# Altius Guitars / Chris Letchford



## dschonn (Dec 18, 2014)

Hi everyone,

this playthrough of Chris Letchford playing 'The Gentleman' was just posted on Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBylUvtqxI

Now the guitar the majority assumed to be a Jackson was officially proclaimed to be an Altius Guitars, a company I personally have never heard of before. Here is their very new Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Altius-Guitars/1517730358504707

The guitar itself seems very nice to me, but I was just wondering whether anybody here had previous experience!
Would be very nice to hear your thoughts and comments


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## KristapsCoCoo (Dec 18, 2014)

They seem to be new, I couldn't find them myself at all.


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## dschonn (Dec 18, 2014)

You're right, the facebook page says it was only created 7 hours ago... I always find new brands appearing interesting, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops. Just seems odd all in all. Surely must be a builder with a lot of experience or maybe someone close to the artist.


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## Cloudy (Dec 18, 2014)

The facebook page is brand new, doesn't look like they've been around too long.

Maybe one of his friends who decided to start building professionally? I don't imagine hes allowed to start using other brands too freely with his .strandberg* endorsement. Could be wrong though .


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## Fiction (Dec 18, 2014)

Tread lightly fellas, not that it is ultra fishy, but sure the guitar looks nice, lots of people can make nice guitars, but what happens when his first exposure to public is offering a guitar run to 10 people and realizes he can't keep up. Of course it's all speculation, but speculating is all we have when a new company pops up announcing a guitar run, without showing any previous work other than the one guitar in a video..


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## teamSKDM (Dec 18, 2014)

Guitar is fugly as all hell.


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## Roland777 (Dec 18, 2014)

s7g all over again...


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## Andromalia (Dec 18, 2014)

An Ibby clone. No thanks.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Dec 18, 2014)

Chris also played Shermans, and then Sherman had some big issues.

All you guys need to realize that because alot of the new young guitarists get a million fancy guitars, it doesnt mean that all those companies are good.

It actually pisses me off how many young hot guitarists, mostly on here, get people hyped for a fly by night flavor of the month builder and then it burns everyone.


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## TheRileyOBrien (Dec 18, 2014)

I wonder if it is Chris's company? Didn't he go to a luthier school at some point?

*After reading the post on his page he referred to "their page" so I guess not.


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## TheStig1214 (Dec 18, 2014)

I'm definitely thinking Chris is affiliated with this company on a personal level in some way, like more than just playing their guitars. Maybe he helped start them up? I dunno. Too early to tell. Guitar looks okay, not totally my thing. Looks like a cross between a Carvin DC700 and an Ibby RGD.



Cloudy said:


> The facebook page is brand new, doesn't look like they've been around too long.
> 
> Maybe one of his friends who decided to start building professionally? I don't imagine hes allowed to start using other brands too freely with his .strandberg* endorsement. Could be wrong though .



From that I've read Chris talk about with strandberg, Ola is apparently very open with his endorsements. He'll let the artists use whatever they want and not tie them down to just using a strandberg 24/7.


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## Roland777 (Dec 18, 2014)

I've never been a fan of the "hard bevel"-look, but that guitar took my dislike to previously unheard of levels. That looks abysmal combined with the color scheme.


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## narad (Dec 18, 2014)

I love the gradation of the burst - very well done - but the page and this whole secret guitar thing is just so stupid. Stayed tuned to a limited run of something you know nothing about, from someone you know nothing about, that there are no reviews of, no specs of, and we've been building hype about for 2 months now! Where can I sign up!


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## stevexc (Dec 18, 2014)

Guys, remember: Don't be the guinea pig. These guys are gonna do a small run of low-priced custom guitars with every option you've ever wanted, and then next thing you know it there's gonna be a 50-page thread that starts off with optimism and excitement and quickly descends from mild complaints to scathing hate.

Remember our mistakes with Etherial, S7G, Roter, Sherman, etc... wait until we know if it's a bandwagon or not before you jump blindly. And if you do volunteer to "try one out and see" remember the risk you're taking.


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## Randy (Dec 18, 2014)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> All you guys need to realize that because alot of the new young guitarists get a million fancy guitars, it doesnt mean that all those companies are good.



Shades of grey. Some guys are just pimping 'flavor of the week', some are pimping whatever guitar company will send them a paycheck, etc. Not all guitarists on here overburden themselves with expensive custom guitars for the same reason.

I can't read Chris Letchford's mind or intentions, nor can I endorse the business practices of the companies he does business with, but Chris doesn't seem to get as involved with 'flavor of the week' builders (didn't have a BRJ, didn't have an S7, etc). I still wouldn't just go out and hand somebody money because Chris owns one of their guitars, but I do respect his taste in what he chooses to play more than most.


