Oh,
@unix-guy, I have to tell you, your story also prompted an interesting phone call. I called Tom Anderson Guitarworks, and Tom picked up the phone! I started asking about various things about custom orders (like how far they'll go with my wiring preferences), and I mentioned a big concern with dead notes, wanting to ask him if that's something they check for and try to mitigate. He cut me off right away, all of a sudden really put off, and said (echoing something I had read by him on a forum), "If you're going to sit there with a stopwatch timing every note..." and proceeded to tell me that I'm that concerned I might be better off buying another brand of guitar. That pissed me off right away. If I'm going to spend more money than I've ever spent on anything having to do with a guitar, I'd like the builder not to act like I'm pestering him with a concern that's genuine, especially when I was asking as nicely as a possibly could. I know some things are really difficult to plan for, but you can let a customer know that without being just rude and arrogant. He did also say that it's only a problem with mahogany necks. I'm gun shy of customs, but I'd still buy an Anderson off the rack as long as I could test it; hell, I still watch movies and listen to music made by total assholes haha.
Sorry for the short thread derailment!