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Add to Compare2022 Wilborn Luthiers For A Cause Baritone, Maple/Sitka Spruce
Here we have Ben’s baritone build on the Sidewinder body from his Comma Series guitars. Offset soundhole, arm bevel, elevated fingerboard, 27.5″ scale–this monster sings sweetly, plays easily. The body is Flame Maple with Sitka Spruce on top, supplied by Steve Grimes. This guitar was originally crafted for LFAC, please see the additional demo for more info.
Other keywords: lutherie, auction, donation guitar, fingerstyle, 206
Additional demo: https://youtu.be/2_KOxIAQa8I
$13,520 Add to cartScale Length 27.5 in Nut Width 1.8 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Maple 
Add to Compare2023 Wilborn Sidewinder, Mahogany/Adirondack Spruce
This 2023 Wilborn Sidewinder knocked everyone in the shop off their feet. With gorgeously figured Mahogany and Adirondack Spruce, it has all the ingredients for a powerhouse of a guitar. The 25″ to 25 3/8″ multiscale makes it perfectly comfortable for any tuning situation, and it’s so subtle you have to look down to even notice it. The offset soundhole, bound in ebony, not only adds to the sleek elegance of the instrument but also enhances the power of the bass register. That’s not to say it’s overpowering—this guitar is perfectly balanced. In fact, it was so impressive that it sold before we had a chance to list it. Wrapped up in a Calton case, this guitar is truly a special piece.
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, bespoke, handmade, Ben, 215
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Mahogany - Honduran 
Add to Compare2021 Wilborn Nautilus, Mahogany/Sitka Spruce
Take a page out of Ben Wilborn’s book, and you’ll be writing some fine prose indeed. His Comma Series flattops are exceptional modern builds, combining offset soundholes with multiscale necks, elevated fingerboards, arm bevels–the works. This 2021 Nautilus is precisely that! With Mahogany back and sides plus Sitka Spruce top and a florentine cutaway, 25.4-25″ multiscale setup, and Schertler tuners. This instrument is already wide awake and singing, and is in excellent condition. Looking for a contemporary design that really works? Here: our 2021 Wilborn Nautilus is the answer.
Other keywords: lutherie, wilborn guitars, fingerstyle, 196, visesnut
Additional demo:https://youtu.be/634u1dQZOsw
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 25.4 in Nut Width 1.719 in String Spacing 2.188 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Mahogany 
Add to Compare2015 Wilborn Parlor, Brazilian Rosewood/Sitka Spruce
So much sweetness and power, packed into a slender package. Ben Wilborn makes a modern parlor guitar to compete with its bigger brethren—and this one is up to the task. Enlarged soundhole plus soundport add to the liveliness and projection, while the Brazilian Rosewood/Sitka Spruce combo fills the entire voice with easy richness and clarity. Trebles have a particularly sweet and shimmering quality that draws you in. The Braz is gorgeous stuff, ruddy and with some dramatic figuring, while the Sitka is heirloom stock harvested in the mid 1900s. Elsewhere this beauty is dressed for a night on the town with Leopardwood bindings and rosette, plus dark Abalone purflings throughout. Rosewood bridge and fretboard, headplate; really, this 2015 Wilborn Parlor looks as good as it sounds.
Other keywords: wilborn guitar, lutherie, luthier, boutique guitar, fingerstyle, 80
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.9 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2020 Wilborn Arum, Chittagong/Sitka Spruce
Ready to get your hands on a petite powerhouse? Try on this 2020 Wilborn Arum model for size. Chittagong back and sides pair up with aged Sitka Spruce on top, a subtle multiscale fretboard, offset sound hole plus micro arm bevel. Fantastic fit and finish throughout. The voice is characterized by a quickness and liveliness reminiscent of mahogany, with just a touch of sparkle in the troubles to really make it pop.
Other keywords: wilborn guitar, fan fret, fanned fret, lutherie, luthier, boutique guitar, elevated fingerboard, fingerstyle, 194
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 25.4 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Chittagong 
Add to CompareBrand New Wilborn Nautilus, Brazilian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce
This is another incredible example of Ben Wilborn’s not inconsiderable gifts to the world of modern lutherie. His Nautilus model, part of the new Comma Series, features an offset soundhole, twin bevels for creature comfort, a multiscale setup with 25.5” on the bottom and 25” on top—and this custom build has be(e)n upgraded to the max with chocolate-dark Brazilian Rosewood for the body, master grade Adirondack Spruce on top, and a K&K Pure Mini pick with vintage 1/8” output jack. Hands down, this guitar kills.