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## MoshJosh (Dec 18, 2014)

I don't want to be that guy, but to me it kind of looks like it was left in the oven to long and melted a little bit.

not that I dislike the body or headstock shape, they just look. . . off. 

that said, I'd probably still rock it haha


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## IChuckFinleyI (Dec 18, 2014)

Roland777 said:


> I've never been a fan of the "hard bevel"-look, but that guitar took my dislike to previously unheard of levels. That looks abysmal combined with the color scheme.


 
I'm at work and generally don't like to click on anything that's FaceBook related. After reading your post, I had to take a look at it and I agree with you 100%. That thing is just ugly and uninspired. Some of the "new brands" you see on eBay look to be higher quality than that thing is. 

I know everyone has to start somewhere, just look at how far RAN has come, but I don't see this brand going very far.


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## Shredmon (Dec 18, 2014)

the guitar on their fb page looks like a ....ed up version of the Ibanez RGD shape imho....


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## asher (Dec 18, 2014)

Nice shade of blue and nice quilt. The RGtrucci body style, not so much... would like to see other angles, it might resolve okay (but I kinda doubt it).


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## wannabguitarist (Dec 18, 2014)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> Chris also played Shermans, and then Sherman had some big issues.
> 
> All you guys need to realize that because alot of the new young guitarists get a million fancy guitars, it doesnt mean that all those companies are good.
> 
> It actually pisses me off how many young hot guitarists, mostly on here, get people hyped for a fly by night flavor of the month builder and then it burns everyone.



To be fair, Sherman was pretty straight back then and had a history of actually building guitars back then. Wasn't exactly a fly-by-night ss.org special 

Totally agree with everything else


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## asher (Dec 18, 2014)

wannabguitarist said:


> To be fair, Sherman was pretty straight back then and had a history of actually building guitars back then. Wasn't exactly a fly-by-night ss.org special
> 
> Totally agree with everything else



Chris had problems with him too. While not to the extent of many others - ie, screwed out of lots of money with nothing to show - he did say his Sherman needed a whole bunch of work and repairs that Sherman was basically refusing to do for him.

sauce: me and my friend talking to Chris after a show.


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## AdenM (Dec 18, 2014)

Literally thought it was an RGD with a LACS finish until I saw the headstock, lol.


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## TheStig1214 (Dec 18, 2014)

So I was right, Chris is part of this company in some way. He, at the very least, runs the facebook page. Someone asked about the blue guitar. He replied as Altius:

"no, this was just a prototype they sent me to check out. I should have my personal one next week, so pictures to come of course!"


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## Warg Master (Dec 18, 2014)

Well... why aren't there more pics? ....


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## Stooge1996 (Dec 18, 2014)

His strandbergs look that much nicer compared to this thing


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## Hollowway (Dec 19, 2014)

I feel like I should do a PSA saying: Dear graphic artist hobbyists - just because you like to sit in front of the computer designing your logo for hours doesn't mean you should be running a luthiery business. I've noticed this more than once - a really involved logo comes out before a bunch of guitars. It's just weird.


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## Andromalia (Dec 19, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> I feel like I should do a PSA saying: Dear graphic artist hobbyists - just because you like to sit in front of the computer designing your logo for hours doesn't mean you should be running a luthiery business. I've noticed this more than once - a really involved logo comes out before a bunch of guitars. It's just weird.




Says the guy who, like mostly every one of us, was looking for band names before having bands  And don't even try to tell me "noooo I 'm not like thaaaaaaaat", you've been a teenager like everybody else


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## asher (Dec 19, 2014)

Yeah, but that's _normal_, like doing fake match making with your classmates in middle school


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## crystallake (Dec 19, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> I feel like I should do a PSA saying: Dear graphic artist hobbyists - just because you like to sit in front of the computer designing your logo for hours doesn't mean you should be running a luthiery business. I've noticed this more than once - a really involved logo comes out before a bunch of guitars. It's just weird.



Their logo is such a hack. I mean, lens flares?! I did those in my college Photoshop class back in 1999.


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## Hollowway (Dec 19, 2014)

Andromalia said:


> Says the guy who, like mostly every one of us, was looking for band names before having bands  And don't even try to tell me "noooo I 'm not like thaaaaaaaat", you've been a teenager like everybody else



Please, I've been coming up with band names AND posters since high school! And am currently imagining cool names if I was going to create an internet company. So basically, do as I say, not as I do!


