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Add to CompareBrand New Applegate SJ, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar
A beautifully ornate SJ from Brian Applegate, dressed in abalone throughout with Brazilian Rosewood appointments practically anywhere possible. Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar—a well-tested combo—great for fingerstyle or strumming. Equipped with a K&K Pure Mini pickup, this guitar is ready for the stage, studio, collection… you name it!
Other keywords: Luthier, lutherie, bryan, apple, gate, mainstage, kk, EVO, 217
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to CompareBrand New Applegate SJ Crelicam Ebony/Tunnel 14 Redwood
It’s one of our favorite pleasures, commissioning custom builds for clients. This Applegate SJ came together so well! Tunnel 14 Redwood plus Crelicam Ebony for a sweet mixture of warmth and clarity; subtly dressed up with a bound headstock and fingerboard plus arm bevel and florentine cutaway. EVO frets help insure the playability remains clean for a long time to come, and we sprung for an upgraded Hoffee Roadie fiberglass flight case to keep this beauty safe when not in use–though we suspect the owner will be hard pressed to put it away for any length of time.
Interested in a custom build of your own? Give us a shout!
Other keywords: lutherie, bespoke guitar, 215, 2013, fingerstyle, small jumbo
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Redwood - Tunnel 14, Ebony - Crelicam 
Add to CompareBrand New Applegate SJ, Indian Rosewood/Engelmann Spruce
Right out the gate, our latest SJ from Brian Applegate is raring to go. Quick and energetic voice, very snappy response that adds a bit of electricity to your playing, and all in a lightweight package (under four pounds) that feels like so many feathers in your hands and on your lap. Brian decked this beauty out with a 26.25-24.9″ multiscale, so you’ve got lots of room to tune to C on the bottom end, but the trebles stilll play easily with a short scale setup. Indian Rosewood body with Engelmann Spruce on top, EVO frets, cutaway, and Brian’s interlocking Abalone diamonds rosette (plus a subtly twisted series of purflings on the back) dress things up with some good sparkle, but let the quality of the tonewoods and the clean curves of Brian’s design to shine even more.
Check out this additional video featuring Al Petteway on this amazing Applegate SJ: https://youtu.be/1N9Mo362IIo
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, fingerstyle, fingerpicking, englemann, engelman, gotoh
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 26.25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann 
Add to Compare2005 Applegate SJ, Flame Walnut/Redwood
This Applegate is a fingerstyle guitar, through and through. We love Brian’s work, and have happily sold his guitars for years, so when this 2005 SJ came along we were eager to represent it. Walnut back and sides, Redwood top, and Brian’s flawless Abalone appointments and falling leaf fretboard inlays. If you prefer a slim neck, this Applegate will be a perfect fit. The setup is slick and easy; makes deft fretwork for the left hand.
The voice is lush, round, and intimate. We loved cozying up with this guitar for open tunings. The treble strings have a sweet, luscious presence with extra warmth from the Redwood top. This SJ weighs in just shy of four pounds. You hardly notice it’s in your lap.
We love the smooth response and clarity of this 2005 Applegate SJ, and we think you will too.Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, maple leaf, maple leaves, gotoh, 25.4, cedar creek
Add to CompareBrand New Applegate FS/H, Quilted Mahogany/Adirondack Spruce
Rather than just make a gorgeous guitar for his 200th, Brian Applegate decided to lean into the spirit of experimentation and design with this FS/H hybrid model. With an arched back paired to a flat top, the body has more air to move without necessarily being a bigger guitar, so playability remains easy and familiar, and there’s still the crispness and attack we associate with a flattop design to round out the voice. Brian opted for Quilted Mahogany for the back and sides, pairing up with Adirondack Spruce on top for added stiffness and power, plus his classic five-ply neck in slim profile for stability and easy playing. A geometric rosette and Brazilian Rosewood bridge, plus Macassar Ebony fretboard, offer a tasteful and elegantly understated aesthetic.
