Hufschmid Guitars Tantalum

I've owned countless guitars over the years, but this custom hand-made Hufschmid Tantalum is in a league by itself. Starting with a meticulously aged pine top over a gorgeous mahogany body and neck, and then add the amazing Alumitone pickups and the top quality Hipshot hardware, and it makes up one of the best guitars I've ever owned. From the rolled fretboard to the hand-oiled finish, you get a sense of the time and attention to detail the moment you pick it up. The neck is like a medium C, so not large, but not a super thin shred neck, either. The luminous side dots are nice touch and very practical on a dark stage.

The tone is incredible. The Alumitones are very tight, and sound different from any other pickups I've used. Add to that a NOS Russian Teflon capacitor for the tone control, and you have a very versatile range of tones for just about any application. Despite being marketed as "Deathbuckers," those Alumitones work with rock and blues tones, no problem at all. And with that great capacitor on the tone control, you can even get jazz tones out of the same guitar that can melt faces at full bore.

Here are the specs (from the original listing):

-Perfectly quartersawn ‘Sipo Mahogany’ body and neck
-‘Crelicam Ebony’ fingerboard with 24 frets, 25.5'' scale, and 12" radius
-Scalloped Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) nut
-Hipshot hardware and high-tolerance CTS pots
-High quality kill switch 🚀
-NOS Russian FT-2 0.027uF Teflon capacitor
-Custom unfinished 7 string alumitone deathbuckers with laser-etched logo
-Glow in the dark side dots
-Antique Bronze-finished coin logo inlay on the back.
-Copper shielding and 25 coats of hand-applied oil-based varnish
-The top has received a highly protective treatment to preserve its stunning silver appearance.

If you are ever lucky enough to check out a Hufschmid guitar -- or even better, buy one -- you will understand my excitement over this new guitar. I can truly say this is different than any other guitar I've ever owned, and in a sea of sameness, it's nice to see a standout.

For a closer look, please see a video I made on YouTube: https://youtu.be/X2Zelp2es9s?si=K_J-HlNt-L1JZvfJ

I'm in no way a professional player but I do have a few guitars and each one of them fits it's own purpose; play live; record; plain and pure nostalgia (my very first...).

I have been fortunate enough to play custom guitars before (owned by friends of mine) so I came to a stage where I wanted to go to "the next level".

I have probably been following Patrick Hufschmid for at least 4 years now, watching the builds, listening to the demo videos and always thinking that one day it would be my turn to reach out and own my own.

Fast forward and here I am writing a (late) review.

I have the guitar with me since August now, and any time I find to play that's the guitar I pick up.

The fingerboard is absolutely amazing, like i mentioned i have played other custom guitars but nothing actually comes to this level.

I'm a huge paradise lost fan so yes, I need sustain, and the pickups definitely deliver, I definitely prefer these over any other active pickups on the market.

The craftmanship? What can I say? There is so much detail to the guitar it's absolutely awesome.

The tuners have just the right pace to them, any guitar needs a bit of tuning once in a while and this one is so easy to get right it's amazing.


Regarding the specs:
▪ ONE PIECE premium perfectly quartersawn 'Sipo Mahogany' body + neck!
▪ A gorgeous 'Flame Maple' top with a 'Purple Burst' finish and 'natural binding' detail!
▪ A premium 'Crelicam Ebony' fingerboard, 24 frets, 25.5'' scale, 12" radius.
▪ The world's first 'purple day/blue night glow' fingerboard block inlays! ©Registration number: XwoEdy5GCU9qeZtW
▪The world's first polyetheretherketone (PEEK) nuts! ©keAWmx03u4BBqcA2
▪Cryogenically treated frets!
▪Hipshot hardware.
▪Solid brass mounting rings for perfect adjustability and stability!
▪High tolerance CTS pots.
▪A rare NOS Russian 'FT-2' 0.022uF TEFLON capacitor - ©concept.
▪Exclusive Hufschmid 'made to measure' resin cast humbuckers!
▪The logo inlay design in the back is an actual coin featuring a gorgeous antique nickel finish.
▪Aluminium shielding.
▪30 coats of hand applied oil based varnish.


I am definitely one very very happy client who now owns an absolutely amazing hand crafted instrument.

It's one of a kind and all credit goes to Mr Patrick Hufschmid.

I received my new Hufschmid Tantalum 7 string last week and after having a week to run it through different high gain/clean tones I can confidently say this guitar is like a Swiss army knife, it can handle everything! The workmanship and attention to detail that has gone into every part of this guitar makes it sound and look incredible, it's also what puts Patrick's work in a league of his own.