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## BrailleDecibel (Dec 19, 2014)

I like the concept they were going for with the guitar on their page....however, the execution and the way it's beveled with what looks like minimal regard to actually flowing with the shape of the guitar makes it look like someone drew up the design about 3/4 of the way through a bottle of whiskey, and they just went with what came out in the end. And let's just say I'm absolutely not feeling their headstock design at all...the "A" must stand for "atrocious".


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## Blasphemer (Dec 19, 2014)

Andromalia said:


> Says the guy who, like mostly every one of us, was looking for band names before having bands



Dude, I come up with new band names on a daily basis. It's just fun!

Also, aside from the horrid tuner placement (why are they so close to the edge of the headstock??), I really like their headstock shape.


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## narad (Dec 19, 2014)

Blasphemer said:


> I really like their headstock shape.



One part Jackson 4x3, one part bongo bass.


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## ej207t (Dec 19, 2014)

Must've been listening to manowar when they designed that logo.


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## HurrDurr (Dec 22, 2014)

Blasphemer said:


> horrid tuner placement (why are they so close to the edge of the headstock??).



For tone.


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## asher (Dec 22, 2014)

narad said:


> One part Jackson 4x3, one part bongo bass.



I feel like it's about 85% of the way to something pretty awesome actually, but the proportions (and maybe tuner style) definitely need more massaging.


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## Xaios (Dec 22, 2014)

I actually like the look of the body, but the headstock design does nothing for me. And yeah, that logo is just ugly.


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## BucketheadRules (Dec 22, 2014)

The headstock design is actually the thing I hate the least about the design of those guitars.


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## Thorerges (Dec 22, 2014)

teamSKDM said:


> Guitar is fugly as all hell.



Yea, not my thing at all.


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## TheStig1214 (Dec 23, 2014)

We have a price point.

"Yes, its called an Altius "Discoverer" and its coming out in a couple weeks! They sent me one to check out, first time ever that a 7 around 1K has impressed me enough to really want one for myself... mine should be here in about a week! So I'll be posting pictures soon! Keep an eye out!" -Chris


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 23, 2014)

Wasn't Invictus, Roter, and Emperion around 1K?


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## loqtrall (Jan 1, 2015)

Just thought I'd post this, as it's relevant to the topic:


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## crystallake (Jan 2, 2015)

loqtrall said:


> Just thought I'd post this, as it's relevant to the topic:



That was posted in the original topic.


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## TheRileyOBrien (Mar 2, 2015)

The spacing of the high e and b tuners is off and looks bad. It is really evident on the white one in their latest Facebook picture.


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## jephjacques (Mar 3, 2015)

Around 1K? Either this is Roter-level malfeasance or these things are getting built overseas. I actually like the design, sort of an RGD meets JPX, but those tuners look way too close to the edges of the headstock. And that logo ! 

Color me extremely, extremely skeptical.


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## InfinityCollision (Mar 3, 2015)

1K price tag needs wayyyy more info.



Randy said:


> I can't read Chris Letchford's mind or intentions, nor can I endorse the business practices of the companies he does business with, but Chris doesn't seem to get as involved with 'flavor of the week' builders (didn't have a BRJ, *didn't have an S7*, etc). I still wouldn't just go out and hand somebody money because Chris owns one of their guitars, but I do respect his taste in what he chooses to play more than most.



He was fully on board for the Strandberg-S7G partnership.

Man, has it really been two years since that shitstorm went down?


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## TheStig1214 (Mar 5, 2015)

Models | Product Categories | Altius Guitars

Ordering is now up. 2 color choices, Floyd or fixed. That's it for options.

Who's taking the plunge?


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## feraledge (Mar 5, 2015)

Not I. 
But I love the commentary mixed in with the specs: 
"Double locking Floyd Rose tremolo
Ensures max tuning stability and max whammy bar effects"

"We can't just say Floyd Rose, what if they don't know what that is?"
"Call it a whammy bar."
"What about 'for mega whammy attacks!'"
"Keep it pro, bro."
"Max whammy bar effects?"
"Bingo. Post it."

"Extreme ergonomic body contours and bevels", *flame suit on*, not my thing at all, but it's not horribly far off from some of the "cut through the top" Kiesel stuff that people who aren't me seem to like a lot.

"Massive control cavity to accommodate active electronics, on-board effects, upgrades etc" that's a frightening claim for a guitar with no rear shots.

Headstock looks like someone lost a bet to me. Do not like.


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## gunshow86de (Mar 5, 2015)

^
I think we know who the man behind the company is........


