Gonetropo is not to far wide of the mark with the "real electronics tech", all gunsmiths have areas of specialisation and knowledge. Its a matter of both parties being clear about what they expect and what they can deliver.
Another factor is the timeframe for a project, "art" is often not available on demand to the artisan, and often the best guys will consider a project for a long time before they tackle it. Some with specialist expertise get backed up and you have to wait, but usually it'll be worth it - dear old Din Collings (since passed to the other side) springs to mind, 2 years was not unusual!
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