Building a custom instrument is a collaborative art form. It’s an expression of the builder, but it also takes on the nature of the player. When you order a custom-built Miller instrument, you will first be thoroughly involved in the design stage, and you will continue to be consulted and informed throughout the construction. Finally, as you play this creation, it will become an expression of your own unique style. We’re on this road together!
A custom builder can take the time to create an instrument that meets your unique musical needs and interests. The tone, playability, and appearance will all be designed taking your interests into account. Factory-run instruments tend to be overbuilt, because high-volume manufacturers can’t afford the time to tune each individual plate, and the risk of underbuilding is too high.
The care that goes into building your instrument doesn’t stop when it goes out the door. Why is this relationship important? I’ve jammed with lots of players using high-end instruments that sounded like a $500 pacific rim special thanks to a poor setup or cheap flat pick. I will educate and work with you to keep our co-created art sounding better with each passing year.
“Neil built my baritone ukulele using wood from different places I’ve lived: Maple from Michigan, mesquite from Texas, western red cedar from Washington State, and bubinga from Cameroon. It’s a one of a kind instrument that looks, plays and sounds fantastic! “
WHAT MAKES A MILLER INSTRUMENT UNIQUE?
Classic Design Specifications: My mandolins are built following arching and graduations of the 1924-25 Gibson Loyd Loar period. Guitars are based on pre-World War II Martins.
Custom Plate Tuning: Final graduations of tops & backs are achieved using deflection tuning to maximize tone and responsiveness. Further tuning is possible at the preference of the buyer.
Hand-Applied Finishes: I offer French polished shellac or hand-applied oil varnish as my standard finishes. French polish provides the thinnest, least restrictive finish available, while at the same time enhancing the stunning beauty of figured woods. Oil varnishes are a bit tougher, so may be a better choice if your instrument will be doing some hard travelling. I prefer to avoid lacquer and polyurethane finishes since they tend to be thicker and may inhibit the resonance of the instrument.
Zero Fret: This feature, eschewed by some, noticeably enhances the playability and balanced tone of an instrument by making open and fretted notes play and sound identical. It also enables very low-action setups and makes maintenance of this setup much simpler and less costly.
Compound radiused fretboard: Because of the relatively large taper in the width of a mandolin neck, a fretboard with a simple radius results in the strings being closer to the middle frets than to the frets at either end. A compound radius allows the strings to be equidistant from the fretboard along its entire length, resulting in more consistent action and tone in every position.
Sustainable Materials: I prefer to use domestic hardwoods (maple, mesquite, cherry and spruce) though I do use some non-CITES restricted exotics. French polish solvents avoid the environmental and health hazards of lacquer finishes, and shellac is so safe it is used as coatings for candies!