Custom77® is a French guitar brand created in 2007 and today managed by jb Debiais
He is the only person on board, to manage the designs, the manufactures, the settings, the photos, the shipments and he is also the one who answers emails, sms, etc...
But this adventure started long before and many people had a major role in this adventure:
Jérôme, Ulrich, Pak, Manu, Thomas, Jérémie and many others...
Here is its story
jb and jerome meet in high school, around some Nirvana chords and start playing together.
But it was a few years later, with Rodric, Ulrich and Cédric that they created the group Counterfeit, which would occupy almost 10 years of their life.
During this period, they pile up mountains of vintage amps and guitars, spend their nights rehearsing and learn the trade on the road and especially in the studio.
At that time, they became the ones that other bands called for help to buy gear or to set-up amps and guitars in studio or on stage.
And it's probably when they recorded their second album in the United States with Greg Gordon (Slayer, System of a Down, Oasis and many others) that they gain confidence and decided to do that as a living.
(Photos from the recording of Counterfeit's second album)
2007: Creation of Custom77®
"Instead of helping a few pro musicians define their sound, we decided to put our knowledge into one guitar brand for the benefit of all."
Word of mouth and internet forums did the rest and the Custom77® name quickly became a reference in France and then in Europe.
Jim Marshall, Jérôme and jb
About to reveal Custom77 at Musik Messe 2006 (Frankfort , GERMANY)
2008: Release of the Lust For Life™
The first original model, the Lust For Life™, is released in 2008.
Followed in 2010 by the The Watcher™, the T-Sonic™ and The Roxy™.
The brand received support from many national and international acts such as:
Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Editors, Earth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and many more.
2008: Launch of Custom77® Drums
It is also this year that the adventure continues with the creation of the drums section, managed by Ulrich (then drummer in the group Counterfeit, with Jb and Jérôme).
These high-end kits are made in Taiwan and released alongside hand-hammered cymbals in Turkey.
Drum skins, sticks and various other accessories will follow.
2011: Creation of THIRD EYE GUITARS
In 2011, jb and Jérôme gave birth to their second brand Third Eye Guitars. A more metal oriented brand that will focus on active guitars, baritone scale, 7 strings etc...
2012: Launch of Custom77® Effects
This time it's PAK, a long-time friend of jb, Jérôme and Ulrich, who comes to enlarge the family by launching a range of two effects and a multi-power supply.
Both effects require months of development in order not to be a pale copy of existing effects.
The visuals are entrusted to artists who have worked in the past on Custom77® guitar customizations through the Amka Shop site.
2014 et 2015: Exhibition at NAMM SHOW (Anaheim, Los Angeles)
It was at this time that the brand began to develop in the United States.
(Jérôme, jb and Emmanuel Mercier at 2015 NAMM show)
2015: Awards
The Blackout guitar received multiple design award worldwide:
Chicago, Milan, New York, Sydney, London, Melbourne and San Francisco.
The year 2015 reached its apogee with the "Best Designer in the World" award in the musical instrument category.
2016: Guitar Global Crisis - How to reinvent themselves
And while they were reaching for the stars, the guitar market went into a global crisis. To adapt to the growing demand for the United States, the structure has grown: more and more stock, a larger warehouse, a dedicated store, larger team. But the French market, which was the main source of income was downgrading and could no longer finance the development for new markets.
They had to change everything and reinvent themselves.
This moment was saving: jb and Jerome rethink the brand. They decided to stop this race ahead and focus on smaller, but more high end series.
2016: Creation of Atlanta Formations®, a Guitar Tech Educational Center
The desire to share their knowledge and the demand from backliners to theorize and improve their skills lead to the creation of an Educational Center
Soon, Backliners and Guitar Techs for bands such as
-M-, FFF, Thiefaine, Fugain, Laurent Voulzy, Louise Attack, Charlie Winston, Florent Pagny, Jain... come to leanr and improve.
2017: Return of Custom77®
Custom77 encounters its first difficulties in 2016:
The american market is developing, the financial needs to follow this evolution are necessary and the banks do not follow.
The company stops and obliques Custom77® to reinvent itself.
The brand is redesigned to focus on smaller series but more upscale.
A new site, new models in preparation, quality that meets higher standards and finally,
a custom shop in Japan to be able to respond to all requests.
2023: Separation of activities
After 16 years of adventures, work and parties, the paths of jb and Jérôme separate.
Jérôme is now exclusively in charge of the Atlanta Formations training center, which they created in 2016, and which kept him busy.
jb finds himself alone in charge of Custom77 and the adventure continues!
More and more artists go through the Custom77 workshop. This becomes a bit of an “official stopover” on the artists’ tours, when they pass through Lyon.
From Last Train to Feu! Chatterton to Lucas Thiéfaine, and many more.
----------
Custom77® continues its journey
Keep creating new guitars,
Continuing to research the best pickups and hardware available worldwide,
Continue to supports bands, already famous or emerging,
Continue to offer customizations…
And, above all, continue to live things to the fullest!