Frequently Asked Questions: 

1. What's the difference between your old guitars and the new ones?

Great question and the answer is the differences are pretty substantial. My first line of guitars were built for customers who wanted primarily a nice playing copy of a vintage guitar. The finishes were worked with aging in mind. The new guitars have brought fit and finish to an entirely new level. When you see and feel the difference in person it's immediately very obvious. Beyond that, the guitar is now made completely in house. In years past (before the official Rocketfire branded instruments with our headstock and logo decal), the bodies and necks were out-sourced. This gave me much less control over the final product and the quality of the woods. With the new line, you'll immediately notice the feel is better, the contour blending/sanding on the body and neck is much smoother and sleeker, the final weights are lighter (substantially), the instrument's acoustical resonance is shocking (all fingerboards are tap tested and weeded out for ONLY the best acoustical ring), there is more control over the color, the character and vibrance of the wood. The bursts are smoother and more beautifully transitioned and the wood is dyed in the center for a 3D effect to really bring the grain to life. These are the instruments I've dreamed of building and owning. I'm glad I'm able to finally bring the dream to life!!

2. What type of finish is used in  your guitars?

I have a special Nitrocellulose lacquer that's blended to be very hard, much like the original nitrocellulose lacquers which were used in the 1950's and 60's. I do not use poly in any stage of my building unless customer requested. There are a few cases in which I recommend a poly finish or an undercoating. This will be determined at the time the order is placed. Nitrocellulose is a more resonant finish in my experience. It takes more coats to build it up since it's thinner. It is a little more picky on sanding... it takes more work... that's the long and short of it. But it's well worth the effort in bringing forth the final result. 

3. Is nitro the most durable option?

No. I use nitro because I like the way it sounds but it will wear just like all the other nitrocellulose guitars did. But it wears beautifully and ages gracefully just like an old guitar would. And the wear is the wear you put into it! Just like antique furniture and vintage guitars, the finish on these instruments will take on patina and character as it ages.

4. Do you use Satin lacquer on the back of the neck?

If requested a low sheen can be used for the back of the neck. Many times nitrocellulose lacquer has been given a bad name because many of the new formulations used are gummy and sticky. The lacquer I use is hard as nails and creates a very fast smooth neck back. You'll be amazed! I find satin to be non-necessary and have had lots of customer confirmation to support my feeling on this.

5. Why don't you sell pickups sets only anymore?

I have sold  pickups  just about as long as I've wound them and featured them in my guitars. It's been a good steady source of business for Rocketfire Guitars and thanks to all who've used them over the years. However, I've decided to discontinue individual pickup sales as of 10/2011. It's something I've thought long and hard about but I need to do it. Being primarily a one man operation I don't have much time and the little bit of time I do have is going to be focused on my first passion in doing this and that's the guitars. I'm greatful to all who've used my pickups over the years and I still enjoy winding them. As the guy who does the R&D, takes orders, answers the phone and emails, does much of the marketing, sources and orders parts, does new product testing and education, does the CAD drawings, builds all jigs and custom tooling, does the photography/editing, prints the decals, maintains/repairs all shop equipment, buys the wood, matches the wood into blanks, dries the Maple for necks, cuts the bodies/necks from rough sawn lumber, does the fretwork and installs the frets, sprays each and every coat of lacquer, mixes the paint colors, does wood and paint sanding and buffing, wires the pickguards, cuts the bone nut, drills each screw and wire hole, does all setups, and also the guy who takes out the trash, it eats up more time than most folks realize. Building our guitars from scratch has consumed an enormous amount of time but it's very important to me to do it in this way and I enjoy it immensely. The hand made Rocketfire pickups will continue to be featured in my guitars however they will no longer be sold separately simply because I've had to put my guitar customers at the top of the list in order to make this effiicient and fair to them. Thanks to all who've used my pickups over the years!

6. What strings are on the guitar?

I use 10-46 set custom made for Rocketfire. These are a Nickel set and sound tremendous! They are available separately to customers who want to retain the original sound of their guitar. The cost is $3.85 per set with a 6 set ($25 with US shipping) minimum order. We do not stock any other gauge in order to conserve on the little shop space that is remaining and to simplify our setup bench. Your guitar's nut (real bone) however can be cut to match any requested string size.