Carpinteria, California, July 24th, 2017 – Acclaimed stringed instrument manufacturer and optical pickups pioneer Willcox Guitars announces the grand opening of their new USA Custom Shop. Founder and CEO Chris Willcox, inventor of the proprietary LightWave Optical Pickup System, announces a full-service custom shop, where players can pair the groundbreaking and increasingly popular LightWave Optical Pickup System with their choice of premium tonewoods, exotic fingerboards, and custom appointments. These custom boutique instruments are handmade in California in by Chris Willcox and Willcox Guitars Master Luthier Mark Garza.
The company is now taking orders for USA Saber Basses, available in 4, 5, and for the first time, 6-string configurations, with plans to announce the availability of a USA Custom Atlantis Guitar and Stylus Electric Upright Bass later this year.
Offering a wide variety of premium tonewoods and gallery tops, the USA Custom Shop offers each instrument in the customer’s choice of gloss, satin, or hand oiled finishes with a variety of high-end hardware options. The possible combinations are limited only by the player’s imagination.
Just like the production model Saber Basses, Willcox offers HexFX 13-Pin individual string output as an option. The Willcox HexFX technology enables full synth access, individual string processing and modeling, as well as the use of a fanout box, for limitless connectivity. The LightWave Optical Pickups System paired with HexFX technology provides ultra-fast and accurate tracking, glitch free, and with no latency or false triggering.
When I set out to create the USA Custom Shop, the goal was to devise a process to design, prototype, and test new categories of instruments, in addition to providing players the freedom to configure high-end versions of existing LightWave powered instruments. This is a great way for us to build and test concept instruments and get artist feedback on new designs before going into production. 
this is the next step in the evolution of our company… these instruments, and more importantly the technology they carry, are becoming more and more sought after by professionals and hobbyists alike. We’ve grown so fast, and there’s so much we want to do to bring our vision to the players, we thought, why not let them choose where we go next! I wouldn’t be surprised to see the genesis of some future production models born out of the Custom Shop and our customers’ imaginations! – Paul Wilson, Director of Sales Program
The USA Custom Shop features an online instrument configurator where you can receive an instant cost estimate of your desired build. Visit willcoxguitars.com/customshop to start configuring yours today!
