After graduating from high school, I moved to Tokyo because I wanted to become a guitar instructor. About a year after moving there, I started thinking that I wanted to own a Stratocaster that I could use for the rest of my life. So I visited Oguchi Gakki, a music store I often went to, and asked them for advice.
At the time, I learned that Oguchi Gakki had its own original brand, “alpineguitars,” and that custom orders were available. Since I was going to have a guitar built as a lifelong instrument, they suggested using one of the alpineguitars Stratocasters in the store as a base and customizing details such as the color.
That was the beginning of this guitar.
The link below shows the specifications of the original guitar that became the basis for my custom order. It was the Deluxe model, while a Standard model was also available.
https://mpoguchi.com/instruments2f/electric-guitars/alpineguitars/4996
I still use this guitar as one of my main instruments today, so I wanted to document it here, including the changes I made when I ordered it.
One thing I am particularly proud of as a local resident is the “Made in MATSUMOTO” marking on the guitar.
alpineguitars
The link below provides some background information about alpineguitars. The brand is no longer in production, but the information is useful for understanding its history.
https://alpineguitars-japan.amebaownd.com/posts/1674339
Recent Momose guitars are sold with a different headstock shape. Before that change, however, there was an announcement that the previous design would be discontinued. This led the guitar staff at Oguchi Gakki to have a guitar produced under the alpineguitars brand using the same production process as Momose.
Basic Specifications of the alpST-DX
The following are the basic specifications of the Deluxe model. I used these specifications as the foundation and made several changes according to my preferences at the time.
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Body | Selected 1-piece Alder |
| Neck | Selected Maple |
| Fingerboard | New Jacaranda, 22 frets |
| Fret | Jim Dunlop #6230 |
| Guitar Finish | All-lacquer finish on the body / semi-gloss all-lacquer finish on the neck |
| Pickups | Lindy Fralin Tall-G × 3 |
| Sustain Block | Callaham block |
Changes Made for My Custom Order
There were three main changes I made when ordering the guitar:
- I changed the frets to slightly narrower and taller ones.
- I ordered the guitar in a Deep Lake Placid Blue-style color.
- I changed the headstock shape to a large-headstock design.
Changing the Frets
For the frets, I compared several other guitars and chose the shape that felt best for me.
I preferred the feel and attack of the fret shape mentioned above, so I asked them to change the frets from the standard specification. In retrospect, this may have made the guitar a little more modern in terms of its specifications.
The frets are the only part of the guitar that I specifically changed for playability and feel, and that probably shows just how much I have liked this guitar over the years.
The Color
I chose the color after looking at various Stratocasters at the time.
The finished guitar ended up with a color that looks somewhat like black with a metallic finish. Apparently, Deep Lake Placid Blue varied considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer at the time, which made it difficult to get exactly the color I had in mind.
However, I was satisfied with the finished result, so it was never really a problem for me.
The Headstock Shape
I chose the large headstock simply because I liked the way it looked.
At the time, I did not pay much attention to the fact that Stratocaster headstock shapes differ depending on the era. In fact, I simply preferred the look of a large headstock.
I still like large headstocks today, so I would say that choice worked out well in the end.
Conclusion
Almost 20 years have passed since I ordered this guitar, and the finish has developed some nice cracks over the years.
The sound has changed as well. When I first bought it, the guitar had a rather sharp and edgy character, and it could be difficult to control at times. I even remember taking it to a session shortly after buying it and feeling embarrassed because my mistakes were so obvious.
However, as I continued playing it, my picking control improved, and the instrument itself gradually developed a thicker and fuller sound.
This is an instrument that I have grown together with.
It is also the only guitar I have ever custom-ordered for myself. That makes it particularly special to me, and I hope to continue growing older with this guitar and discovering more from it over the years to come.
I also have several other guitars related to Momose, so I will introduce them little by little in future articles.
日本語版 : alpineguitars alpST-DX｜20年愛用するオーダーメイド・ストラトキャスター