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Glass in spades, clear as water, balanced from bottom to top and back again. Of course it’s a Traugott Model R. This sweet slice of heaven comes to us from 2020, is further upgraded with Jeff’s ultra exclusive “Kentucky Stash” Brazilian Rosewood (plus German Spruce on top in classic Traugott fashion), and plays like grass-fed butter. The key qualities of the voice is clarity across the strings, and a transparent tone that leaves each register singing out in a way that feels authentic, clean, and true. It’s hard to put into words, but it’s this precise quality that makes Jeff’s guitars stand out from the ranks of our other amazing modern builders.

Other keywords: lutherie, brazilain, brw, r.002.252.010, mainstage

The team at Preston Thompson Guitars continues to thread the needle between traditional and contemporary with their flattops. On one hand, this 2019 OM-BA is a classic American OM: tobacco sunburst, squared off headstock with Waverly tuners, Brazilian Rosewood body and Adirondack Spruce top. On the other, it’s inherently modern: effortless playability, Rosewood bindings, and a Taj Mahal-themed headstock inlay from PKT’s in-house inlay maestro Simon Haycraft. Nestled between the gold Waverly tuner posts, a perfectly executed lotus flower in lieu of the traditional thistle. The voice mixes up fantastically across the registers, with enough headroom to handle a flatpick quite well; there’s an extra dose of sweet warmth in the midrange that really comes out in that scenario. All wrapped up in a snug-fitting Hoffee flight case, this 2019 Preston Thompson OM-BA is safe, secure, and begging to be played.

Other keywords: lutherie, shade top, aabalone, brw, brazilain, adriondack, 1776

The late Lance McCollum assembled an impressive body of work in his time, including a great number of great Baritones. We’ve loved every single one that we’ve played here in the shop, and this 2005 example is nothing less than stellar. Cocobolo body with Spruce on top, 27.5″ scale at a sweet spot between short and (very) long scale; dressed up with just enough Abalone to make it all pop. Great string to string balance, and especially for a Baritone this beauty has rich, strong trebles. The neck is reinforced with multiple laminations for added stability, and we’re happy to report this 17-year-old Baritone is in excellent playing shape, indeed. Add a bridge plate transducer B-Band pickup, and you’re ready for just about anything.

Peggy White’s latest Premier model has arrived, and we can’t get enough of it. This one features African Blackwood back and sides plus Italian Alpine Spruce on top, a smooth and well-rounded C profile neck, and an understated aesthetic to help these premium tonewoods really pop. The voice offers great clarity ad definition between notes, perfect for modern fingerstyle and strumming work. Comes wrapped in a custom Hoffee fiberglass flight case.

Other keywords: fingerpicking, modern guitar, 4060

French-Ukrainian builder Youri Soroka manages to make even relatively new builds sound open, airy, and wide awake. This 2021 Torres Model is no exception, dressed up with a dramtically figured, four-piece CSA Rosewood back, old growth Indian Rosewood sides, and creamy Spruce top. The voice is immediate and emotive, with a colorful bass response to pair up with quick and vibrant treble strings, plus a rich midrange in between. Build weight is very light–3lbs–and contributes to the experience of playing a living, breathing instrument as you feel the vibrations in your hands and your chest. The rosette features green purflings and a sheaf-of-wheat motif that sets off the amber color of the surrounding Spruce, just a bit of added color to make it pop. Rosewood bridge plus bone tieblock, as well as Rosewood bindings and gold Pagos tuners with Ebony buttons.

Here’s an additional performance video of this instrument with Andy Jurik: https://youtu.be/FD5-FHcM8I4

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, classical, andy jurik, 45

Here’s a brand new Aluminum-bodied Pogreba resonator that plays like butter, croons like hot grease, and stands out from the crowd with a salvaged Mercury hubcap for the reso cover. Add a salvaged Hofner pickup, layered Mokume tailpiece, and Ebony (salvaged from a sculpture) fingerboard, and you’re ready for action.

Other keywords: lutherie, reso guitar, slide guitar, merc

Here’s a brand new Aluminum-bodied Pogreba resonator that plays like butter, croons like hot grease, and stands out from the crowd with a salvaged Oldsmobile hubcap for the reso cover. Add a Teisco pickup, layered Mokume tailpiece, and Belize Rosewood fingerboard, and you’re ready for action.

Here’s an additional short video with Paul playing this Pogreba Resonator: https://youtu.be/KflOwTfM06o

Other keywords: lutherie, reso guitar, slide guitar, tiesco, merc

Red hot and Mercury quick! Here’s a brand new Aluminum-bodied Pogreba resonator that plays like butter, croons like hot grease, and stands out from the crowd with a salvaged ‘52 Mercury hubcap for the reso cover. Add a Teisco pickup, layered Mokume tailpiece, and Rosewood fingerboard, and you’re ready for action.

