Frequently Asked Questions

What is the patented, Tension-Free™, floating neck system?

What's the difference between Bunker and Treker?

Where do you get your tone wood?

Does anybody famous play a Bunker Guitar?

What makes your guitars and basses better than a Fender, Ibanez, PRS, Les Paul, or Gibson guitar?

If they're so much better, why do they cost less?

How do I order a guitar or bass?

How long will it take to get it?

Where do you ship? How much for shipping?

Can you get me a good deal on amps, parts, or accessories?

Can I put this tension-free neck on my own guitar?

What is the patented, tension-free, floating neck system?

When you tighten your strings to tune your guitar or bass up to 165 lbs. of pressure is exerted upon the neck of that guitar or bass. This seems unavoidable right? How else'm I gonna tune the guitar without putting some pressure to get the strings tight? You're not. BUT, that pressure doesn't have to be applied to the neck. With Bunker's and Treker's innovative Sustanium tension free neck we've found a way to beat the system. Where does the pressure go? How about that half inch steel rod we've got going up the middle of the neck? That sound like a good idea? We run the half-inch rod through the neck, attaching it to both the body of the guitar and the peghead, and thus bypass the neck as the bearer of the tension. The neck, built around the rod, is now tension free, floating, if you will, and able to give you your bright, sustaining tone. You've NEVER heard a guitar sound this good!

What's the rod made of?

We have two options with our rod, you can go with the standard rolled steel, which provides PLENTY of strength and gives your axe a nice, rich, deep, clear tone; or you have the upgrade, an alloy called 75/50 Aluminum which is 76% lighter. It weighs only 3.5 ounces yet keeps the sound quality pristine.

Bottom line, how much $$$? We built a lot of custom axes, check out or gallery page for some awesome pix of custom bodies, custom paint jobs, gorgeous pearl and abalone inlays, out of this world spalted wood.... that stuff costs. We can built pretty much anything you can dream up, so there's no upper limit. But we've got some realistic stuff too. Our highest end model is the Bunker MVP-Mag which starts at $2598. Spalted wood and custom inlays are going to be more though obviously. Our most affordable model is the Treker Classic '57 which starts at $699. back to top How many models do you have? We've made a lot of sick models over the years. And even more custom jobs. BUt our lineup right now sports our very best, most successful, and top models. Here's a list of what we've got and their starting prices: TREKER Classic '57 (Guitar) $ 699 Boom Bass (Bass) $ 788 BUNKER MVP-Mag (Guitar) $ 2598 BTX Bass (Bass) $ 2499 Check back with the website often though, we'll be adding to our online lineup. Some of the models we've done in the past have been wildly popular. Look for the DLS, the Prostar, Classic '58, Vintage Bunker, AT-200, Koa Archtop, 1970s Astral, Gord, Pro-bass, BG2000S, Bat 357, AT100, 200, and 300, and Pro-ax which all may be coming soon. back to top What's the difference between Bunker and Treker? Bunker Guitars makes them both, but Bunker is the high end line and Treker is the production line. We go out and harvest rare tone woods for the Bunker models. We hand make every. single. part. Bunker pickups. Bunker bridges. hand made, hand sanded, hand painted. The Bunker axes are more likely to be in our custom shop for quite a while. Treker on the other hand, still made right here at our shop, still only the finest quality materials and craftmanship, but with Treker we'll be machining the bodies from an expensive CNC router before hand sanding them. We'll be making more than one at a time, with popular colors and options. That way you pay way less for them, and you don't have to wait a month while we make it. You pretty much pick a color we've got in inventory and then we fit it with a neck, put all the hardware you choose on it, and it's ready to go in a week. back to top Where do you get your tonewood? Being in the guitar business for over thirty years we've got some amazing contacts for getting guitar parts. But the cool thing about our wood: we do that ourselves. Grandpa Bunker is still out there with a chainsaw at 74 years old. He lives in Washington and gets his jollies out of traipsing through the land leased from the lumber companies and slecting that one-in-a-hundred flame mapletree, and expertly quatersawing our only the best wood. Don't believe me?? Check out the pictures: It's all documented on our Stump to Stage page.

