Borys Guitars

[Woody Sound]

I'm not touching this thread with a 30" scale guitar!

[skiboyny]

Once long ago, I bought a Gibson Johnny Smith. It was said to be in excellent condition. When I got it it had a headstock repair, lots of buckle rash on the back and generally poor condition. The guitar sounded like a studio recording. I sent it back to the dealer I bought it from because the condition just didn't justify the price. But the sound! I never could get that sound out of my mind. I too am anal lean towards perfectionism, love clean polished things. I kicked myself in the ass so many times for that decision. A lesson learned that the sound and playability trump the aesthetic every time.

FWIW and in my opinion.I don't think the problem Vinny is describing has a thing to do with shipping, weather or checking. Roger doesn't spray enough finish to fill the grain. His guitars are styled as a vintage vibe and that's how he does it. His attention to detail is not among the finest aestheticly, so in that regard this post could serve as a warning for potential buyers who would expect more. I have 12 high quality archtops probably all better in fit and finish. The Borys is the guitar I reach for first.

Sorry this didn't work out for you. It did seem very predictable...

[vinnyv1k]

I don’t want to bash Roger. He builds a very unique guitar.
They definitely have that Jimmy D. vibe.
They play like butter and sound great.
I did this post to warn people that may be anal like me.
I do think these are good guitars except for the finish.
I was friends with Jimmy D. so I needed this guitar because or the connection to him.

Basically he caters to the VOS crowd which I never understood.

He has been very successful so his way works for him.
He fits a niche that does cater to the working musician.
I see a archtop guitar as functioning art. I like them to sound and look beautiful.

[skykomishone]

I don’t want to bash Roger. He builds a very unique guitar....

I see a archtop guitar as functioning art. I like them to sound and look beautiful.

Amen brother!

[mrichman]

I've got an old Borys with his "imperfect" finish and it's aged beautifully, I'm as anal as they come but I think it looks great

[Cunamara]

Whoa! A few months ago in another Borys thread Borys B120 you and many other posters loved it and now it's a piece of crap and a scam?? What gives?

This is an unfair NGD as from the OP's own admission it plays and sound wonderful but does not look good enough for the price??? He knew that the first time around !!

I'm pretty sure this is the same guitar in both this thread and the one you linked to. This discussion is after it was sent back to Roger to be refinished.

I think the moral of the story here is that Roger Borys just doesn't do flawless shiny finishes. Know and be comfortable with that going in and you'll probably be fine.

I'd have been just fine with the guitar as it first arrived from Roger in the other thread, but not everybody's gonna feel that way. Hand me a flawless guitar like Mark Campellone's and I'd probably be afraid to play it the way it should be played for fear of marking it up. I'm kind of a klutz; nothing I use stays in mint condition for very long.

[FourOnSix]

I'm pretty sure this is the same guitar in both this thread and the one you linked to. This discussion is after it was sent back to Roger to be refinished.

I think the moral of the story here is that Roger Borys just doesn't do flawless shiny finishes. Know and be comfortable with that going in and you'll probably be fine.

I'd have been just fine with the guitar as it first arrived from Roger in the other thread, but not everybody's gonna feel that way. Hand me a flawless guitar like Mark Campellone's and I'd probably be afraid to play it the way it should be played for fear of marking it up. I'm kind of a klutz; nothing I use stays in mint condition for very long.

The secondary moral: Have a Campellone if you want a superlative instrument to play when you've gotten a good night's sleeps, and a Borys for a superlative instrument to play when you haven't. That's pretty much how I roll.

[2bornot2bop]

I’m not bashing the man either. But it needs to be communicated to any potential customers beforehand that the finish may, or may not, be impeccable. That’s the expectation when buying a new guitar.

And it sounds like this was not communicated to Vinny. That’s the issue as I see it.

[nyc chaz]

I bought my B120 used,so i never dealt with Roger.The guitar sounds and looks perfect is all i can say.Reading about him over the years seems that he can be a bit cantakerous at times, a lot of great artists over time have been but when you pay that kind of bread for a guitar it's not unreasonable to expect perfection.

[jads57]

Just a hard lesson to learn is, “All that Glitters is Not Gold!” In fact it is better to embrace imperfection when it comes to life lessons.
Im 68 and still find myself learning that life lesson over and over again.

The important thing imo as a person,is to look past the surface and find the magic within things,and people as well!
Im sorry your expectations weren’t meant. The good news is you can always sell it or return it if it was on a credit card transaction.

[cmajor9]

To those with personal experience of Borys guitars, how would an example from the 80’s rank against a recent model? I found locally a BG-100 said to be from 1983, which looks fairly similar to current models like the B120.

[mrichman]

I have a BG-100 and have owned several B120s and I can confidently say that they are just as good as the B-120 - in fact out of the 3 or 4 B120s I've had it is the BG-100 I kept. I'd suggest trying to play it first as like all hand made guitars they are all quite different.

[arnie65]

I actually love the way it looks, the checking and worn look, looks great. But that's just me...




Cheers,
Arnie..