FAQ

1. Is Belltone®Guitars a full Custom Shop?

Each and every one of our guitars are custom built on a ‘made to order only’ basis with creative input from the guitarist. However, we do not consider ourselves as a full-service custom shop in the traditional sense … as we focus only on our own Belltone® designs and provide focused and curated customization based on our Custom-Select System™ This noted, we want to hear from you. If you have a special request, reach out to us, and let's talk.

2. What is the lead time before my guitar will be ready to ship?

Lead times will vary slightly based on what components and finishing are selected and our overall workload … but we are vigilantly committed to achieving a 90-day turnaround or sooner as our operating benchmark.

3. Do you offer already built Belltone® guitars for sale?

Yes, we do and they are featured in our 'STORE' on this website. We categorize these guitars as 'Maker Made' demo instruments. These are authentic Belltone® designed guitars that were built for the purpose of demonstrating our instrument’s aesthetic and sonic potential. As demos, these instruments have been sparsely played, yet handled as one would in normal use. The utmost care has been taken to preserve the original finish of the instrument. This noted, there will be the likelihood of incidental blemishes and minor signs of use with these guitars and thus they are priced below the price of building the same guitar as new. We have taken special care to highlight any such wear in the photos provided for each instrument. If you have any specific questions regarding any demo guitar offered on our site, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@belltoneguitars.com.

4. Do you sell your custom Belltone® hardware or pickups?

We sell our Belltone® custom made pickups, as well as our custom-made Belltone®Lockers™ tuners and our Tall-Boy™ Control and Switch knobs in our online ‘STORE’.

We also offer our custom shape Belltone® pickguards separately as well … which is a great way to change up the look of your guitar without major investment or modification to the instrument.

We do not offer our Bellone® ‘Devil’s Tail™ ‘T-style bridge and control plate nor our bodies and our necks for separate sale at this time.

5. Will you do different custom Body or Headstock shapes?

Sorry … only what is provided as our ‘signature’ offering through our Custom-Select System™

6. Does my Belltone® guitar come with a case?

Yes, each guitar comes with a case as part of the total package price. Our Belltone® hardwood cases are fitted with a firm form molded inner lining to cushion and protect.

*FYI … Belltone® guitars will not fit in standard Gibson LP cases or Fender T-style and S-style cases.

7. Do you provide regular service for repair or modifications?

We only offer repair service for defects in manufacturing as outlined in our warranty terms. We do not offer post-build mods to our guitars.

8. Do you offer different neck profiles or radius?

Not at this time … we believe our signature neck profile and compound radius represent the best matchup for our guitars.

9. Do you offer different body and neck woods?

Not at this time … we need to be as focused and as streamlined as possible to maximize efficiencies ... keeping our costs low to pass on the best value we can to you for the investment.

10. Do you offer separate Maple Laminate Top finishing?

Not at this time … we hope to in the future.

11. Do you offer a Bigsby Tremolo system set up for a Belltone® guitar?

Yes, we can provide a Belltone® that has a Bigsby Tremolo system set up. Just state your interest in having a Bigsby in the comment section of your build submission. We will reach out to you to review all details and costs when we receive your submission.

12. Can I get my Belltone Guitar with a worn relic, vintage aged finish?

Yes … partner with us in building your Belltone® guitar, get it home, and play it daily. After 5 to 10 years, we assure you that you will have created your very own custom, one of a kind, truly authentic well worn aged finish. As to us doing faux relic finishing … being a new brand to the market, we don’t think this is something we should offer at this time.

13. What are the dimensions of the Belltone® guitar neck?

We use the same basic neck dimensions on all guitar models unless otherwise mentioned. Nut width is 1-11/16″, profile is a medium oval, and approximate thickness from front to back is .85 at the 1st fret, and .90″ at the 12th fret. However, there will be some variation due to wood expansion and contraction, machining tolerances, and paint variations. Overall, they are slightly thicker than a typical Fender American Standard Strat or Tele neck.

14. Can I have my Belltone® guitar and/or neck finished with a buffed high gloss shine?

Yes … we can do a high gloss finish on either the body or the neck upon request. You can use our request form when ordering to review the details.

15. Can you finish in something other than Nitro Lacquer?

Yes … You can use our request form when ordering and we will review the details and we will advise.

16. Why the Filtertron Pickup option only?… they are not as mainstream as Gibson PAF style humbuckers or Fender style single coil pickups.

Exactly … Why not? We love the first true humbucker on the market and see it as the road less traveled. The market surely doesn’t need another standard PAF humbucker or standard Fender single coil sound and look.

The sonic potential of the filtertron has been recognized from the early days with Chet Atkins to today’s artists such as Brian Seltzer, Billy Duffy … all the way to the classic hard-edged crunch of Malcolm Young. Working within the size spec and stylistic appearance of the filtertron format, we have been able to partner with many different boutique pickup builders to offer a wide and varied assortment of sonic characteristics.

17. Can I get Filtertron pickups for my Belltone® guitar that are not currently offered through the Custom-Select System™?

Yes, as long as they fit the modern standard 'no ears' filtertron pickup rout size. Just reach out to us and we can work out the details.

18. Can I get my Belltone® Guitar routed and fitted with standard PAF humbucker pickups or classic Strat or Tele style/size pickups instead of Filtertrons?

Sorry … we only do the Filtertron® format. We believe our multi-pickup offering via our Custom-Select System™ provides ample sonic variety to cover most needs and offers something slightly more unique and special. If you have an interest in Filtertron pickups from our partners that are not featured or from other makers that are not currently offered, just reach out and we can work it out.

19. Is a deposit required for my guitar build?

Yes, we require a 50% deposit prior to starting. There is a 7 day grace period to request a full refund of the deposit. After 7 days, the 50% deposit is non-refundable.

20. What forms of payment do you accept?

We're set up to accept all major credit cards and Paypal®. We default to processing payments via credit card unless otherwise selected. To protect your personal information our shopping cart utilizes Secure Socket Layer (SSL). The presence of SSL means you can rest assured all personal information (e.g. billing address, credit card numbers, etc) exchanged with our site is 100% encrypted and secure. Your personal information will only be used to communicate with you in reference to your order. We don’t share your information with any third parties outside of processing payment transactions. If you have any additional payment questions please email us directly.

21. Do you collect sales tax?

We only collect sales tax for anything we sell and ship within the state of Florida. The sales tax for Florida is currently at a rate of 6%. We don't collect taxes for selling/shipping products to any other state, or country.

22. What are your shipping terms and do you ship internationally?

We offer free complimentary shipping for all Belltone®Guitars in the continental USA. For USA orders we use signature release USPS Priority service or UPS Ground. For international and other orders the shipping and insurance cost is the buyer's responsibility.

23. Can I return my custom-built Belltone® guitar because I'm not happy with it?

All sales are final, including custom-built orders AND inventory orders. We are committed to ensuring our product to be the best it can be and will work to address any issues related to major flaws or non-functioning components ( please reference our Return/Refund Policy). However, we do not cover sudden change of heart issues based on subjective concerns such as, “the guitar failed to make me look cooler and play better than my other guitars." We reserve the right to take returns for substantial manufacturing defects only as outlined in our warranty terms.

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If you have any more questions, we welcome you to reach out us at info@belltoneguitars.com