Other keywords: lutherie, reso guitar, slide guitar, tiesco, merc

Nearly new, already wide awake, and oh so easy on the hands–this 2022 Halland OM-H is a knockout. It’s amazing what Gage pulls off with just Indian Rosewood and Adirondack Spruce! This beauty rivals many of other makers’ Brazilian Rosewood models. Note definition is solid and consistent across the fretboard, with a touch of added sparkle and light in the trebles that makes the voice ring out. 25.4″ scale, 1.75″ nut, 2.25″ string spacing at the saddle. This one feels right at home in your hands, practically plays itself. Want to jump the queue and land a nearly new Halland? We’re ready.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, greenfield, fingerstyle, abalone, hoffee, evo, 019-21, gotoh

Quick, lively, punchy, and full of energy! We’ve got a livewire Hog Dread from the fine folks at Preston Thompson Guitars here, built in 2019 and already wide awake. Bearclaw Adirondack on top, Honduran Mahogany back and sides, and that classic Dread aesthetic with tortoise-style bindings, Waverly tuners, and MOP dot position markers. This one packs a ton of quick, dry volume into a lightweight (under four pounds) build that’s a helluva good time.

Other keywords: pkt, 1608, madi/adi, adriondack, bluegrass, will saylor, blue grass, harptone

And now for a slice of something different, modern, and sustainable. Joel Michaud of Michaud Made has teamed up with the producers of Rocklite for a new material they’re calling Sundari Rocklite, or synthetic Indian Rosewood. The result is a more sustainable use of Rosewood for guitars that also has the added benefit of being extra stable. On top Joel used Swiss Spruce, and the two combine for a sweetly balanced tone that adds a touch of roundness in the trebles. Gorgeous Robson tuners at the headstock, and between the posts you’ll find a unique oxidized metal inlay that echoes Joel’s über cool metal rosette. We simply love the use of oxidized metal here; it adds a splash of dramatic color and very much sets it apart from the Abalone crowds. Being a 00 body, this Michaud is very comfortable in hand and play effortlessly, helped by a florentine cutaway, elevated fingerboard, and upper bout soundport. Built in 2019 and looking the part!

Check out another video of this Michaud guitar featuring our very own Billy Presnell: https://youtu.be/KLLCu7hJ0Ao

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, modern guitar, 118, hiscox

Sweetness paired with power, and articulate across the registers. This 2008 Solace Select from the late Tom Doerr sings in your hands at a light touch, but has plenty of headroom to dig into as well; the 16 1/4″ lower bout Cedar top and actively-braced Madagascar Rosewood back can attest to that. To keep a guitar of this size effortless to play, Tom outfitted it with not only a cutaway and wraparound arm bevel, but also introduced a subtle body wedge into the build to keep the bass side a touch slimmer, and therefore easier to get your right arm around. This Doerr plays handsomely, indeed. The multi-laminated neck is stable and slender in-hand, and transforms into a gorgeous routed out channel at the back of the headstock and at the heelcap. That, combined with the glassy fit and finish elsewhere, paints the picture of a well-dressed modern flattop that’s ready for just about anything. In 2017, Tom retopped this Solace with the current Cedar top and his latest bracing designs. So it’s got that openness that only comes with being played for years, plus the lively and quick response of a newer build. A Cedar Creek case keeps it safe when (rarely) not in use, and a Schatten pickup to boot.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, 080956-10, fingerpicking, fingerstyle, doerr guitars, bespoke guitar

Leo Buendia approaches the classical guitar form with an eye for modern aesthetics, ergonomic design, and a sensitive voicing. This 2019 Nylon model boasts dark, dark Brazilian Rosewood back and sides plus tight-grained Red Cedar on top, and has further been appointed with one of his painstaking carved rosettes (plus endgraft), and green-dyed tieblock tying in with the headstock inlays. Leo has put a fearsome amount of time and effort into making every single chip and carve count; the result is intricate, and impressively clean. Rather than opt for a traditional fingerboard, Leo has adopted a subtle radius for his Nylon model, making the playing experience effortless indeed. Build weight comes in a little over four pounds, making this Buendia quite comfortable in hand. Of course, Rodgers tuners in the Hauser style and a carved Brazilian Rosewood bridge are the final additions to this study in elegance, and a french polish finish throughout.

