I know exactly what you are here for and you've come to the right place!
I've been at this for a little over 17 years now and have approximately 140 guitars of this style under my belt. These are true hollow body guitars, built the way a hollow body should be. Hand-carved, separate top and back plates. Thin sides that have been heated and bent to shape. Minimal bracing that will provide the resonance and tone that you have burned into your brain. These guitars are light, fragile, museum-quality heirloom pieces that hopefully will be passed down from generation to generation.
I've been a Phan since 1993 and I know exactly what you want. I'm here to deliver. I aim to provide you with the customer service that you expect when investing in this calibre of an instrument. You can expect constant, timely communication with me throughout the build, and hopefully a friendship that will last a life-time. I want to know YOU and exactly what you expect to get out of this guitar. Whether you're a basement player or playing out with your band in front of an audience, it does not matter. What does matter is that you'll have an instrument to inspire you to pick up your guitar and reach the levels that you only dream of. These guitars LIVE and BREATHE.
In speaking to my "competition"...you get what you pay for. I'm also a player and like you, I know the difference between ORDINARY and EXCEPTIONAL. Things are moving along VERY smoothly here at Equator Instruments and despite some bad press from Pre-Covid days, I've been given a second chance and won't let you down. The internet can be both a lovely and scary thing, and I'm well aware that with the slightest lapse in meeting your expectations can result in the rest of the world reading about your frustrations. Three years later and approximately 20 customer orders later, I'd say I'm batting 1000%. Only exceptional reviews, delighted customers and kept promises.
Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to and thank you for considering Equator Instruments as the place for you to finally realize your dreams of owning a custom hollow body guitar. I'm here to serve you. I cannot exist with YOU.
Sincerely,
David
I've been at this for a little over 17 years now and have approximately 140 guitars of this style under my belt. These are true hollow body guitars, built the way a hollow body should be. Hand-carved, separate top and back plates. Thin sides that have been heated and bent to shape. Minimal bracing that will provide the resonance and tone that you have burned into your brain. These guitars are light, fragile, museum-quality heirloom pieces that hopefully will be passed down from generation to generation.
I've been a Phan since 1993 and I know exactly what you want. I'm here to deliver. I aim to provide you with the customer service that you expect when investing in this calibre of an instrument. You can expect constant, timely communication with me throughout the build, and hopefully a friendship that will last a life-time. I want to know YOU and exactly what you expect to get out of this guitar. Whether you're a basement player or playing out with your band in front of an audience, it does not matter. What does matter is that you'll have an instrument to inspire you to pick up your guitar and reach the levels that you only dream of. These guitars LIVE and BREATHE.
In speaking to my "competition"...you get what you pay for. I'm also a player and like you, I know the difference between ORDINARY and EXCEPTIONAL. Things are moving along VERY smoothly here at Equator Instruments and despite some bad press from Pre-Covid days, I've been given a second chance and won't let you down. The internet can be both a lovely and scary thing, and I'm well aware that with the slightest lapse in meeting your expectations can result in the rest of the world reading about your frustrations. Three years later and approximately 20 customer orders later, I'd say I'm batting 1000%. Only exceptional reviews, delighted customers and kept promises.
Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to and thank you for considering Equator Instruments as the place for you to finally realize your dreams of owning a custom hollow body guitar. I'm here to serve you. I cannot exist with YOU.
Sincerely,
David
Somewhat Frequently Asked Questions and other random updates:
September 7, 2023 - 8 guitars have now been delivered (mid-June) and again, customers have been absolutely thrilled, in love and just on cloud 9 with their instruments. So much so, that in the next round I have a customer who will be contracting build #3 (3 for 3 in the past consecutive builds), and 2 other customers who will be ordering their second guitars from me. This is all that I can ask for! I'm well underway with the current round and hope to complete the 4 guitars that are in this round in the next couple of months. You can always follow me on Instagram (@equatorinstruments) where I am most active, or on Facebook (where I try to at least keep up with what I am posting on Instagram). I am hoping that you are all well and enjoying these last days of summer. Thanks for all of your support and positive energy!
April 4, 2023 - 8 Guitars Almost ready for Delivery. New build cycle to begin soon!
December 19, 2022 - new gallery photos added.
November, 2022 - Last 4 guitars have been delivered and a new round of 8 guitars has begun.
August 31, 2022 - Next delivery trip planned for September. 4 more guitars to be delivered.
November, 2022 - Last 4 guitars have been delivered and a new round of 8 guitars has begun.
August 31, 2022 - Next delivery trip planned for September. 4 more guitars to be delivered.
June 30th, 2022 - Just got back from my 2nd delivery trip for the current round of guitars. I am bringing in 4 guitars at a time. All feedback is just at a 1000% happiness level from my amazing customers. Published some reaction messages to the Instagram page: @equatorinstruments
(Is that a Buddhist symbol on your guitars?
April 5, 2021 - It's called "aum" and it is a Sanskrit word & symbol, which is said to mean ‘the supreme vibration by which all things are brought into manifestation’. The sound of the Universe, the sound of all sounds, the sound of creation. I'm not a Buddhist, not in any clubs...but I do believe in energy in everything and all around us, stemming from a vibration (from somewhere) that creates our perception of reality. It's all about frequencies and which we're capable of internalizing. After all, we are approximately 60% water.
I'd love to watch some videos of what you consider to be a great sound on some of your guitars...are they available?
