Hufschmid Guitars Tantalum

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.

Guitarist for 41 years... I own a small collection of guitars and several which have been heavily modified to suit my taste and ergonomics. With that said, Patrick creates instruments that are hot-rodded and built to suit (tailored) to the player physically. One of my primary concerns and one of the first questions I asked Patrick was about the neck... the modifications I have made to several of my guitars over the years has been custom necks to fit my hand... Patrick request a trace of your hand to build an optimal neck based from the tracing. When I got the guitar from Patrick, I was blown away by how precise the neck was and how closely it was in alignment with my other custom necks.

Need to state that Patrick is a true artist and a complete gentleman across the board... I enjoyed the entire process and felt like I was in the shop during the build... exception communication and documentation along the way.

My style / fusion... I am a mutt and dabble in every style... tend to lean towards progressive metal / shred.

The guitar is a work of art and nature. Feel, look, playability is off the charts. Amazing that Patrick builds these instruments by hand... the level of craftmanship is just impeccable. All of the materials, finishes and attention to detail... just an exceptional instrument... solid and gorgeous. The electronics and pick-ups are solid with a huge tonal spectrum (aggressive and clean-up well when rolled off). Playability is exceptional as well... good balance... tone and sustain for days. The fret work is impeccable... perfect crown and edges are dressed perfectly.

Look, if you are a serious player / artist you owe it to yourself to look into this builder and these guitars... they are on a completely different level from the run of the mill guitars available today. Don't get me wrong, I own custom shop guitars in addition to my Hufschmid... while I love them, I covet my Hufschmid and consider it to be a family heirloom... truly a work of art.

Check out his plectrums too... off the chart craftsmanship with everything Hufschmid!