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When a guitar is named the banjo killer it has a lot to live up to, we expect power and volume without any sacrifice of tone. We have to say Dana Bourgeois hit the nail on the head when he named this particular guitar “The Banjo Killer.” If you are looking to stand out above the rest in a jam session, look no further, this Bourgeois will make sure everyone knows you are there. Yes it is loud, but it has a sweet side as well, try playing it lightly, it will surprise you with its sweet tones. Built from Bearclaw Sitka Spruce and Mahogany this Slope D has a great vintage vibe that Gibson enthusiasts will adore. We know it is hard to believe, but this guitar has certainly earned its title.

John Walker was a long time employe of the Gibson Guitar Company, he even helped start the custom shop. From there he went on to help at the Gurian factory, creating many of the pins and purflings you see on the bigger factory made guitars. It is no surprise to us that he builds incredible guitars. This is the Wise River model in Adirondack Spruce and Mahogany. Old Gibson fans are going to love the look, feel and sound of this guitar. It has that classic smooth tone we expect from a slope shoulder dread that we find works well for fingerpicking and strumming.

Mike Doolin may be building some of the most recognizable guitars to ever be built, with his signature double cutaway. This isn’t for show, the double cutaway makes this easily one of the most playable full bodied guitars we have come across. Any fret you want to get to on the fret board can easily be accessed, now us acoustic guys can play way up high like they do on those fangled electric guitars. Boy is it nice. If you think is plays well, just wait until you hear it. The tone is full and resonant all over the board, yes, even up in the high register. This OM is one of a kind with it’s Macassar Ebony back and sides and Bearclaw Sitka Top, It will draw you in with its looks and keep you there with its sound.

This Osthoff GP was hand chosen by us at the Woodstock guitar show, it was special right when we picked it up then, even in that loud environment. When we finally got it back here to the shop the first thing that was said when we all played it was “Wow.” This Osthoff is a full stop, jaw dropping, double taking kind of guitar, and that doesn’t do it justice. The tone is like hot mulled cider with a little honey and whiskey thrown in. There is no string on this guitar that doesn’t sing sweetly and have individual character. There really is only one way to fully understand how incredible this guitar is, and that is to come in and experience it in person. John kept the appointments simple on this one, old Mahogany and a perfect set of Italian Spruce, it is clean and elegant lines here. We are glad he chose not to fancy this one up to much, the tone of the guitar is the all out star, come in and hear this thing before someone buys it, The DG crew are already eyeing it pretty heavily for themselves!

We have a special treat here: an Andrew White F80 in German Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood that was sent to us by none other than Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Craig D’Andrea himself! Could you find a guitar with more sweet tunes played through it? We don’t think so. The tone of this guitar is mature and alive, the trebles are crisp with a well controlled bass presence, perfectly suited to fingerstyle. The wood options used here are top notch, the Brazilian is dark with great grain character and the German Spruce is straight and true. If you are looking for a guitar that will sound excellent plugged in, look no further, this F80 has been equipped with a K&K Trinity pickup system that reproduces an articulate and accurate acoustic sound. This is an exceptional guitar that has been broken in by a master, grab it up while you can!

Masaru Kohno’s guitars are regarded as being incredible concert guitars, the voice is powerful and full, with strong trebles and complementing basses, they are able to fill a concert hall with articulate sound. As always with a Kohno classicals, this is a wonderfully built instrument, made from beautiful Brazilian Rosewood and perfectly straight grained cedar. You will not find a better guitar out there for the price, this guitar has everything a player or performer could ask for.

Here we have a 1979 Ramirez Flamenco1a in Cypress back and sides and a Cedar top. This is the quintessential Flamenco guitar made from the classic combination of Cedar and Cypress, the tone is quick, airy and loud, just as a Flamenco guitar should be. Lightness of build is very important for a Flamenco style guitar, this Ramirez is as light as a feather on a warm breeze, you almost have to tie it to your lap! Flamencos have to respond ultra quick with a fairly short decay time in order to sound un-muddied with the deluge of notes being played, the Ramirez does that perfectly. For its age, this guitar is in incredible shape, and the soundboard has aged and opened up wonderfully.

If you love the sound of Led Zepplin’s Kashmir, this is the very model Jimmy Page used on that record. A Danelectro U2 from 1963! This one is super clean and comes to us from a large collection. It plays beautifully and sounds as good as it looks. Just listen to our samples. Also click here to hear Jimmy Page play on one just like it.

This is a wonderful custom Rick Turner Model 1 featuring a Gold Top finish. The hot wound pickup rotates in relationship to the strings for tonal variety. This is the guitar made famous by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame. From Rick Turner’s site, “Played clean, it sounds incredibly acoustic and detailed. But when the volume kicks up, it screams louder and longer than any guitar you’ve played… without unwanted feedback or breakup.”. This is a very unique and high-end Turner Model 1 for the discerning player who wants the best. Click here to see John Mayer performing with a Model 1.

