diff --git a/crema/models/base.py b/crema/models/base.py
index 7be91e7..cac54d3 100644
--- a/crema/models/base.py
+++ b/crema/models/base.py
@@ -12,7 +12,30 @@
 from .. import layers
 
 
+CORE_CUSTOM_OBJECTS = {k: layers.__dict__[k] for k in layers.__all__}
+
+
 class CremaModel(object):
+    name = None
+    models_dir = None
+    custom_objects = {}
+
+    def __init__(self, name=None, models_dir=None):
+        self.name = name or self.name
+        self.models_dir = models_dir or self.models_dir
+        if self.name:
+            self._instantiate(self.name)
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        if not hasattr(self, 'model'):  # not instantiated
+            return super().__str__()
+        return (
+            '<{} version={} resources={}\n'
+            '--------\n'
+            '* {}\n* {}\n'
+            '--------->').format(
+                self.__class__.__name__, self.version,
+                self.resource_file(), self.pump, self.model)
 
     def predict(self, filename=None, y=None, sr=None, outputs=None):
         '''Predict annotations
@@ -89,30 +112,27 @@ def transform(self, filename=None, y=None, sr=None):
         '''Feature transformation'''
         raise NotImplementedError
 
+    def resource_file(self, f='', *fname):
+        return (
+            os.path.join(self.models_dir, f, *fname)
+            if self.models_dir is not None else
+            resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join(f, *fname)))
+
     def _instantiate(self, rsc):
 
         # First, load the pump
-        with open(resource_filename(__name__,
-                                    os.path.join(rsc, 'pump.pkl')),
-                  'rb') as fd:
+        with open(self.resource_file(rsc, 'pump.pkl'), 'rb') as fd:
             self.pump = pickle.load(fd)
 
         # Now load the model
-        with open(resource_filename(__name__,
-                                    os.path.join(rsc, 'model_spec.pkl')),
-                  'rb') as fd:
+        custom_objects = dict(CORE_CUSTOM_OBJECTS, **self.custom_objects)
+        with open(self.resource_file(rsc, 'model_spec.pkl'), 'rb') as fd:
             spec = pickle.load(fd)
-            self.model = model_from_config(spec,
-                                           custom_objects={k: layers.__dict__[k]
-                                                           for k in layers.__all__})
+            self.model = model_from_config(spec, custom_objects=custom_objects)
 
         # And the model weights
-        self.model.load_weights(resource_filename(__name__,
-                                                  os.path.join(rsc,
-                                                               'model.h5')))
+        self.model.load_weights(self.resource_file(rsc, 'model.h5'))
 
         # And the version number
-        with open(resource_filename(__name__,
-                                    os.path.join(rsc, 'version.txt')),
-                  'r') as fd:
+        with open(self.resource_file(rsc, 'version.txt'), 'r') as fd:
             self.version = fd.read().strip()