Whitfill Custom Guitars are handmade in Lebanon, Kentucky (population ~6000) by Kentucky native Charles Whitfill. Of the multitudes of custom-made relic guitars available these days, Whitfill guitars are well-crafted straightforward designs with tasteful relic-ing. Whitfill nails custom color finishes, and the Daphne Blue on this 2014 S Style is just right. Its Swamp Ash body is properly contoured and lightweight, and although Whitfill calls this a "1966" spec, this S Style falls more into the early '60s category. It has a slab rosewood fingerboard on a satin-finish Maple neck with a Medium C profile. The bone nut measures 1.687", and the neck depth is .854" at the 1st fret, tapering up to .972" at the 12th. The fingerboard radius is 10" and it sports medium jumbo frets. For electronics, Whitfill's hand-wound '60s Style pickups give you a versatile range of sound via the 5-way switch. The resistance is 6.13 k ohms at the bridge, 6.06 k ohms in the middle, and 6.05 k ohms at the neck. Through an amp, the sound is balanced, and the out-of-phase positions are especially sweet. Gotoh tuners, Gotoh bridge, wide-spaced Gotoh tremolo, CTS pots, CRL Switch, Vitamin Q oil in paper tone capacity, and all cloth wiring—this S Style was put together with all of the proper parts, so it does everything you could ask. This 2014 Whitfill S Style finds us with a very comfortable, low setup. Fret wear is minimal, and it's hard to say if there is any wear beyond the custom relic treatment. One note: the neck plate isn't the highest quality, so it has bent a bit with time (see photos). This guitar is lightweight—under 7 lbs without the trem arm (6 lbs 15.7 oz). The finish is awesome, and the vibe is just right. We love how Whitfill takes the time to relic all of the parts, including the pickup covers and volume knobs. It gives this guitar character and vibe, but it plays with all of the precision of a modern-day custom shop beast. Original tweed hardshell case included!
