Based on the guy's description of his thought processes when he built his killer machine, I'd worry about his judgement, and I wouldn't trust him to assess *your* needs effectively..

I don't think a "custom" anything is all that helpful to a newbie rider. Get a decent, reputable brand bike, get it fit to you by a decent, reputable bike shop, and then ride the crap out of it. You'll eventually figure out for yourself what the next bike should be.

Cheers!