March 31, 2021 - The "Videos" page has now been updated and will continue to be.... If you have something you'd like to submit, please let me know. Also, I just came across this channel and thought it a great video experience to really get a sense of what the former Standard model was all about! And now...new and improved. #reprised
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WN_T6EcyqE
Do I have to worry about your tropical location effecting the guitar when you bring it to me?
3/30/21 - Not at all, because I do NOT live in a tropical location. I am at 10,000 feet in Quito and have weather similar to Boulder, but the snow only accumulates on the mountain tops and volcanoes that surround me. My humidity level is perfect; it's eternal Spring here.
How do I order a custom hollow body archtop guitar from you?
3/30/21 - Email me off the website and tell me as much about you can. What do you play now, what's it missing, what are your needs as a musician, etc? Let me know what kind of questions you have....then we can move forward with a phone call if you so desire.
What happened to all of your different models?
3/5/21 - I decided to throw out the idea of offering different models that feature different architecture and only make one model. I have redesigned the architecture of the former "standard model", and I can say that I am now the closest that I have ever been before to emulating the construction of a Paul Languedoc guitar. Hand-carved top and back plates, thin sides that are heated and bent to shape, minimal bracing - only on the top (parallel).
Did you make Trey Anastasio's guitar?
I did not. Trey Anastasio's guitars are made by the "yoda" of modern-day luthiers, a man I bow down to, Paul Languedoc. (www.languedocguitars) They are exquisite works of art and mine are not nor will ever be "copies". I'll spend a lifetime trying to achieve what he most likely has achieved...a brain trained to detect the most delicate of frequencies translated from wood-carved energy-receptors.
How do I order a custom hollow body archtop guitar from you?
3/24/20 - Email me off the website. It is my goal in 2021 to become more accessible to ALL musicians, so I will soon be releasing (NOW RELEASED) a new line of Equator Instrument that will definitely be heavy on the best architecutre possible and light on the bells and whistles. I'd like to do as much as possible to present the opportunity for serious musicians to own a custom archtop hollow body guitar that is similar to the one that Trey Anastasio uses...his Languedoc guitar.
Are your guitars carved, because they look like they are flat-topped?
They are carved. I've analyzed every photo of Trey's guitar that I could get my eyes on and I have come to the determination that Docs do not have exaggerated carves to them. It looks like Paul Languedoc runs the tops and backs as thin as possible. Equator Instruments custom hollow body guitars measure at 2 inches deep along the sides and follow a similar architecture found in the Languedoc guitars.
April 5, 2021 - It's called "aum" and it is a Sanskrit word & symbol, which is said to mean ‘the supreme vibration by which all things are brought into manifestation’. The sound of the Universe, the sound of all sounds, the sound of creation. I'm not a Buddhist, not in any clubs...but I do believe in energy in everything and all around us, stemming from a vibration (from somewhere) that creates our perception of reality. It's all about frequencies and which we're capable of internalizing. After all, we are approximately 60% water.
I'd love to watch some videos of what you consider to be a great sound on some of your guitars...are they available?
March 31, 2021 - The "Videos" page has now been updated and will continue to be.... If you have something you'd like to submit, please let me know. Also, I just came across this channel and thought it a great video experience to really get a sense of what the former Standard model was all about! And now...new and improved. #reprised
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WN_T6EcyqE
Do I have to worry about your tropical location effecting the guitar when you bring it to me?
3/30/21 - Not at all, because I do NOT live in a tropical location. I am at 10,000 feet in Quito and have weather similar to Boulder, but the snow only accumulates on the mountain tops and volcanoes that surround me. My humidity level is perfect; it's eternal Spring here.
How do I order a custom hollow body archtop guitar from you?
3/30/21 - Email me off the website and tell me as much about you can. What do you play now, what's it missing, what are your needs as a musician, etc? Let me know what kind of questions you have....then we can move forward with a phone call if you so desire.
What happened to all of your different models?
3/5/21 - I decided to throw out the idea of offering different models that feature different architecture and only make one model. I have redesigned the architecture of the former "standard model", and I can say that I am now the closest that I have ever been before to emulating the construction of a Paul Languedoc guitar. Hand-carved top and back plates, thin sides that are heated and bent to shape, minimal bracing - only on the top (parallel).
Did you make Trey Anastasio's guitar?
I did not. Trey Anastasio's guitars are made by the "yoda" of modern-day luthiers, a man I bow down to, Paul Languedoc. (www.languedocguitars) They are exquisite works of art and mine are not nor will ever be "copies". I'll spend a lifetime trying to achieve what he most likely has achieved...a brain trained to detect the most delicate of frequencies translated from wood-carved energy-receptors.
How do I order a custom hollow body archtop guitar from you?
3/24/20 - Email me off the website. It is my goal in 2021 to become more accessible to ALL musicians, so I will soon be releasing (NOW RELEASED) a new line of Equator Instrument that will definitely be heavy on the best architecutre possible and light on the bells and whistles. I'd like to do as much as possible to present the opportunity for serious musicians to own a custom archtop hollow body guitar that is similar to the one that Trey Anastasio uses...his Languedoc guitar.
Are your guitars carved, because they look like they are flat-topped?
They are carved. I've analyzed every photo of Trey's guitar that I could get my eyes on and I have come to the determination that Docs do not have exaggerated carves to them. It looks like Paul Languedoc runs the tops and backs as thin as possible. Equator Instruments custom hollow body guitars measure at 2 inches deep along the sides and follow a similar architecture found in the Languedoc guitars.