The fretboards are maplye ebony, rosewood, or Brazilian rosewood. You'll be able to choose from those options when you're building your guitar or bass in our shopping cart.

Does anybody famous play a Bunker Guitar?

It's the very best sounding guitar ain't it? There are dozens of big name artists who play Bunker Guitars including Alabama, Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the late Chris Le'doux . . . huge stars from a menagerie of genres.

What makes your guitars and basses better than a Fender, Ibanez, PRS, Les Paul, or Gibson guitar?

To be honest, any guitar manufacturer will make the very best product they can make, and then sale it for whatever price they can. These other companies truly make some fine instruments and we salute them for years of leading the industry. That being said, we must also say that these companies are assembly line productions. You'll never get the same sound from an instrument built by a computer in a few hours as from an instrument handcrafted for hours and days. We use ONLY the very best materials including tone woods, bridges, pickups, electronics, knobs, strings, frets, etc. The biggest reason though: 5 generations of luthiers and a host of innovations. No one else in the world has the Sustainium tension free neck . No one else has the magnum guitar bridge. No one else has the individual, through the body bass bridges. We invented the Touch Guitar™. These innovations are what make Bunker Guitars truly unigue and a step above the rest. back to top If they're so much better, why do they cost less? We just explained why handcrafted instruments are better than those made in an assembly line. The trade off is USUALLY a higher price. In this case you get the best of both worlds. Those companies all sell through dealers. Which means the middle man makes the money. With Bunker you'll buy factory direct eliminating the middle man. Besides that, Bunker moves a lot less products, we're a smaller company so you aren't paying for the name. (Though one day that will be an option for Bunker guitars, we are committed to bringing you the world's best guitars and basses for an affordable price. Always) We also harvest out own tone woods. Not only our own, but Gibson and many many dealers buy their wood from Bunker. Making our own bridges, using our own materials, and selling to the customer factory direct are just a few of the ways we're able to bring you the highest quality guitar or bass, for the most affordable price. back to top How do I order a guitar or bass? Easy. You can call in and talk to one of us at the shop. The number is 1-801-455-4493 to get us in the shop. Call between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm MST and you'll get a real person. Who speaks English. No rerouting through India, no silly automated menus. Or simply find the model you want and order it on the Bunker Guitars Store. You'll then get a call from us as a courtesy to finalize your order You could come by the shop and see us yourself if you happen to be in the area. But again, it'd be best if you called first. Give us a ring and we'll give you the address and directions. back to top How long will it take to get it? Depends. We've got a lot of inventory, which we can ship as soon as we finalize your order. Give another couple days to make sure we fit it with your choice of hardware etc. If we'll be making it from top to bottom it'll be longer. The Treker models take about two weeks, the Bunkers with added custom work could be months. But we'll let you know exactly how long when we give you a courtesy call. back to top

Where do you ship? How much for shipping?

We'll ship anywhere in the world depending on payment and known customer etc. Cost depends on weight, distance etc. but a typical guitar shipped in the US will be around 25 – 30 dollars. We use Fed-Ex or US Mail and we DON'T charge extra handling charges. We simply ship and let the shipping company take care of charges. Once we've shipped it out you can expect your guitar between 3 – 10 days. But again, we don't do the shipping, we ship via US Mail or Fed-Ex. back to top Can you get me a good deal on amps, parts, or accessories?

Yes. Our accessories page will be your new best friend. You'll fall in love with the Bunker pickups, Bunker bridges, and any other Bunker exclusive accessories. And anything we don't make we can get at discounted prices. Make Bunker your source for all guitars and accessories. Stay tuned for Bunker apparel and knick-knacks to come.

Can I put this tension-free neck on my own guitar?

Absolutely. Not only can you get it and put it on your own custom built guitar, you can also get a replacement neck for your Fender, or any other strat-type guitar. If you want the prolonged sustain and improved tone that the tension-free neck offers but you don't want to buy a new guitar or bass altogether, no worries. Our replacement neck kits come with complete instructions for installing and using the tension free neck on your existing guitar.