call and he can give you a guitar built with unlimited choices..

I am very pleased with Haywire Custom Guitars Inc, This beautiful guitar exceeded my expectations! It was built exactly to my specifications and the company earned its name of custom. It arrived in excellent condition and was built ready to play. Everyone admires it and I highly recommend this company to anyone who is a serious musician . If you require skilled craftsmanship, a great sound, and a reasonable cost, then Haywire Custom Guitars is for you.a

Rick at Haywire did a great job!! Just few calls and bam he had it on the way for me to play.. Right out of the box it plays like a dream. I am very happy with my new axe, and if I decide on another Rick will be the first call I make.. Just cant go wrong with a Haywire guitar!!

There are repair shops and there are repair shops. None of them are as good as Rick at Haywire. He did a lot of work for me. New wiring harness, replace pick ups, setup 4 guitars and repair some finish work. His prices are some of the best youll ever pay. His work it outstanding, I cant think of a better word for it. He plays the guitars and they have to meet his standards before they leave his shop. All the work was flawless and the time to do them repairs was the shortest Ive ever had.

I recently had Rick at Haywire Custom Guitars put together a Telecaster for me and I couldnt be more pleased with the results! I was looking for a really good player (not an heirloom), but had some modifications in mind that local stores either couldnt provide, or wanted excessive payment. Ricks stock of parts, available options, and willingness to work with me on my needs rendered a Telecaster just as I wanted it: natural finish, maple Warmoth neck, forearm relief on the body, upgraded pickups, and traditional switching. Looks great, feels great, sounds great, at a great price! I have no hesitation in recommending his shop!

I have 3 Great guitars from Rick Mariner. He is easily one of the best guys in the industry Ive met in 15 years of being a professional guitarist. Every request I had he was able to accommodate. You wont be disappointed.

Rick is such a rare and talented professional. His deep passion for his work shines brightly in each of his unique creations. Dont waste your time and money on others for any repairs you may need. Hes simply the best.

I have been working as a guitar player in the Myrtle Beach area and beyond since 1980 and I have settled on Haywire as the place I go to for all my Fender type guitar needs Also electronics installs on my set neck instruments, as well as all general guitar upkeep or modifications, or advice on products, options, etc.Fair, honest, friendly, fast, great prices too.

I used to own a Fender Squier Affinity bass. I say used to because its now a beautiful custom instrument. The original Fender had some real issues with the quality of the neck. It had been back to the local music store several times and I had attempted to do the setup myself in desperation. Rick got his hands on it, leveling and finishing the frets, replacing one fret that couldnt be dressed enough, shimming the neck, and doing a setup on the guitar. Voila! No more fret buzz and a lowered action that made the bass playable. Since then Rick has modified that guitar, installing new pickups and pots, a Warmoth neck, and tweaking the setup. Coupled with the changes Ive made along the way, I now have a beautiful instrument. Oh and did I mention that Rick is GREAT to work with? Ill be using Rick for all my instrument work and builds in the future. Thanks Rick!

Just bought my second Haywire Custom Guitar. An amazing value!Ive been playing 40 years and have never owned such a great playing, sounding and comfortable guitar. My Haywire Strat is way superior to the Fender American Strat that I recently sold.They do a spot on professional setup and are super friendly and easy to deal with.

Rick, It was an absolute pleasure meeting you. Thank you so much for helping me choosing a awesome guitar! Your kindness and honesty is very much appreciated!

Based on some info from my buddy, I brought my Strat to Haywire for a quick wiring fix, and after playing with some of his guitars, decided to do a full rewire and setup. This is by far the best decision I’ve made with my guitar!Flawless setup job with a smooth action and pristine intonation make my strat play like a completely different and better guitar. The wiring added a coil split to my bridge humbucker, making it more versatile. He also installed a treble bleed circuit which improved my tone throughout the entire volume sweep. Overall, this guitar plays and sounds like I never believed it could! For any setups or repairs, I can’t recommend anyone better than Rick at Haywire!

