Well heres my recommendations-
DO NOT buy american 3rd party retail sticks, such as X-Arcade, Pelican, or InterAct. Besides being made from cheaper materials, most of them have laggy I/O boards making your button presses really off. You probably already made the decision to go jpn style, but i must say this.
I dont think theres a difference between the reliability of Retail vs Custom-Built, nor have i heard that custom ones definitively last longer than Retail. Sticks will break from wear and tear, or just dumb luck. It's simply up to you to take care of it as best you can.
If you are willing to spend the cash, you can't go wrong with Hori Real Arcade Pro (either ver. B or 2 or Special Edition). It has a wide heavy base, and sturdy. Mostly Sanwa parts depending on which version youre getting, with Hori buttons. Which can make it future modifiable if you want 100% Sanwa, IF YOU WISH. But most players do perfectly fine with the stock setup. Which leads me to my final tip...
(So i might be flamed for this) But don't get lulled into thinking that having the perfect Sanwa or Seimitsu or P360 or Competition Stick is the best for you. Part of "high-level play" is also having some tolerance for different types of sticks, if you're playing at someone else's house and you dont have your own stick. Especially in the arcade where sticks are not in the best condition at a tournament or otherwise.