Specs are as follows

▪One Piece premium perfectly quartersawn 'Sipo Mahogany' body + neck
▪Highly figured 'Quilt Maple' top with 'Blue Organic Burst' finish and 'natural binding' detail
▪A premium 'West African Ebony' fingerboard, 24 frets, 666mm (26.3''), 12" radius.
▪The world's first blue day/blue glowing fingerboard blocks ©m9arHCOIWsMepqfl
▪The world's first Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) nut! ©0KgG6VKQUUmMzE3B
▪Hipshot hardware.
▪Hufschmid designed resin cast mounting rings for perfect adjustability and stability
▪High tolerance CTS pots.
▪A rare NOS Russian 'FT-2' 0.022uF TEFLON capacitor - ©concept.
▪Exclusive Hufschmid 'made to measure' resin cast humbuckers
▪The logo inlay design in the back is an actual coin featuring a gorgeous antique nickel finish
▪Aluminium shielding
▪25 coats of hand applied oil based varnish

So how does it feel/play? It's my heaviest guitar I own but not uncomfortable whatsoever, it feels like a real solid premium instrument. Being that it's a one piece body/neck it resonates and sustains like nothing else, also the PEEK nut helps immensely with the vibration/resonance, a world premiere in the guitar world.

The neck feels perfect and for a 7 string it's not too thick, the double cutaway also gives you easy access to the 24th fret. Patrick requested a photo of my hand so he could carve the neck to suit and I was surprised how perfectly it fits, amazing! The pickups are are pure magic they are a triple blade HB set in a resin cast, perfect for high gain aggression but also beautiful cleans ( I've attached some audio files so you can hear them in action ) and again the sustain just helps them sing.

One of the aesthetically pleasing features is the blue block inlays that glow in the dark, a super cool feature that hasn't been done in the guitar world before, also the blue stain on the quilt maple top blows me away every time i look at it, absolutely sick. The wiring work is exceptionally clean and again aesthetically pleasing to look at, even includes a radioactive capacitor!

The frets are perfectly levelled and it was set up to perfection upon arrival, even in tune coming all the way from Switzerland to Ireland! Patrick sent progress photos/video updates every time he worked on the guitar so it was a extremely personal experience, getting to see your guitar transform from a few pieces of wood to a 100% handcrafted instrument was one of the best parts, something you wont get from other companies.

Overall it was an amazing experience, Patrick's passion and attention to detail really shines through in his work. When you order a guitar you're getting the highest quality materials, a custom one of a kind instrument from a builder with over 25 years in the industry. That's the easiest decision you have to make right there!

Last year I received a Tantalum model from Hufschmid Guitars. I have owned higher end instruments from Suhr, Martin, Kiesel and Ibanez in the past, but this is truly a one-of-a-kind instrument. One you get a hand-built instrument from an expert luthier there is a human connection to it that immediately feels like you are holding a work of art.

Aesthetically, the build is just stunning. It has a highly figured Bastogne Wood top with a Gorgeous Crelicam Ebony 24 Fretboard with a 12" radius. The neck and body is 1 piece Quarter-sawn Sipo Mahogany. The frets were cryogenically treated and so they should last as long as frets can possibly last. The pickups are Hufschmid_Designed Humbuckers that are triple-blade resin cast. The nut is one of the first guitars to use the PEEK material (Polyetheretherkeytone).

The end result is an instrument that sounds massive and authoritative. The pickups have a healthy amount of output, but they respond with a lot of detail when the volume is rolled back. I don't often like the clean tones of humbucking pickups, but the cleans are just gorgeous on this guitar. There is a solidness to the distorted tone and a focus to the sound that translates really well to recordings. I've recorded this guitar several times and I'm always impressed with the final product.

Feel-wise, this is the heaviest instrument that I own and the thickest neck, but I don't find it difficult to get around at all. Every detail of this guitar is carefully thought through and it translates to an effortless playing experience.

If you are on the fence about buying a Hufschmid Guitar, I can say without hesitation that they will not disappoint in any way. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is unparalleled. I was lucky enough to play a number of them before I got this one so I had a good impression of what to expect, but this one is easily my favorite of the 6 or 7 that I've played.

The audio demo I attached here was recorded using the Hufschmid Tantalum and the Kemper Profiler using a profile of a boosted Soldano SLO100. It sounds massive.