Other keywords: wilborn guitar, calton, 192, fan fret, fanned fret, lutherie, luthier, boutique guitar, elevated fingerboard, 203, adriondack, fingerstyle, brazilain
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2020 Wilborn Nautilus, Brazilian Rosewood/Tunnel 14 Redwood
A nearly new Nautilus from our own Ben Wilborn of Reno, Nevada! We’ve loved his guitars for years now; he’s always hard at work pushing the envelope—and these new Comma Series builds are just incredible. This Nautilus comes to us from 2020 with Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Tunnel 14 Redwood on top, and his understated 25.4-25” multiscale setup and offset “3-D” soundhole. Fit and finish is, as always, glass smooth and flawless throughout. “Glassy” is also how we’d describe the voice: glassy and smooth across the range with delicious definition.
Other keywords: 168, brazilain, tunnel 13, red wood, fingerstyle, offset soundhole, multi scale, multi-scale, fan fret, fanned fret, fan-fret, visesnut
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.063 in - 25.4 in Nut Width 1.813 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Redwood - Tunnel 14, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2020 Wilborn Nautilus, Brazilian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce
Ben Wilborn’s 2020 Nautilus model comes to us with high expectations—and more than answers the call. Wilborn has gone back to the drawing board and returned with a whole family of new features for his Nautilus. Here, the traditional soundhole has been kiboshed in favor of an upper bout version which acts as an integrated soundport. This allows Ben to brace the top radially and escape the restrictions of the classic X brace system—the result being added power in the bass register, and exquisite clarity and presence for the mids and trebles (oh, the trebles). Additionally, this allows Ben to use a multiscale setup (here 26-25.4” at our request) that better corresponds to the radial bracing pattern. A slim Ryan-style arm bevel and rib bevel, plus dramatic florentine cutaway, round out the suite of creature comforts. Honduran Mahogany neck with a medium-to-slim C profile feels lovely in hand, old growth Adirondack Spruce from Ben’s premium stash on top—and the pièce de résistance: the best set of Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides from Ben’s personal primo collection.
The Nautilus is a powerhouse with volumes of tone under the hood, appointed with an understated aesthetic that lets the quality of the materials speak for themselves, and it plays like grass-fed butter.Check out Ben walking through his deflection testing method for tops here: https://youtu.be/m5Epr3U0rDw
Here’s a bit from Ben himself:
“The Nautilus in a mid-sized guitar that changes all the rules. The impetus for this design was the idea that in a traditional X-braced guitar with a centrally located soundhole, approximately one-third of the top is rendered inert due to the demands of the structure required to keep the top from collapsing. The Nautilus, by relocating the soundhole to the upper treble bout, frees up a great deal more real estate for vibration, which after all, is how a guitar amplifies sound. Off-set soundholes are nothing new, but all the previous attempts I have seen fail to fully take advantage of this radical realignment. The Nautilus is not an X-braced guitar, but is instead radially braced, with all the braces arranged like spokes on a wheel, from the bridge outward. Whereas the traditional X locks the the bridge area into a relatively inflexible unit, the radial arrangement allows the bridge much more freedom of movement. The result is a tremendous increase in bass response, a warm and sophisticated top end, and overall greater output of volume. Playing this instrument is a revelation of what potential a guitar possesses.
The Nautilus features a number of modern innovations, all of them critically contributing to a thoroughly and thoughtfully designed whole. Not just a mish-mash of contemporary features, but a through-composed suite of interrelated sonic and ergonomic details.”
