The next acoustics to be built

As I am preparing to finish the last two acoustic guitars I’m building within the next few months, I wanted to show you a couple sets of wood that are among the many I’ve been aging for up to twenty years. Both these sets have been dried in my shop for over a decade, and the tone on them is remarkable. Left is a set of Amazon rosewood with lovely color and grain. To the right is a set of crisp vibrant cocobolo. When finished, the orange tones down onto a range of browns, dark orange and reds. Both are amazing tone woods, and will deliver a powerful crisp attack and full rich tone. I have sets of koa, walnut, wedge and figured mahogany that are all seasoned and aged for over ten years. I have a wide range of soundboard wood aged the same ten to twenty years, including one set of redwood from a tree that was 1,000 years old that was felled a century ago. It is epic tone wood, and my last top from this tree. This redwood soundboard with either of these sets would make a once in a lifetime guitar. As I will only take two orders per year, so as to make each one special and truly enjoy the process. This is the time to let me know if you want something special, designed and built around you, your hands, heart and voice. The bottom photo shows what simply laying out various elements can do to make the concept come alive.

Yes, a custom guitar is a big investment financially, but considering the price of custom shop factory guitars, my prices are right in there with those. I always tell my friends that we pay so much for a car that will only last a decade or so, and that something like a guitar designed around you once in your life is a gift to one’s self, that is well-deserved. I won’t build for just anyone who asks, I have to connect with who you are, and enjoy your energy. I need to feel as if we are working together to make each of us greater artists. The process needs to be special for me, and I can’t enjoy it if I don’t feel something special about the client. I made a choice years ago that my repair and restoration would be the bulk of how I earn my living, so that my building would be my artistic expression. So if anyone is interested, please let me know and we can start talking to see if we’re right for each other.