Other keywords: bespoke, somogyi, lutherie, custom guitar, 055, fingerstyle, brazilain, hoffee

When ordering a custom Klein & Kauffman, it’s go big or go home! This client build is a big boy 457 dressed to the nines with Pink Ivory back and sides (as well as headplate, bridge, and fingerboard), Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top, and Flamed Koa neck (plus bindings). A vine and flower inlay pattern from Larry Robinson extends from the headplate, across the fingerboard, and terminates at the bass-side bridge wing. Additional creature comforts include a soundport at the upper bout, and a slim playing weight of only five pounds. There’s a lot of real estate under the hood here; amazing that Steve manages to keep the weight so low. Ready to commission your own? Give us a shout!

other keywords: bespoke guitar, 457-162, fingerstyle, jumbo, steve klein, steve kauffman, calton

Our first guitar from Gjis De Wit packs a punch. His Modified Dreadnought body, here rendered with florentine cutaway and angled bindings, plays great and has a voice equal parts power and articulation. It’s an excellent choice for fingerstyle play, or strumming when you need chords to remain crisp and clear. The multiscale setup is 26-25” with a unique fanning that makes the first position feel like a standard fretboard. Back and sides are gorgeously figured Narra, paired with Bearclaw German Spruce on top. The neck is actually Padauk, but Gjis has veneered its length in Ebony—ditto for the Spanish Cedar bridge—which creates a great contrast to the Narra/Spruce color scheme. De Wit painstakingly inlaid the headstock, heel, and bindings with a geometric motif, and installed premium Alessi tuners for added class. Additionally, the veneered bridge features individual phosphor bronze saddles for each string. All of this comes wrapped up in a swanky custom Art Case dressed up with leather—a fitting house for a well-dressed guitar. Interested in taking this one for a spin? Give us a shout!

Here’s an additional performance video of this instrument with our own Al Petteway!: https://youtu.be/hS_wScc2TWQ

Other keywords: 2020, fingerpicking, modern guitar, luthier, lutherie, de wit guitars, asian padauk, nara, bear claw spruce

Now here’s something to lose track of time with. Michi manages to make every one of his guitars a unique experience, acoustically as well as visually and ergonomically. Fine art meets function in the guitar form. This 2021 Matsuda M1 is a force of nature. Brazilian Rosewood body with Italian Spruce top, an expansive voice that mixes up smoothly across the registers and has a capacious midrange that fills out big chords. Played hard, soft, fingers or picks, this Matsuda is equally at home in each scenario. The trebles also have a liquid, glassy quality that transforms into sweet overtones when you let notes linger. Aesthetically, the fretboard and headstock are dressed up with a custom Larry Robinson koi fish inlay scheme to set off the spalted rosette and top appointments. Florentine cutaway, plus a carved heel that allows the left hand to synch up more closely to the fingerboard, and a smoothly contoured C profile neck, make for an effortless playing experience. Scale length is 25.25”, a sweet spot between short and long scales that works well in a range of tunings. If you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime guitar, look no further.

Other keywords: lutherie, ervin somogyi, somogyi, fingerstyle, flattop, brazilain, gotoh, scalloped nut, om, cedar creek, 129

For many years now Al Petteway has had a working relationship with Rainsong Guitars. They have made some of his preferred instruments for a good while, but it wasn’t until now that they really made a custom guitar to Al’s specifications. When they did, the staff at Rainsong loved the design and tone of the guitar so much that they decided to make a limited run of Al Petteway Limited Edition guitars. Due to the consistently popular demand for this model, Rainsong has now added the instrument to their regular lineup, now referred to as the Al Petteway Special Edition, now upgraded with an L.R. Baggs Anthem undersaddle pickup and internal microphone combo!

We just love this guitar–one of the best Carbon Fiber guitars out there. The tone is sweet and stands up to a wooden guitar in its price range any day. One of the great benefits of carbon fiber construction is the stability, and the unidirectional, linear-spun solid Carbon Fiber top mimics wood fiber. Gone are the days of worrying about humidity or accidentally leaving your instrument in the car on a hot day. This guitar will shirk off all those hazards and play perfectly each and every time!

A heavenly host indeed. This is Otto D’Ambrosio’s full-size, 18” archtop, the Angel City, here rendered with pale Alpine Spruce over Italian Maple, plus Flame Maple bindings and appointments throughout. Otto’s been in the lutherie business since he was a teenager, working at the fabled Mandolin Brothers repair shop. Later with Flip Scipio and even John Monteleone, and even later with Guild, Otto has had his hands on hundreds of instruments, which experience has informed his present day builds. In this Angel City we can definitely see the influence of Monteleone at the soundholes and headstock, for instance. Across the board, this instrument is exquisitely crafted for an effortless playing experience—a 18” archtop which doesn’t feel like a 18” archtop in your hands. Otto has included an Armstrong pickup integrated into the Maple pickguard, but you’ll find the volume and tone knobs are integrated lower down, into the chrome tailpiece itself. This allows the right hand to very easily reach the knobs without having to stretch your arm further out and across the guitar.
This is the kind of instrument that checks all the boxes: flawless execution, playability, and elegance.

