Hi everyone...first time poster, long time fan.
I happened across this post on the web and thought I should speak out after reading some posts.
I too was intrigued when i first saw Phil's creations. I emailed him and like another poster stated, had contact ...then none...at least for a bit....he is a very busy guy who I got to know quite well. I was also apprehensive about throwing out my hard earned money on an axe that i had never had in my hands. I scrolled and drooled and scrolled and drooled some more....finally battling with my finances, i mustered up the guts and money and had him send me his Phiga Casta Honduran mahogany guitar.... I told him how i liked my action ( very low with 9's ) and he gave me my choice of strap buttons and locations of them. When it arrived....I was floored !! It was and still is a beautiful piece of musical art work and with a tiny bit of personal tweaking to my liking, it is a fantastic "keeper" of an instrument ! The neck is a bit long-ish and it is a bit neck heavy, but with this particular model, one can compensate for that with positioning of the body. The finish was fantastic, the frets were near perfect, the pickup selection and controls are very versatile and the looks and feel just make me smile like the first time you ever saw Dark Star live
!
Phil is a good person, a great craftsman, and a very kind soul. He is the kind of guy that you will support when you can. He makes a very nice product for a very good deal. The Jerry tribute gits are a little up there, but not really considering the wood work, but the Casta model, which i have, was well under a grand with a case. Obviously looks are subjective, but it has a very Jerry vibe and look to the sculpting and lower bout without being and exact knockoff of one of my heros. My Casta Honduran is a few years old and just as nice as the day it arrived. It is not my main player, as I have a few that go out to jams, but it is a special, magical piece that plays and sounds great and makes me smile the widest !
Cheers to all !
JG