Haywire Custom Guitars “Floyd Special”In the summer of 2015, My brother gave me the awesome opportunity to have Rick Mariner, owner of Haywire Custom Guitars build me the guitar of my dreams. I had full input as to what I wanted in this guitar. I got to pick out the type of body style and neck, frets and pickups that I wanted. Rick even did custom routing on the body for me to have the 5 position selector switch and volume and tone knobs at the exact angle that feels perfectly comfortable for my style of playing. He also did a comfort cutout on the back of the guitar along with a few other pickup features for a multitude of tone choices. I have owned Hollow body and solid body guitars with humbuckers and single coil pickups. This remarkable guitar with three pickups can get pretty much any tone and sound that I need. I am loving playing this guitar and getting many positive comments about the appearance and tones. Rick Mariner did a fantastic job building the best guitar I have ever owned. He was also a joy to work with. Keep up the great work Rick! Randy Floyd - Statesville, NC

Rick Mariner of Haywire guitars is the best in the business, not only through his flawless work, but with the timeliness with which he get things done. Having someone who appreciates that we need things done right away, and is able to do so with superior work, is invaluable to most of us. Anytime I’ve sent him a guitar he gets it right on the bench without delay. He’s worked on at least seven of my guitars, with some pretty serious work being done, including neck shaves on six of them. He’s handles the electronics like an ace as well, and is an amazing designer/builder in his own right. Someday soon I’m going to get him to build me one. Go with Rick at Haywire, there’s some very serious, long experience and expertise there - you won’t regret it. –Dave Kincaid, The Brandos, New York

Rick, at Haywire, has done his magic on several guitars for me over the last 2 or 3 years. He does great work at a great price point.I highly recommend his co. and his custom guitars to all guitarists.Check him out.. you will be glad you did.

Excellent and lovely guitar built for me. The craftsmanship was superb!Haywire Custom Guitars really does the job. Thank you Rick for a very special instrument, you have exceeded my expectations.

Rick did a great job installing my guitar neck and setting up my guitar for me. The work was done in a timely manner and It was a pleasure doing business with him.

I had Rick work on 3 of my guitars. A Gretsch Brian Setzer Nashville 6120 and 2 Les Paul Classics. All 3 play amazing now. Rick set them up perfectly. I thought my #1 LP Classic Goldtop was good the way it was but it plays better than ever before.Rick also did some wiring improvements and cleaned up some switch issues. His attention to detail and knowledge really impressed me. Ricks prices are very good. You will not get better work for 3 times what he charges. I know because I have been looking around the area for 2 years to find a good shop to have work done.This was my first visit to Haywire Guitars and I was glad I made the long drive from Bennettsville, SC. Rick is a really cool guy and he will provide great recommendations about what will work best for your style of play and your gear.

Absolutely hands down best value for money item I think I may have ever purchased in my life. Best guitar Ive ever played, please god dont go anywhere else these guys are amazing.

Haywire Custom Guitars are THE best at any price. TONE for days, fast, comfortable neck, perfectly built, and setup, gig-ready right out of the package. Rock on!

Great customer service and has done a couple of fixes on some of my instruments i would recommend him 100 % the work he has done on my instruments have been phenomenal.

I would highly recommend Haywire Custom Shop.I had a really great experience working with Haywire Custom Guitars to get a guitar made for a friend of mine. He loves it.The lollar pickups sounded great and the Warmoth neck was exactly what he wanted. Thanks Rick for making Micah a happy player.Kathy P,Charleston, SC

I love my Haywire its one of my favorite guitars the craftmanship and attention to detail is far above that of the big companies. It was a joy to work with Rick he took the time to make sure I got what I wanted . Thanks Rick for all your help

I have 2 Haywire Guitars. One that I bought on Ebay,absolutely beautiful.the other I sent the loaded tele body,Rick did his magic& it, the best playing I have. Great work,please check them out.

Great work! Master builder. Love my strat!

Rick is the man! He made playing guitar enjoyable again! He straightened out all the tuning issues I used to have with ALL my guitars!

The quality of the Fender Telecaster, that i bought from Haywire Custom Guitars, is awesome. The feel of the custom neck fits me perfect. The electronics, with coil tap, Treble Bleed Mini-Humbucker, etc. The action is low ( for light touch ) and set up ready to go . I love it !! I got it at about 1/3 the price i paid for my Fender American Deluxe Strat, and now im trying to decide which one i like the best . Also, the service and communication that you get with Rick Mariner is the best i have ever seen !