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## jephjacques (Mar 5, 2015)

It has passive pickups but a battery compartment 






Also confirmed to be made in Korea according to their FAQ.


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## stevexc (Mar 5, 2015)

jephjacques said:


> It has passive pickups but a battery compartment



It looks like that's by design:



> Massive control cavity to accommodate active electronics, on-board effects, upgrades etc
> Standard battery compartment to offer easy upgrade if desired.



...which is probably one of the least dumb things about it.

If they're coming out of Korea, at least they should be more-or-less playable. The thing is, though, is it really worth it to save a little over grabbing an also-MiK LTD, Schecter, PRS SE, or Agile? Especially given that we know nothing really substantial about the company, their QC, or much really in the way of specifics on the specs ("high output ceramic pickups"? What?).


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## mcsalty (Mar 6, 2015)

I actually really like the look of that black one, aside from the headstock. The trans-black looks a lot better with the black bevels than the blue did


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## CaptainD00M (Mar 6, 2015)

feraledge said:


> Not I.
> But I love the commentary mixed in with the specs:
> "Double locking Floyd Rose tremolo
> Ensures max tuning stability and max whammy bar effects"



I lolled 



feraledge said:


> "Massive control cavity to accommodate active electronics, on-board effects, upgrades etc" that's a frightening claim for a guitar with no rear shots.



That is a MASSIVE cavity. I mean, you could get a midget in there with a kazoo, for a preamp and still have real-estate for a midrange boost. 


I say Meh.


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## Demiurge (Mar 6, 2015)

_Steep price on a super strat from a new, untested company, but, hey, [internet-famous instrumentalist] is playing one!_ That's pretty much just a trail of candy leading up to the rusty, windowless van by now.


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## CaptainD00M (Mar 6, 2015)

Demiurge said:


> _Steep price on a super strat from a new, untested company, but, hey, [internet-famous instrumentalist] is playing one!_ That's pretty much just a trail of candy leading up to the rusty, windowless van by now.



Yeah, I'll take a Banshee thanks.


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## crystallake (Mar 6, 2015)

Looks like we now know how they got their logo. Ha!



> NEWS
> Accepting Submissions
> Altius Guitars announces acceptance of submissions for future guitar finishes and artwork/logos. Submit all questions and submissions to [email protected].


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## Hollowway (Mar 6, 2015)

Demiurge said:


> That's pretty much just a trail of candy leading up to the rusty, windowless van by now.


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## Haun (Mar 6, 2015)

I actually like the look of the black see-through with the quilt to. Kinda looks like a beef'd up Ibanez RGD.


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## will_shred (Mar 6, 2015)

I'll stick with Ibanez thanks.


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## will_shred (Mar 6, 2015)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Wasn't Invictus, Roter, and Emperion around 1K?



We all know where this is going


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## feraledge (Mar 6, 2015)

ej207t said:


> Must've been listening to manowar when they designed that logo.



The walls have eyes... From the FAQ:


> We did ask Manowar to design our logo, but they were booked.



How the FAQ is written irks me. Slow it down fellas, nothing of yours is proven yet...


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## feraledge (Mar 7, 2015)

Uhh yeah..
From the FAQ: 


> Q: Why did you have so much commentary listed in the guitar specs?
> A: Here was our actual staff meeting transcript:
> Founder Max Power: &#8220;We can&#8217;t just say Floyd Rose, what if they don&#8217;t know what that is?&#8221;
> Staffer 1: &#8220;Call it a whammy bar.&#8221;
> ...


I don't even get credit for this? BTW, to our humble reader/purveyors, I clearly pictured that as a two person conversation.

Q. Are you going to continue to add to the FAQ based on every comment you're lurking in this thread?
Q. Is the headstock design actually the result of a lost bet?


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## Funky D (Mar 7, 2015)

I like the compact head stock personally. 
Good to have something unique to them to set apart.


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## BusinessMan (Mar 7, 2015)

That blue guitar is sick as hell.


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## CaptainD00M (Mar 7, 2015)

> Q: Are the control cavities &#8220;frightening&#8221;?
> A: We&#8217;ve never been afraid of them, although we&#8217;ve never been around them in the dark. They are massive though.
> Q: Speaking of control cavities, if yours are so massive why do you have a battery compartment as well?
> A: Because, a battery compartment is a lot nicer and easier to access batteries. The massive control cavity can accommodate on board effects, extra switches, toggles, circuit boards, or even a spare key for your house! Besides not everyone has a router at home. Duh!



