RWM Guitars Unveils Two New Butcher Block Guitars

Two new impressive RWM Guitar builds arrived alongside my new demo guitar that pay homage to Fender.

RWM Guitars has kicked off 2023 with two new Butcher Block builds hitting the market. Both represent a new direction for one of my favorite New England builders, with higher end pickups and new body designs.

Both are incredibly lightweight, despite the heavy butcher block origins, and feature the new RWM logo inlay on the headstock. These one off builds are available on the website for sale. Last time I reviewed some RWM Guitars, I loved the feel and build quality, but wondered aloud if the price was justified considering the more affordable electronics. Well, if those were overpriced, these are very much underpriced.

The Butcher Block Lead-style features two Gemini humbuckers that are crystal clear and articulate. On the T-style Butcher Block, the Tele Deluxe pickguard thinline pickguard (a nice tweak) holds a matching Seymour Duncan hot rail to the one in the bridge. Both guitars are on sale for only $1100 USD, and they are definitely on par with $1300+ USA-made Fenders.

Butcher Block T-Style

To review the T-style a bit more specifically, I plugged it into my trusty Universal Audio Dream ’65 and got to playing. Overall, the guitar was a great playing experience, with surprisingly bright cleans that felt closer to a Tele than I expected. Usually Seymour Duncan rail-style pickups are a bit too hot for me, but these were plenty mellow to match the vintage vibes. The Butcher Block rang out with plenty of sustain, and had a nicely shaped, thinner Tele body to compensate for the dense wood.

As a lifelong Fender player, it felt natural, familiar, and like a great alternative to most Tele Deluxe or traditional Tele-style guitars.

The truth is, RWM Guitars isn’t trying to sell a thousand guitars a year the way other brands I cover are. But if you’re looking for something unique or customizable, with an emphasis on stunning reclaimed/recycled woods, he’s a great option. This guitar, much like the Lead-style we’ll talk about in a minute, really is a steal at this price. There’s no discernable issue that would make you drop this guitar in favor of many much more expensive alternatives.

How About That Lead?

This was definitely my favorite guitar of the two. It’s ultra light, comfortable, and the smaller body suits my simplistic punk rock leanings. I also was incredibly impressed with the Gemini humbuckers in this guitar. Of course the Seymour Duncans from the Tele sounded good, they’re a pretty safe choice of pickup, but these were almost single coil-like.

They’re a lot of snap to them, which is my way of trying to explain that metallic and percussive sound that good single coils have. But they’re still humbuckers that can push an amp, or churn out heavy punk riffs with ease.

The neck on this guitar is the same neck on the Tele, so for the sake of not being repetitive I won’t dig into the playability or action much. But the bridge doesn’t let the neck down in any regard, and tuning stability was very solid!

There’s not enough Lead-style guitars out in the world today, so this was a welcome addition compared to more traditional body designs. After all, I did care very much for that Fender Lead III I reviewed years ago.

So Why Should You Care?

These guitars are worth being on your radar for a couple of reasons. They are a bit off the beaten path in terms of looks, construction, and pickup choice. Both Butcher Block guitars are also really affordable for nicely made boutique guitars, and I am here to tell you they feel and sound on par with many boutique guitars from bigger names.

They also show a big step up from the great RWM Guitars I previous reviewed, especially with the focus on higher end pickups that add some more band for your buck. These two guitars are bit more refined, and show a much tighter fit and finish. I’m a huge fan and believe supporting local gear builders is an essential part of building a healthy gear economy (whether that is regional or country-wide). Go check out RWM Guitars, order one of those, check out this KILLER bass, or get a custom build and see how nuts he can go on the electronics.