I cant say enough about Rick. He is so knowledgeable and talented on all aspects of guitars . Rick has done several set ups for me on guitars that were barely playable and turned them into guitars that I really enjoy playing now. Most recently Rick helped me with a frankencaster tele I was attemping to put together from scratch . Rick provided me with a lot of what I needed to complete the guitar and when I encountered problems with the neck/neckpocket fitup he instinctively knew exactly how to fix it. He does beautiful builds and mods and can set up a guitar to anyones preferences. I definitely reccommend Rick whether its a new guitar purchase, mod or professional setup. Rick is very personable and professional . He treats everyone with respect and is intent on making sure you are happy with your guitar.

Very happy with the strat I purchased about two years ago. I asked Rick to set it up before shipping with .011 strings tuned to eflat. I wanted a guitar to revisit all the SRV-Hendrix records I grew up playing along with. The setup was perfect, but more importantly it has held up. I have several guitars, so it often sits in the same cardboard case that it came with, but after a friend told me the other day that “oh I don’t like to tune a half step dow cuz it gets all out of tune and blah blah” ; well I broke out my haywire after it had sat a couple months. Honestly that baby came out of the case in perfect tune exactly dialed with SRV. ! It stayed there to for a good session of basement jams. I will say I use a dehumidifier in the basement which probably helps, but yea I love this baby. It was his least expensive model. I am most likely going to get a tele this week, because the corporate guitar company prices are not proportionate to real people’s wages in 2018. Definitely need a Rick setup, I am not a builder.

Rick,Here are my thoughts, now that Ive had the guitar for a month.I bought a Black Tele from your eBay store on 10/9/2017. Its not one of your custom instruments but its definitely a quality instrument.Pretty much everything you claim about your guitar appears to be true. While I have yet to find out exactly what you mean by SRV pickups, the sound of the instrument is very balanced, even unique. It is clear and full at the same time. The tone control is very strange in a good way…it changes the tone differently than any other Tele Ive owned. It almost feels like it is interacting with the impedance of the pickup circuit and makes for some really useful colorations rather than just rolling off the highs. Your treble-compensation circuit works well and keeps the sound from getting muddy when turning down the volume control. The custom rosewood fretboard neck is straight as an arrow and really flat, something some pickers may not like if they are looking for a more standard Fender radiused neck. For me, the 12 radius and flat fretboard are exactly what I was looking for. The frets are perfect and I like the fact that the truss rod is accessible without removing the neck. The action is easy and true all the way up the neck. The guitar tunes easily and accurately. The body is heavier than I expected. The Strat-like sculpting on the back of the body is a nice touch. The paint and finish are great..the Black color is deep and rich. While I have found a couple of cosmetic imperfections they are hardly significant.Overall: Given the very reasonable price of this instrument it is a very worthwhile, musical, and pleasing investment. The construction and component quality is excellent, the playability is excellent, and Haywire Guitars obviously takes great care of their instruments and customers. These folks know what they are doing. I would not hesitate to recommend them or to buy another instrument from them.drk

Fantastic guitars. Way back I got a strat with some hot pickups after my les Paul was stolen. Truely loved that guitar more then the Gibson. As far as quality goes well strats are mass produced. Your getting a hand made instument here so for sure the quality is beyond even the higher and strats. Even those really expensive signature models. Its like getting a custom shop strat without the brand name or the price! And Rick is just about the nicest guy youll ever speak to. He cares about your satisfaction and truely takes pride in his work. Hell sit there on the phone with you and make sure you get everything you want out of this guitar. Hes also very knowledgeable and will make suggestions that I know helped me out a great deal especially with pick-up selection and neck widths. I took a class on building guitars and it used to be a hobby of mine to go to guitar center and play all the different guitars so I like to think I know a thing or two about guitars. NOTHING Ive picked up sounds looks and most importantly feels as good as my Haywire. Ever since the first one its all I buy. Especially for the price its a steal. Really I just returned a Stevie strat to order one of Ricks masterpieces. Like i said Im hooked. After feeling the quality in the craftsmanship in these guitars you cant go back to buying anything else. And as far as sound like I said Rick Wil take the time and work with you to get that thing sounding however youd like. And the stainless steel frets i cant even find on anyother guitars. The sound and the feel you get out of them really makes a unique instument. Again Rick is very experienced and knowledgeable which really helps when you talk to him about the feel you want in the guitar. I always worry about the neck getting a guitar i havent played yet. The necks gotta feel right in my hands. And boy does he get it right. You tell him what you want and hell give you a neck with the exact feel you want thats where his experience really shows. My absolute favorite part is having a guitar that is truely my own. Something unique that I can get on stage with that no one else can. Like Eddy Van Halens Frankenstrat. If your performing youll surely get some attention with these unique instuments that nobody else will have. These guitars have a soul you can really feel it. I love your guitars Rick. Keep rocking