Other keywords: wilborn guitar, calton, 192, fan fret, fanned fret, lutherie, luthier, boutique guitar, elevated fingerboard
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in - 26 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to CompareBrand New Wilborn WarHorse Modified Dreadnought, Brazilian Rosewood/Tunnel 14 Redwood
At long last, the mac daddy Wilborn WarHorse has arrived. We commissioned this Mod D from Ben with all the stops on full blast: top shelf Brazilian Rosewood, Tunnel 14 Redwood, Koa arm bevel, soundport, multiscale fretboard (25.4-24.9”)—and sweet, sweet tone. The fit and finish is 100% perfect, and the “DreamHorse” plays oh so smoothly, in both standard tuning and funky altered territory (try C# on for size). The added sustain and bass of the Modified Dreadnought body gives the WarHorse a powerful response that leaps right out of the soundhole (and soundport).
This Wilborn WarHorse is sincerely inspirational. We cannot recommend it highly enough for virtually any style you play.Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, ben wilborn, wilborn guitars, custom guitar, bespoke guitar, florentine cutaway, waverly, visesnut, contemporary fingerstyle, altered tuning, open tuning, fan fret, fanned fret
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.9 in - 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.188 in Woods Redwood - Tunnel 14, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2018 Wilborn Lion, Honduran Mahogany/Sitka Spruce
Hands down, one of our favorite parts of the job: working with builders to craft a guitar specific to a client’s needs. Our latest Lion from Ben Wilborn is just one such collaboration, and we’re happy to announce it came out even better than we hoped. Honduran Mahogany back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, and Ben’s surgical attention to fit and finish all come together in a package that catches your attention right at the start, and runs with it. The voice of this small-bodied gem echoed the precision of its handworked facets to a T: a smooth, easy player with lots of definition for individual notes, and an ability to let all the colors of complex chords ring out. Ben buffs his guitars to a mirror sheen which catches the light easily and holds it. So much so that we found it difficult to play the Lion for any length of time without pausing just to watch how the light played across its curves.
Ben’s guitars have a master’s touch, and it’s an honor for us at Dream Guitars to get to work with him. If you’re interested in commissioning one of Ben’s guitars yourself, give us a shout! We would love to help.Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, custom guitar, bespoke guitar, custom build, finger style, fingerstyle
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.9 in Nut Width 1.72 in String Spacing 2.188 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Mahogany - Honduran 
Add to CompareNew Wilborn Lion Kathy McFarland Evans Memorial Fund, Koa/Redwood
In this Lion, Ben Wilborn offers up a small-bodied guitar whose Koa-and-Redwood frame contains a heady charge of projection, silky overtones, and a warm fundamental. An impressive guitar on looks alone (from the Abalone trim to the dark patina of the Sinker Redwood and Wenge headstock veneer), this Lion hits the right chord for inspiration at the drop off a hat with a delightfully responsive playability thanks to the short scale and Ben’s oval C shape neck. With features like a soundport and Ben’s forward-shifted upper bout for player comfort, this Lion further stands apart from the crowd, but feels intimate and familiar in your hands at the first pluck.
We’re offering this little beauty in support for the Kathy McFarland Evans Memorial Fund to benefit the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Kathy Evans was a public school teacher in Albany, California for almost twenty years who recently passed away after a lengthy battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Her memorial fund will benefit the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, where several of Kathy’s students have been treated for cancer. 25% of proceeds from this guitar will be donated directly to the memorial fund. You can find out more information here: https://www.crowdrise.com/kathy-mcfarland-evans-memorial-fund.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.875 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.15 in Woods Redwood - Sinker, Koa 
Add to CompareNew Wilborn Bantam East Indian/Adirondack (Red)
Looks like a firecracker, explodes like a cannon. This brand new 2016 Bantam from Ben Wilborn is the answer to every guitarists’ prayer for a small instrument with a larger-than-life voice. Featuring Ben’s taste for jaw-dropping colors, this Bantam has one of the most beautiful sets of Indian Rosewood we’ve ever seen, and the Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and bridge exhibit a striking contrast of chocolate depths and vanilla-colored sapwood. Add to that an Adirondack Spruce top, Peruvian Walnut neck, and Koa bindings, and you’re looking at the hottest guitar on the block.
