PERRI INK
PROTOSTAR CUSTOM
BY JOE CHARUPAKORN
Perri Ink is a newcomer in the high-end guitar market. But the company certainly isn’t leaping into the fray from a place
of inexperience—at least on the player’s side
of the equation. Founder and guitarist Nick
Perri has had an illustrious career including
stints with Shinedown, Perry Farrell, Matt
Sorum, Christina Perri, and Sinai, among
others. And his vision comes directly from
his real-world experiences on the stage and
being a compulsive modder.
Perri’s understanding of the guitar from
both sides of the workbench is a lethal com-
bination for the quest to build the ultimate
player’s guitar. And the Protostar Custom
reviewed here is a hot rod in the old-school
sense. Like Eddie Van Halen’s famous 5150
guitar, it’s built from the best available
parts—many often customized—into a
whole that’s more than the sum of its parts.
From the Ground Up
The Protostar Custom is built from what
Perri considers the highest-grade components. His guitar parts are sourced
from companies like Warmoth, Seymour
Duncan, Sperzel, RS Guitarworks, Terrapin
Guitars, Floyd Upgrades, and TonePros.
It’s likely a lot of players will be skeptical
about a high-end guitar built entirely from
sourced parts. Perri is doing a little more
than just throwing together a kit guitar,
however. Although they’re sold as Perri Ink
products, the guitars are a collaborative effort
between Perri and the source companies,
and many of the parts are made exclusively
for Perri. For example, the Warmoth body is
unique and shaped to conform to Perri’s specs.
Adam Reiver of Floyd Upgrades worked with
Perri to incorporate brass and titanium parts
into the guitar’s Big Block bridge.
Seymour Duncan SH- 1 ’ 59 humbucker
Seymour Duncan TB- 14
Custom Trembucker
Floyd
Upgrades
Swamp-ash body with
pearloid binding
Onboard clean boost
with LED indicator
FU Big
Block
bridge