Just the BEST !! put P 90 pickups in my vintage archtop, looks & sounds awesome. Thanks, Bernie

Rick is a good guy and really knows his stuff

The strat I purchases from Haywire Custom Guitars, is a great value. I own 2 TAs and 1 Suhr guitar. If the house was on fire, I would grab the strat. Rick was great to work with, and setup the guitar for me, saving me time and money.

About all I can say is WOW !First of all …. If you didn’t know the neck had been worked on …. You wouldn’t be able to tell from a visual inspection.The feel of the ‘new’ profile …, is really, REALLY noticeable especially in the area of the 1st thru 7th frets. The chunk-i-ness of the ‘old’ neck has always made rhythm work a little more difficult ( for me ).The ‘Heel-Crest’ mod is spectacular ! As soon as you start to play licks around the 15th fret and you can certainly tell ! Quite frankly, it seems to make a difference even as low as the 12th fret !The scallop is very nice too ! But I only asked for it because the E & B strings would sometimes slip under my fingers when bending in the 21st & 22nd frets …. It’ll take some adjusting to …, insomuch as I don’t need to choke the neck to keep the string under my fingers any longer !Having significantly less wood in the neck has ‘thinned’ out the tone slightly …. But …, not in a ‘bad’ way at all ! In fact, it seems to have shifted the mid-range focus from more of a low-mid ( before ) to a high-mid ( after ) !ALL in ALL the sum total of these changes have been unbelievably positive, and more than I could have even hoped for when I first contacted you !Finally …, I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that you pretty much ‘saved’ the guitar for me ! As I mentioned previously long periods of playing would cramp my left hand ( probably from some of the extreme stretching and reaching I had to do in some positions ) ….And all of it would have been pretty much for nothing if I can’t play it comfortably ! I’m very happy to say that based on first impressions I don’t think that’s going to be necessary !THANKS AGAIN for everything !– R.D.

Bought three great guitars from Haywire - great quality and value!

This isn’t a “I have had my guitar for a whole 3 hours and I mean to tell ya it’s the best guitar I’ve ever owned!” review. I bought my custom Stratocaster from Rick in June of 2015. I could have EASILY paid twice what I paid at “Unnamed Guitar Warehouse” and gotten half the guitar (I know because I’ve been there and done that!). After playing it for a full year in my home studio, I can tell you it is, hands down, the best guitar I have ever owned… and I have played the guitar for 43 years and have owned / currently own some classics.I write and record music in my home studio, and I love how pristinely quiet the electronics are. When I’m recording, forget noise gates… a noisy guitar is a show stopper. The Strat is the first guitar I’ve ever owned that didn’t have an electronic buzz depending on whether my hands were touching the strings or whether I was wearing shoes, etc. The Strat’s custom Warmouth neck fits my hand perfectly. The active EMG-SA pickup system sounds sweet. The action, was the best I had ever played – that is until I received my refurbished Gibson from Haywire 2 weeks ago (more on that below)!Don’t take my word for it… read his website, and you’ll quickly realize that this guy gets it, and he does. I will never buy a store-bought guitar again. In addition to all of this, it is beautiful. Rick’s name for it was “Active Blackie”… black body, black pickup guard, black pickups, natural finish neck, and all gold hardware (at my request). After a year of playing it, it is simply a phenomenal studio guitar.I have been so delighted with the custom Strat I bought from Rick in June of 2015, that a few weeks ago, I sent Rick my ’76 Gibson Les Paul Custom to refurb.I have had it back for about 2 weeks now, and to my surprise and delight, it plays even better than my Strat! The action is insane. I’ve never had a guitar setup with action this low that didn’t buzz on the frets. I wanted new gold hardware, which Rick added, but he sent me all of the original parts when he returned my guitar. The treble-bleed circuits he put on the Gibson’s pots make the guitar sound much better at low volumes. I could have paid someone else double the amount I paid Rick, and there’s no possible way it could have been done better.