Here’s an additional performance on this instrument, with our own Duane Simpson: https://youtu.be/qLNMHI8pr8Y

Other keywords: duane simpson, fingerstyle, jazz box, arch top, 02213, gotoh

Santa Cruz’s Vintage Southerner is quick, lively, and oh so fun to play. Richard Hoover and co take inspiration from the Gibson J-45, the Epiphone Texan, as well as their own VA model, for this slope shoulder powerhouse. Mahogany back and sides are here upgraded with Adirondack Spruce on top and hide glue construction, plus Adirondack brace stock. A tasty sunburst, rectangular bridge, and Ivoroid bindings make for a classic aesthetic. The setup is easy on the hands with a 24 3/4” scale and 1 11/16” nut, plus this one has had a strap button installed at the heel so you can strap up into it and maintain good posture. This SCGC VS comes to us from 2019 and is in excellent playing shape, ready for more action.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, bluegrass, ameritage, scgc, dreadnaught, allen shadd, 7547

A piece 45 heaven from the master himself. Here we’ve landed a lifetime OM from Mr. T.J. Thompson, dressed to the nines with 45-style treatment throughout and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides plus Adirondack Spruce top. What more need be said? T.J. is centered in the traditional Martin style of building, with this 2007 OM-45 playing and feeling right at home alongside the prewar originals. Bar frets, V neck, gorgeous dark Abalone throughout–and a touch of modernity with a Schertler pickup system. With an upgraded Karura flight case, this T.J. Thompson OM-45 is safe and sound when not in use. But let’s be honest: this is one guitar that’s begging to be played, and who are we to say no?

Other keywords: tj thompson, pre-war, lutherie, 45 style, torch, waverly, fingerstyle

Lean in a bit, cuz this one’s got lots of headroom. And how could it not? It’s a James Taylor Olson Clone from 2020, after all. Heirloom-grade Brazilian Rosewood back and sides (also at the rosette and bindings), Cedar top, Abalone treatment throughout plus doves along the fretboard. A truly gorgeous guitar. Tonally, we’re impressed by how well this responds to a harder attack, given its Cedar top, but as we said this is one Olson that you can really lean into. Strong, glassy, exquisite balance across the strings. Everything we’ve come to expect from an Olson, but this one goes all the way to eleven. Jim’s fit and finish is flawless throughout, and the SJ is finished in high gloss to make these tonewoods leap out at you. Slinky setup too, icing on the cake.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, james olson, james taylor, 5-ply, fingerpicking, 25.4, 1612

The fruits are sweet, indeed. The latest Model R from Jeff Traugott to grace our shop comes to us from 2020, and is already wide awake. Jeff’s classic combination of Brazilian Rosewood and German Spruce is used here to great effect: exquisite clarity across the registers, glassy trebles, and a strong fundamental throughout. The voice is dialed in for maximum clarity, making this a great candidate for fingerstyle play. That said, this Model R also holds up well under a flatpick. It’s the sort of guitar that makes every note count. Jeff’s aesthetic lets the quality of the woods speak for themselves—and what a story this dramatically colored Brazilian Rosewood tells—with only Abalone to tastefully ring in the rosette. The fretboard and bridge are also upgraded with Brazilian Rosewood to make the German Spruce top pop. All wrapped up in a custom Hoffee flight case for the best protection money can buy, short of a security detail.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitar building, traugott guitars, fingerpicking, finger style, R.002.254.040, calton

A complete and balanced meal. This 2019 Greenfield G2 is appetizer, main course, dessert, and half the bar to boot. Such a sweet, rich, expressive creature! Mike finished this one in 2019, so it’s close to new and still looking the part. 80-year-old Cocobolo Rosewood back and sides are paired with an Alpine Moonspruce top, plus Greenfield’s DADGAD multiscale setup (26.25-25.5”); upgraded silver Rodgers tuners; combo arm bevel and palm away bevel. Gold EVO frets ensure many more moons of music before you’ll need to worry about a fret dress, and with Mike’s surgically precise fit/finish and design this G2 performs like a well-oiled machine. Wrap this beauty up in a custom splatter paint jobbed Main Stage flight case, and you’ve got an heirloom creation for a lifetime’s inspiration.

Other keywords: 307, mainstage, fingerstyle, pinless, moon spruce, fingerpicking, michael greenfield, andy mckee

Racecar curves, glassy setup, and butter-rich depths—the Beauregard MB is in a class of its own. Flame Maple body with Spruce top, Armstrong humbucker, and tasty Koa appointments throughout. The über curvy sides make for an incredibly comfortable playing experience, all while looking very attractive. A carved bridge and tailpiece complete the portrait. This gorgeous model MB comes to us from 2008, and is oh so ready for more action.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, fingerstyle, canada, duane simpson, semihollow, gotoh, boblen