It is a rare thing to find a classical guitar that achieves a perfect balance between basses and trebles, it is an absolute necessity for the concert performer. We have to say that this Carrillo hits that mark perfectly, whether you are playing a bass line or a bright melody, the tone of this classical stays true and even from one side of the fretboard to the other. Built from the darkhorse combination of Brazilian Rosewood and Red Cedar, this guitar is the real deal for collector and performer alike. playabiltyy and construction both are at high degree of excellence.

Boaz Elkayam is a modern innovator in the guitar world, he is constantly pushing the envelop and has several patents pending for some of his innovations. This is to say that every Boaz guitar we get in is something special, and a piece of unique art. This Concert model is as lovely as they come, with its warm color and and rich tinted lacquer. Made from Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar, you will find a voice here that could melt ice and warm you up on a chilly night.

There are few guitar makers who are as legendary as Ignacio Fleta, His guitars were so well regarded that the great master Andres Segovia chose a Fleta as his personal guitar for years. Along with Segovia, John Williams is a champion of the Fleta guitar. Fleta Classicals are prized for the clarity and power, they are able to fill up a concert hall better than the more delicate Torres style of guitar. This particular Fleta in East Indian Rosewood and Spruce has some of the most powerful treble strings we have heard, playing a tremelo sounds out full and clear, that is a real feat for a classical. The bass and mids are well represented here as well, they are rich and focused, never out playing the beautiful trebles, but complementing perfectly. The Fleta guitar is about as rare as they come, expecially built by Ignacio himself, even now in the third generation of builders there is a twenty year wait list for a Fleta.

Here we go everybody, buckle in for this one. We have an absolute cream of the crop 1927 Martin 00-18. This is what the pre-war Martin tone is all about. Sound flies out of this guitar with the lightest touch, and it is oh so sweet. Dig in a little bit and you get that great woody growl from the Mahogany and Adirondack (Red) Spruce. This is one of the lightest guitars we have come across – be careful picking it up or you may end up tossing it across the room! This is truly a special instrument that we feel represents exactly what people think of when they talk about a Pre War Martin.

It is hard to beat a good Martin, whether you are faltpicking or fingerpicking Martins have always been able to handle it. Such is the case with this D-41. Built from the solid combination of Adirondack (Red) Spruce and East Indian Rosewood, this Dread has all the versatility of tone you need for driving a fast bluegrass jam, or backing a sweet vocal melody. The set up is smooth as silk, you can fly up and down the fretboard as quick as you like and not miss a beat.

If Paul McGill ever builds a less-than-stellar guitar, the end times are upon us. The man’s got serious skills, and a reputation to match–and his Turbo model is one of the best calling cards in the business. What makes the Turbo so hot to trot? McGill employs a unique five-fan brace pattern, along with long struts that span the entire length of the body, to create a vigorous tone which fuses traditional Spanish warmth with the clarity of modern lattice braces. Certainly, a Cedar top and Cocobolo Rosewood back and sides help take that warm precision and crank up the projection and richness factors, until this 2007 Turbo becomes a vehicle for both vibrant crescendos and a subtle adagio.

Paul’s craftsmanship is top-notch, so you can rest assured that every other aspect of this guitar is in tip-top shape, including the new jumbo frets with which Paul refretted this powerhouse in 2009, and his tasteful aesthetic (the fuchsia rosette and purflings are here pulled off in handsome style). As if all of that weren’t enough, this Turbo also has a glass-smooth neck profile, with a slinky setup and low action for articulate, expressive playing.

Having a Steve Klein guitar in the shop is always a treat, and this M-43 is no exception. This monster is still young (having been brought to life only in 1997), but has a voice which seems to come from another place, another era altogether. Thanks to the 16 3/4″ lower bout, this larger-than-life guitar has a low-end which is cavernous and resounding, and yet is paired with trebles that are instantly responsive and crisp as bells. Despite its voluptuous dimensions, the M-43 feels natural in your lap, and is effortless to play–one of but several reasons why Joni Mitchell, Michael Hedges, Steve Miller, Andy Summers, and Sting prefer to play Kleins!

With Indian Rosewood back and sides and a Sitka Spruce top (both Master Grade), you can rest assured that the voice has herculean strength. The top is drum-thin and has a tap tone which resonates wildly. Klein achieves this degree of thinnness with his progressive bracing techniques, which manifest in an arching ply baffle in the M-43 which connects the soundhole to the sides and helps project sound outward. Bundled with a Calton Flight Case and a Highlander IP-1 pickup, this M-43 is the complete package: fingerpicked or strummed, acoustic or amplified, at home or on the road, this guitar delivers the goods.

