Bilt Relevator USA Made Custom Offset Electric Guitar Fiesta Red Mastery & ohsc

Up for sale, a Bilt Relevator in exceptional condition and in perfect working order. The Bilt is one of the most devastatingly cool variations on the Fender offset guitar to ever be designed and produced (albeit in very small numbers) and these instruments are lovingly hand crafted in Des Moines, Iowa by a dedicated small team of builders. A tricked out variation on the never produced Fender Marauder which was poised to follow up the famed Jazzmaster and Jaguar, this guitar features so much cool stuff it's hard to know where to start...but we'll try.
This particular instrument differs from the standard issue Relevator in its pickup choice which boasts two Lollar Regal humbuckers, one of the only true vintage correct versions of the Fender "Wide Range" humbucker on the market today. These pickups are incredibly clear and full sounding without being muddy, and they still have a distinctive Fender sparkle in the top end with a clarity and spank that doesn't hurt the ears. A pair of these pickups on their own cost a cool $400, and having them at the heart of this Relevator makes it a special instrument indeed!
A must for any high-end Offset instrument is the Mastery bridge, a bridge that corrects and improves upon the original Jazzmaster bridge design with greater sustain and stability and also allows for very smooth action with the vibrato. This Bilt not only sports this essential bridge, but also a set of custom made chrome control plates for the knobs switches and vibrato unit, perfectly capturing the Fender Marauder vibe with unique parts that you simply can't get from an off the shelf parts supplier. To pair with the Mastery bridge, a Mastery Offset Vibrato has been installed on this guitar, and this direct drop-in replacement for the stock vibrato improves the response and accuracy of the vibrato unit, for quick flutters, deep dives and everything in between while keeping the guitar very much in tune. This vibrato doesn't come on the base model Relevator and is a $195 value!
In addition to the standard Bridge/Bridge+Neck/Neck pickup selections, this guitar has every switch and trick available for crafting pysch and shoegaze soundscapes with a built in analog delay and fuzz circuit. Both of these effects are surprisingly easy to control via soft touch on/off switches for the effects and knurled roller knobs for the effects settings. There's even a self oscillation knob right next to the master volume for pushing the analog delay circuit into overload territory. Additionally, the guitar sports the standard Jazzmaster/Jaguar Rhythm Circuit controls for a richer neck pickup tone with individual volume and tone knobs and a phase switch located just south of the bridge pickup. All of the effects are powered by a handy on/off footswitch and supplied 20' TRS cable, although the guitar can also be used without effects with any conventional 1/4" cable.
The neck has a traditional Fender 25 1/2" scale length, modern 9 1/2" fretboard radius and a hand carved bone nut. On the rosewood fretboard, the stock 6105 fretwire shows virtually no wear, with well rounded crowns and no buzzing or dead spots on the board. The headstock boasts a set of upgraded Hipshot locking tuners, and with the Mastery Vibrato, these are the only mods that deviate from the stock configuration of this Relevator.
Weighing only 8lbs 8oz, this instrument is surprisingly lightweight for all of it's hi-tech hardware and the bodies and necks are hand carved at Bilt. It's surprising how rare it is these days to see a small company making Fender inspired guitars that is actually crafting their own bodies and necks. The quality of the bound, hard maple neck with rosewood fretboard and premium alder body really shows in the great acoustic resonance and comfortable, worn in feel of the Bilt instruments. Finished in Fiesta Red with matching Starcaster-esque headstock, Bilt absolutely nails this classic Fender custom color with a durable gloss poly top coat.
Cosmetically, this guitar has been extremely well cared for since new, with only a few very faint finish scratches on the back of the instrument, and no serious wear of any kind.
Here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, nothing gets us more excited than Jazzmasters/Jaguars and their other "offset" brethren like the Bilt. We've taken great care to set up this instrument for the ultimate offset playing experience, with 11-50 DR strings, low comfortable action and a vibrato unit that is dialed in for the optimal range and touch sensitivity.
The original, custom G&G hardshell case is included.