Why Shea Guitars?

Shea Guitars is a one-man shop:

Hi, that’s me, Will Shea. When you buy a guitar from Shea Guitars it is only one individual who is making your guitar from beginning to end and also ordering all of the parts, doing social media, and checking emails. I truly love what I do and am very pleased that I get to share my instruments with the world. 

Quality you’ll want to pass down to the next generation:

Shea guitars are truly unique and unlike a lot of other guitars, in feel and playability. I pride myself on being able to make instruments that not only look stunning but are also effortless and fun to play.

Roasted wood:

I use primarily roasted woods for my guitars and that's simply because it's so much freaking better. I've made a lot of guitars and swapped out roasted bodies and necks, and it always makes a huge difference. The big thing I gain here is resonance. You can feel the wood shake a little more with roasted woods and there is also a warmth that comes from the wood.

Neck Joint:

I use a bolt-on, through-threaded insert design. If you ask me Leo had it right. Being able to infinitely repair your guitar by taking off the neck is a far superior design than set necks; and no you can't hear the difference between a set neck and a bolt on, and if you think you can, you're probably hearing another variable. By adding the threaded inserts I’m improving on Leo’s design. There shouldn’t be a reason that the neck needs to ever come out, but if it does, it will go right back where it was and hold up just as strong. When driving screws directly into wood, you risk the chance of widening those holes over the years therefore making the fit not as tight as it once was. 

Progress Pictures:

When I start your guitar, you will begin to receive progress pictures and see your guitar come to life. I love doing this because it gives the customer a little perspective into how much dang work it takes to make one, and they get to feel like they are even more a part of it. 

Pretty darn light if you ask me:

Each instrument is only 5lbs-6.5lbs. I'm able to achieve this, obviously by the hollow design, but also because of the use of roasted woods. Your neck does not stick out too far, or feel like you have to reach, and this keeps the guitar very balanced and not neck-heavy

Beautiful sustainable non-toxic oil finish:

I pride myself in my finishes and believe, besides playability, it's one of the most important features. I can’t stand nitro and poly finishes. It’s crazy to me that we started covering these beautiful pieces of wood in basically plastic and that has become the norm. My guitars feel like a piece of wood. You can tell its handmade and alot of time has been taken into the wood and the finish through the building process. Now my finish isnt nearly as hard and Nitro or poly but again, that's the point. Your Shea Guitars instrument is going to tell the story of how and where you played it. I think its important for things to show the passage of time and to grow with their owner. They won't ever need to get refinished or anything, it's just a part of the process. 

I don’t know compooters:

Besides using my laptop to type out my website, and a calculator when my brain hurts, I don’t use any computer-based machines. Everything is handmade by me and I use routers, jigs and fixtures to achieve my design. I don't think there is anything wrong with using a CNC machine, and a lot of builders choose to do this, but for now I’m all analog baby!

Don’t Worry, I got you:

If something malfunctions with your guitar due to my workmanship or the materials used, I will take care of it for the first 5 years. No charge. 

If you stripped out the truss rod using an Allen wrench other than a 4mm, that's on you. I will gladly fix it but you will be charged based on the repair. Same goes for tampering with pickups or electronics. My pickups are cleverly installed in the guitars and are not intended to be removed. If you remove them, you void the warranty. If you want to add a push pull to do something weird or different, you may do so, but the warranty is void. I can’t control what I didn't design. 

The warranty doesn’t include weathering of parts or hardware as well as any cosmetic repair. 

Again, it’s just me.

If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask. I usually respond to emails within 24 hours. I try to check several times a day during the work week to stay as caught up as possible.