The Gibson J-200 is a legend in the American music scene, valued for its big, open sound and it’s ability to cut through the fray of a noisy setting. Picking up and playing this guitar, it’s easy to understand why this instrument is so sought after. This is a 1957 J-200, right from the heyday of this design. Built from lightly figured Maple and Sitka Spruce this time tested beauty has a crisp, clean tone that singer songwriters will fall over for. Strumming sounds out clear with a distinct presence from every string. This is a guitar sure to inspire the new generation with its old soul.

There might be thousands of Martin OMs singing their hearts out across the world, but there are only 60 60th Anniversary HOM-35s, and only one #60/60. This is the last king of the castle, folks: you won’t find another Martin HOM-35 with Sitka Spruce this tight grained, or Brazilian Rosewood so chocolate rich.

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of their Orchestra Model, Martin Guitar Company built 60 of these world-class Herringbone OM-35s with great attention to detail and using only the finest tonewoods. As a result of their hard work and dedication, this guitar has an enormous, enveloping voice with a low-end that is total and absolute. Paired with shimmering trebles and subtle overtones, the tone can only be described as majestic.

Fingerstyle arrangements will feel like they were made for this guitar, and the string response is electric quick. A powerhouse in standard tuning, this HOM-35 becomes an entirely different beast in dropped tunings (we found that in DADF#AD this guitar has an even larger voice!), where the string tension of the 14-fret neck comes in handy to keep the guitar intonating cleanly, so you can hear each note as it fills the room. We recommend coming to play this guitar quickly, before it disappears into some lucky player’s hands, or collector’s vault!

This little Martin HOM-35 is a sweet little gem. Made from Brazilian Rosewood and Sitka Spruce top, this OM has a great voice with apparent overtones and a sweet reverb like quality thanks in part to the Brazilian Rosewood. The HOM-35 model marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Martin OM, and this one is number 21 of the 60 made to commemorate the occasion. We found this guitar to work particularly well for sweet fingerpicking melodies, but jazz oriented pieces sound stellar on this OM as well. We are fortunate enough to have three of these anniversary models in the shop right now and each one has a different voice that brings a little something different to the table. This one is all sweet tones, it’s beautiful.

This is another of the Martin HOM-35 Anniversary models that we have in the shop. Number 16 of 60, it is a little less played in than numbers 21 and 60 and has considerably less play wear. The voice on this one is stellar, with the Brazilian Rosewood and Sitka Spruce having had more than three decades to mature. The results of its age are evident everywhere in its voice, full and rich and capable. While all of the three HOM-35s that we received have powerful voices, we find this one works slightly better for flatpicking and strumming. Come give it a play! You won’t regret it.

Here we have a Collings MT2 O A style mandolin. We know Collings well through their guitars, which are wonderful, but their mandolins are equally deserving of renown. This A model is smooth, both in playability and tone, and its voice is warm and inviting but surprisingly loud! If you are looking for a sweeter sound than the F model but still want to cut through the fray of a heavy jam session and don’t want to break the bank, this here is your mandolin.

Here we have a DT (David Taylor) De La Rosa model in Hormigo back and sides with a Lutz Spruce top. This is a visually striking instrument with its dark red hues and yellow tones. Hormigo is a wood that isn’t seen much in the guitar world it really doesn’t look like any other wood being used, tonally it falls in the range of Rosewood, it has a strong fundamental with an overtone pallet quite similar to that of the Rosewoods. Fingerpicking is the real focus of this guitar, melodies pop out with the bright trebles, tempered by the controlled basses and mids.

When we had our last Martin D-18 Authentic 1939 here in the shop it sold so quickly that word got around and a client looking to sell his contacted us about doing the same. Believe it or not, this one just might be in even better shape than the one previous! With a 1 11/16″ nut and 2 1/4″ string spacing and old school Authentic bracing and build style, this guitar has the best of both worlds: vintage tone and modern feel and playability! The notes seem to just leap out of this one, with all the power and control that you would want and expect from a Mahogany and Adirondack (Red) Spruce guitar built to the same specs as one of Martin’s legendary prewar instruments, hide glue, forward shifted bracing, scalloping and all.

Jordan McConnell is quickly becoming the go to guy in the modern guitar world, we have known him for a while and Dream Guitars owner Paul Heumiller even owns a McConnell. We know why his guitars are gaining so much praise, they are fantastic in every way. This McConnell in European Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood has a modern tone with ample overtone content and an eveness from bass to trebles that is surprising and entirely pleasing. Jordan added some cool appointments to this one, like the patchwork rosette and headstock overlay, the wonderfully comfortable shellaced neck, to the beautifully figured Brazilian Rosewood back, This McConnell is an all out heart breaker.

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