A commentary about handmade
guitars by Paramount's own Kenn Fox . . .
Paramount
Guitars came into existence a few years back for the sole purpose of
offering honest-to-goodness handmade guitars to players for an affordable
price. Being a professional player myself for over 30 years, I understand
both the frustration and the joy of the search for the right instrument.
While for those of us who actually play them, they are first and foremost
tools, a good instrument can be, among many things, an extension of
an artist's soul. While this may sound a bit puffy, those who have
had this mind-altering connection to an instrument understand the seriousness
of this kind of ramification: thus casting many of us dedicated
players into a life-long pursuit of guitar happiness. Our aim here at
Paramount has always been to make this process as easy and affordable
as possible.
It
always surprises me how many potential customers call not knowing that
there are many handmade guitars available for the same or less than
factory-made alternatives. We always have dozens of truly great handmade
instruments in stock for around 2K. Feature by feature, they offer much
more than most factory-made guitars and often offer a level of quality
and uniqueness considerably higher than the alternative. Then there
is the wonderful feeling you get knowing someone put the time
and love into creating this amazing instrument with his or her bare
hands.
Of
course, there is a large part of the handmade guitar market that is
dominated by boutique instruments for outrageous prices. Perhaps this
element of the market influences many of our perceptions regarding price.
Trust me, there are many, many choices in the $1500-$3000 price category
that I would stack up against instruments out there for twice or even
three times this price. These are the builders we choose to represent!
The guitars we carry offer a great value as well as tremendous
quality. They are here because we love them, plain and simple. You will
never see anything in stock at Paramount that I wouldn't be proud
to own myself! And I do own and play instruments by most of the builders
we represent. Please check out the Spiritone Records homepage and sample
the vast array of soundbites from the many albums we have recorded over
the years. I am always glad to provide specific instrument information
for any of the tracks [as my memory cooperates].
Please feel free to
call or Email and talk guitar anytime.
-Kenn Fox
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