The voice of little lion is equally impressive, with a fierce projection and fast response that’ll have you playing in double time in no time at all. As if that wasn’t enough to propel this guitar into stardom, Wilborn also added a soundport, so you’ll always have a personal taste of the flavor of your playing. If this guitar was any finer, you’d have to pay a fee just to play it.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.88 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Indian 
Add to CompareBrand New Wilborn Ellie Belle, Cuban Mahogany/Adirondack Spruce
We wish more guitars sounded as good as this brand new Ellie Belle from Reno-based luthier Ben Wilborn. Part of his new lineup of body styles, this 2016 Ellie Belle is lightweight but rich, and adorned with a sharp sense of style. Cuban Mahogany never sounded so good as here for the back and sides, and Ben applied a light burst to the Adirondack Spruce top to match that gorgeous Mahogany set–with figured Koa bindings dividing them.
The voice is crisp and lightning responsive, holds up beautifully under a flatpick in a way that many similar-sized guitars can’t compete with. Add to that an excellent string-to-string balance and glass-smooth setup, and you’re looking at a dynamic instrument equally at ease for DADGAD fingerstyle arrangements or Bluegrass solos. Wilborn’s fit and finish is surgeon-precise: we challenge you to find an imperfect miter joint or seam anywhere across the body. Heck, you can peek under the hood through the soundport to confirm that even the braces are flawlessly manicured! In the market for a guitar that can do it all? The Ellie Belle from Ben Wilborn.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Mahogany - Cuban 
Add to CompareNew Wilborn Orchestra Cocobolo/Sitka
We hardly had a chance to play this guitar in the shop before someone swooped in and took it home with them. This is Ben Wilborn’s 2015 Orchestra model, his workhorse contender for any and all environments. The articulation is astounding, with a low-end that sings even and clear. The Cocobolo back and sides and Sitka Spruce top create a crisp upper register which doesn’t overpower the instrument’s tone, and the setup is glossy smooth and effortless to play. Wilborn’s addition of a Cocobolo pickguard and headplate complements the Curly Maple bindings very well, and showcases his excellent eye for detail: the fit and finish is flawless! This guitar comes with the original hardshell Superior case.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to CompareNew Wilborn Dreadnought Brazilian/Western Red Cedar
Ben Wilborn has done it again: he’s built a strong, articulate dreadnought which blows any other guitar in the price range right out of the water. Let’s talk specs: Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Western Red Cedar top, Curly Maple bindings, Wilborn‘s characteristic diamond appointments. You simply can’t find a guitar for $5,000 which has so much going on under the hood–with the excellent craftsmanship of a luthier like Wilborn. The fit and finish is excellent here; smooth as silk.
This guitar is amazingly light, and it practically begs for you to play fast passages with it. The soundport is excellent for getting automatic feedback, and the Western Red Cedar top warms up the low-end of this dreadnought, so the tone is incredibly balanced. Wilborn‘s aesthetic choices, from the wooden pickguard to a scalloped bridge (which is gorgeous and comfortable for the palm, for a rest or for damping), are in a word: elegant. This guitar comes with an original Superior hardshell case.
Here’s a demo with our favorite guitarist on the mount, Al Petteway: https://youtu.be/mu8imQN7Fns.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Cedar - Western Red, Rosewood - Brazilian
My name is Ben Wilborn, and I build fine acoustic instruments in Reno, Nevada. I specialize in steel string acoustic guitars, though I also build the occasional archtop, mandolin or ukulele. I tend to make very lightly built, simply appointed guitars with an emphasis on extremely refined details and a powerful, balanced sound.
My focus as a builder is on my own unique designs, which I have created as a response to my desires as a musician, and my knowledge as a craftsman. These guitars are sleek and modern and employ all of my hard won techniques and secrets for voicing and responsiveness, but they are not strange. In your hands they feel timeless and alive, and in your ears, they create all those sounds that you always imagined a guitar should produce: warmth, harmonic sophistication, intensity and articulation. As a guitarist myself, I put particular emphasis on the way they feel and perform. These guitars are built by a player, for players. I’m afraid that is more rare in the hand-built guitar universe than it should be.
I use only the finest grades of wood, hardware, and finishing materials. Unlike a factory or production-minded luthier, I personally select, plane to thickness, cut, assemble and finish every part on every one of my guitars.
This means that I personally perform every aspect of an instrument’s construction, and can respond to any variables in the process and materials. The result is a truly custom instrument, one which has been thoughtfully and dynamically built to maximize every aspect of its character, from tailblock to headstock.