Other keywords: guitarbuilding, lutherie, fingerstyle, 200, 2021, ameritage, adriondack, waverly
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.375 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Mahogany - Figured 
Add to Compare2008 Applegate Model C, Myrtlewood/Engelmann Spruce
We had the initial honor of selling this guitar for Brian Applegate when he built it for the Newport Miami Guitar Festival in 2005, and now we’ve got the honor to do so again, in like new condition. This is Brian’s Model C, a modern Classical guitar with the ergonomic advancements of modern steel string building. The fretboard features a gentle radius, the nut comes in at 50mm for a slim play feel, and a K&K Trinity pickup system has been installed to take this beauty on stage. Golden tan-and-brown Myrtlewood back and sides are paired with an Engelmann Spruce top, and you’ll find an Amboyna burl headstock inlay and etched tie black cut from bone. Brian adorned the soundhole with interlacing Bloodwood diamonds, and added Gotoh tuners for smooth action. The voice is strong and projective, with very lyrical trebles.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilidng, applegate guitar, crossover, crossover classical, modern classical, fingerstyle, classical, nylon string, cedar creek
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26 in Nut Width 1.95 in String Spacing 2.375 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann, Myrtlewood 
Add to CompareApplegate C 7-String Nylon Cocobolo/Yellow Cedar
We know why you visit our site and our showroom at Dream Guitars: because we have the best, most unique, original guitars anywhere. Because we are good friends with many of the amazing builders we represent, and connect players with their favorite luthiers to achieve something beautiful together, like this guitar. Brian Applegate and Paul Heumiller have known each other for some time, so when Paul approached Brian with a unique request from a customer, Brian was unfazed. In fact, Mr. Applegate dove headfirst into the challenge of building this fan-fretted nylon string guitar with a low C string and an elongated scale of 26 7/8″ on the low E and 25 5/8″ on the high. As if that wasn’t enough to make a lesser luthier run away in fear, Brian decided to add an arm bevel to the lower bout, a soundport to the upper, and a five-piece neck of Mahogany, Rosewood, and Maple to the already herculean task presented to him. This is his first seven-string nylon string guitar–and folks, it’s a success.
Applegate’s attention to detail is preponderous: observe how smoothly the Rosewood bindings hug the curve of the arm bevel, fading into a thin line before returning to their regular width for the rest of the body. Follow the interlocking lines of his rosette, a series of geometrical shapes traced around the soundhole in perfect symmetry, or the elegant grace of the Yellow Cedar top as the upper bout and Venetian Cutaway tuck in toward that dark rosette, before sweeping outward across the lower bout and Applegate’s understated Brazilian Rosewood bridge, offset to accomodate that great low C string. And the Cocobolo back and sides! Can you find another set so brilliantly figured? Applegate is a master of the craft–and we’d expect no less from a former pupil of luthier legend James Olson.
Of course, all these beautiful examples of fine woodworking are heart-stirring, but they pale in comparison to the grand, orchestral, absorbing tone of this guitar. The multiscale design allows for an amazingly articulate low-end (that low C string sings a somber and resonant song), and articulation across all the registers is crystal clear. The middle and upper registers exhibit smooth separation, and there’s more sustain than a room of slack-jawed onlookers will know what to do with–and trust us, wherever this guitar goes, people will stare. Applegate’s maestro techniques have yielded a guitar which, surrounded by unique and irreplacable guitars such as only Dream Guitars has, still manages to stand alone, a truly singular instrument.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.625 in - 26.875 in Nut Width 2.25 in String Spacing 2.63 in Woods Cedar - Yellow, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to CompareNew Applegate SJ Fan Fret East Indian/Adirondack (Red)
Brian Applegate builds one of the most precise guitars we have seen, which isn’t surprising, as he is a good friend of the legendary builder Jim Olson. This SJ Multiscale in Adirondack (Red) Spruce and East Indian Rosewood represents everything we have come to expect from a high caliber builder: perfect tone, feel, and playability. This is a prototype from Brian, his first foray into the world of multiscale layouts, and he pulled it off flawlessly with 26.4″ on the bass side and 24.9″ on the treble. The combination of Brian’s smooth voicing and the even tension of the multiscale makes this guitar superbly balanced and versatile.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.9 in - 26.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Indian 
Add to Compare2007 Applegate Baritone Madagascar/European
