Another legend in the show room! We’ve got a 2003 SJ from Kim Walker in the shop in practically mint condition. Kim Walker’s status as a master among masters is universally known and celebrated, and when this beauty was pulled out of the case, we felt like celebrating, ourselves. This guitar belonged to Jerre Haskew, the former president of Guild Guitars who hired Kim Walker to save the company and pave the way for his own work. The cut of this Brazilian Rosewood is absorbing, with dark chocolatey notes and arrow-straight grain patterns. This, combined with a warm Adirondack Spruce top and Walker’s SJ curves, gives the player a sensation of royalty: the voice is big and brash, and the guitar can handle any style of music with ease. Talk about headroom–this guitar fills the church to the rafters with an energetic and articulate voice! This guitar is a cold drink on a hot day to flatpickers, or a shot of good whiskey for a blues fingerstylist with its vigor and snap. Seriously, folks, just one look at the woods here, and you’ll be hooked. Once you play it, we offer complimentary tissues, should you feel a tear streaking down your cheek. This Walker is a furnace of powerful tones, and it won’t be here long; get a piece of this fire before we pass the torch!

Every time we get one of Kim Walker‘s guitars in the shop, it’s like eating your mother’s cooking again, years after being a kid–and this Walker OM-40 is better than your mom’s chicken noodle soup could ever be. Everything is absolutely perfect, from the tight-grained Brazilian Rosewood back and sides (and paired Brazilian Rosewood binding) to the butter-colored German Spruce and 42-style Abalone inlay, this guitar is the ideal form of Martin’s OM size. Mahogany neck, Ebony fretboard, Walker’s floral headstock inlay and tap-tuned German Spruce top–each component is assembled in perfect harmony. One look and you can’t miss Walker’s unique glossy finishes which help make his guitars amazingly light and responsive. The tone of this instrument is rich and perfectly balanced–the kind of complex, enveloping tonality you’d expect from a 1920’s Martin. But here’s the kicker: this guitar isn’t even a year old. The response is even and finely tuned across all registers, with a razor-sharp pianistic separation of notes. The low-end is clear, the trebles crisp, and the overtones are clean, subtle, and controlled. Truly, there are very few luthiers creating instruments of this calibre in the world today–and almost none are building them as dynamic and powerful as the Walker OM-40.

Here is a rare custom Kim Walker OM-42 in Brazilian Rosewood and Adirondack Spruce. 42 Style trim really makes this beautiful vintage style guitar shine. There is also a custom Floral inlay on the headstock as well. The voicing is all Kim Walker, one of the very best at capturing that pre-war Martin sound but doing so in a modern collectible guitar with perfect action and playability. What a joy to experience.

This is a fine example of Kim Walker’s best work. This is single owner 000 that was custom ordered by a local customer of ours. This Walker guitar is lightly built for a wonderfully vivid response. The slightest touch makes it come alive. The mahogany neck has a very comfortable and soft “V” shape, and the Brazilian sides and back are beautiful and deep with lovely highlights. This guitar is already wonderfully broken in as evident by the way the notes rush out of the guitar, the projection is very strong and balanced. It’s very easy to see why Kim Walker is one of the most highly sought after builders of our time.

The dizzying number of wonderful guitars that we have on our walls might lead some to think that after a while, all these amazing guitars would sound alike. However, when a true heavyweight like the 2004 Walker SJ we have here today enters the fray, there’s just no competition. Kim Walker’s name is synonymous with unparalleled quality and tone–and we’ve got one of his masterpieces in the shop, begging to be played. A stunning Brazilian Rosewood set comprises the back and sides with a richly colored Adirondack Spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood bindings. In Kim’s hands, these woods have been given a rich, powerful voice. The low-end is charged and enveloping, while the trebles have a warm, complex tonality and sweet sustain. When played fingerstyle, the middle registers exhibit a smooth sinuosity and have mellow overtones. Overall, the registers are perfectly–and we mean perfectly–balanced, and the SJ body gives this guitar heaps of projection. Kim’s appointments are graceful, from his contemporary-inflected asymetrical Ebony bridge to the hairline curves of the headstock and the minutely curved body bindings. This is one of the lightest SJs you’ll find, but the build is nevertheless rock solid: this guitar exudes an aura of strength and longevity. If you are at all interested in owning a Walker, give this guitar a look, because let’s face it: they’re very rare, and will only become rarer with time. This is the guitar of a lifetime–don’t miss your chance.