Well that was an interesting turn of events 




> Q: Why do you keep adding, changing, modifying info on your website?
> A: Because, oftentimes some things seem obvious to us because we work with the guitars all day. We can get a bit myopic. When we&#8217;re made aware of shortcomings or lack of clarity in our information, we try to set things straight and make them clearer for our customers.



As you seem to be on this forum lurking for 'inspiration' if I might be so bold as to suggest a couple of things to make them clearer for the customers:

1) Get an editor for you website, the wording of some of your statements while not grammatically or syntactically incorrect read poorly. I can recommend people or offer my own services as an editor for academic publication and websites if you like 

2) Your FAQ section reads like a forum members post rather than a professional website. Sure its 'cool' or 'hip' and I see you're attempt at humour, but it seems to undermine your slickness as a company. If you were a one man builder or someone with a reputation for being a little more out there then _fine_, especially if your main clientele were the denizens of this website alone. But you seem to be going for a wider audience so maybe rather than: 



> Q: Will you give me free stuff? Cause, like my band kinda sucks, but I&#8217;m a super awesome guitarist and stuff.
> A: Yes!! You send us enough US dollars and we&#8217;ll send you stuff for &#8220;free&#8221;!



Maybe:

Q: Do you do artist endorsements?

A: Currently we do not offer artist endorsements, and do not plan to. Please kindly refrain from sending us requests for endorsement.

Anyway good luck with your company.


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## Blasphemer (Mar 7, 2015)

The "we're trying really hard to be casual and funny" FAQ just comes off as annoying and tryhard-ish, to me. Keep it professional or don't have one, altogether.

Also, straight up stealing feraledge's comment is pretty freaking shiesty, in my book.

Those two things alone have pretty much made me set on never supporting this company in any way, shape, or form.


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## groverj3 (Mar 8, 2015)

The website mentions that the design team "spans the globe" and includes Texas in their list of locations.

Isn't Scale the Summit (and Letchford) from Texas? I have a feeling he's either involved with this company directly or it's someone he knows. Either promoting a product he's helped design or trying to help launch a friend's brand, etc. That's just my guess.

They don't look that bad, but I'm generally very skeptical of companies that pop up like this. The headstock shape isn't quite my thing, but there are uglier guitars made by more established names.

Who knows, maybe it's decent? A lot of the stuff out of Korea is well-made. I will not, however, be standing in line for one. That's just me though.

Edit: It seems his connection to the company was already kind of established earlier in the thread. Therefore, my half-assed detective-work isn't nearly so impressive.


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## narad (Mar 8, 2015)

CaptainD00M said:


> Maybe:
> 
> Q: Do you do artist endorsements?
> 
> A: Currently we do not offer artist endorsements, and do not plan to. Please kindly refrain from sending us requests for endorsement.



Except for that one.


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## CaptainD00M (Mar 8, 2015)

narad said:


> Except for that one.



 

Good point  . Maybe they should clarify that, with something better than 'you give us money, we give you stuff for free'.


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## Andromalia (Mar 8, 2015)

groverj3 said:


> The website mentions that the design team "spans the globe" and includes Texas in their list of locations.



'Murica. I suppose these guys have a worldwide reputation in the neighbourhood ?


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## HighGain510 (Mar 8, 2015)

Yikes. Product looks meh, site makes them look like a joke and they have even failed already by stating they don't have endorsees yet clearly Chris has some form of relationship with them. See that 10 foot pole over there on the table? It's not going near this company or their guitars.  NOPE. 

The van analogy was nice, I lol'd. 

P.S. When trying to run a guitar company, especially a brand new one, posting publicly that you're looking for folks to submit finish requests AND LOGO ARTWORK comes off super tacky and makes it look like your company has no clue what it is doing in the first place. If you have no eye for design, you hire a graphics designer to help you out with a logo. Requesting that random people send you new logos to review is not only quite lame, but just makes you look bad in general. 

Ah well, not interested in these in the slightest, I hope stuff like Roter, S7G and Halo has taught enough folks on here when to pass on "too good to be true" deals. Or you could ignore all warning and go for it (like an idiot, hate to say it but JEEBUS guys, c'mon... ) but please no more posting "woe is me!!! I had no idea I would get screwed with this shitty instrument (or no instrument at all, take your pick), there were no warning signs!!!"


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## narad (Mar 8, 2015)

HighGain510 said:


> P.S. When trying to run a guitar company, especially a brand new one, posting publicly that you're looking for folks to submit finish requests AND LOGO ARTWORK comes off super tacky and makes it look like your company has no clue what it is doing in the first place. If you have no eye for design, you hire a graphics designer to help you out with a logo.



Ha, but this is great -- it's cafepress for guitars. Brilliant!


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