Here we have an Applegate Baritone in Madagascar Rosewood and European Spruce. Brian has achieved a clarity of voice on this baritone that is truly inspiring. Often enough Baritones can have a muddy tone with no real distinction between strings, that is not the case here. From the gigantic gut rumbling bass strings to the present and clear trebles this baritone has the articulation and distinction to make any song you play thunder and shimmer. One of the great benefits of owning a Baritone is the sense of newness and inspiration you get in your playing, with this Applegate you are sure to have heaps of new ideas and songs flowing from your fingertips.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 28 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - European, Rosewood - Madagascar 
Add to Compare2004 Applegate SJ Brazilian/Cedar
Here’s a terrific Applegate SJ with Brazilian back and sides and a Western Red Cedar top for wonderful, classic acoustic tones with shimmering highs, well articulated bass and excellent balance between individual strings. Thanks to the Cedar top, this guitar has opened up fully, and the voice has a strong fundamental with subtle overtones. The neck has a great shape that’s very slender and comfortable. There’s also a full abalone top border and rosette treatment. Brian Applegate is known for his attention to detail and superb craftsmenship, this gorgeous SJ is a wonderful example of modern lutherie.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.38 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to CompareNew Applegate FS Ziricote/Port Orford Cedar
A 2013 custom Applegate FS model in the store–what more could you ask for? Featuring a remarkable set of Ziricote for the back and sides and a creamy Port Orford Cedar, this FS has a sonorous and complex voice. All across the guitar, supremely tasteful wood choices abound: Ziricote and Bocote laminations for the neck, Bocote bindings and radial rosette (with an inlaid interlocking Abalone pattern), and a Macassar Ebony bridge. With so much visually breathtaking beauty, the voice of the FS has some stiff competition for the attention of the player, were it not for the fact that the Port Orford Cedar imparts a sweet, opened up warmth and compliments the low-mid punch and controlled bass of the Ziricote. Fingerstylists, take note: this guitar can turn the simplest arrangements into complex pieces in a few minutes–imagine what it can do once you’ve played together for a few days!
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods xx, Ziricote 
Add to CompareNew Applegate FS Cocobolo/Moon Spruce
This is a custom Applegate FS model featuring stunning quarter sawn Cocobolo Rosewood and a Moonspruce top. Moonspruce is European Spruce harvested in a very old tradition where they fall the tree at the phase of the moon when the sap is down in trunk and roots. We’ve seen enough Moonspruce guitars to be big believers, it’s very special. DG owner Paul Heumiller plays Moonspruce on several of his guitars. But it doesn’t stop there, Brian Applegate also added a side soundport and a unique and elegant rosette of interlacing Abalone Diamond over Bocote wood.
Be sure to listen to the clip with headphone, you’ll want to enjoy the full and present melody notes this FS model produces. So lyrical and alive, like a human voice. A perfect fingerstyle guitar in a small body that is a joy to hold and behold.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Moonspruce, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to Compare2006 Applegate SJ Dream Series #1 of 10 Brazilian/Red Cedar
The Applegate Dream Series has been one of our most popular and here we have the very first, #1. Brian Applegate’s wonderful inlay theme on this limited edition run of just 10 guitars is elegant and dazzling. Beautiful blue Paua Abalone adorns the headstock, fingerboard and soundboard of the instrument. Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood and Red Cedar produce a tone at once warm, lush and articulate. This is a perfect fingerstyle guitar that plays with ease.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Cedar - Western Red, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to CompareApplegate SJ Dream Series 6 Brazilian/Euro Spruce
Our Dream Series from Brian Applegate has been extremely popular. It’s little wonder since Brian puts together the finest Brazilian Rosewood and custom appointments including extraordinary inlays on the fingerboard and headstock, a custom twisted rosette, abalone top trim, headstock trim and backstrip. And this particular guitar features his new armrest bevel and soundport. On top of all that this one sports insanely figured Sapelle for the bindings, armrest and rosette. All of the colors blend perfectly and make this quite a satisfying beauty, but it also sounds as good as it looks; amazing clarity, shimmering highs, full, warm bass. This is a complete sound from one end of the spectrum to the other. Simply stunning in every way…
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce - European, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to CompareNew Applegate SJ Brazilian/Adirondack
A beautiful new Applegate SJ with Brazilian back and sides and an Adirondack Spruce top for wonderful, classic acoustic tones with shimmering highs and well defined lows. The Olson style 5 piece neck ais slender and fast. Features a unique ‘carved’ soundport design on the upper bass bout, a full abalone top border and headstock border. Then there is a Calton case to protect it. Brian Applegate is know for his attention to detail and superb craftsmenship, this gorgeous SJ is a wonderful example of modern luthery.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.38 in Nut Width 1.63 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Rosewood - Brazilian