Instruments
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Add to Compare2008 Charis Overo SJ, Brazilian Rosewood/Redwood
Guitar as canvas, that’s what we’re looking at here. Bill Wise’s “Overo” SJ, bedecked in a gorgeous array of marquetry depicting a paint horse rearing up before a rattlesnake, with badlands and mountains in the background. The woodworking and attention to detail is flawless and so on point; we really haven’t seen a piece quite as complex as this one from Bill before. All this marquetry work is on top of a set of gorgeous salvaged Brazilian Rosewood from Bill’s personal stash. Flip the guitar over, and you find a dramatically flamed Redwood top and Koa bindings. 13 frets to the body with a cutaway and soundport, plus a 25 inch scale for added warmth. Additionally, Bill installed twin arm and rib bevels for creature comfort, and an adjustable neck which keeps the setup dialed in precisely where you want it, just one twist of a wrench.
The 2008 Charis Overo SJ is a beauty, hands down, in pristine shape and equally suited to wow with both looks and sound.Other keywords: jim olson, charis guitars, fingerstyle, fingerpicking, open tuning, art guitar, gotoh, inlay art, abalone, calton, florentine cutaway, bespoke
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.78 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Redwood - Flamed, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2016 Charis SJ, Indian Rosewood/Sinker Redwood
A beautiful pairing: Larry Robinson’s inlay wizardry and Bill Wise’s guitarbuilding masterwork. This is a gorgeous SJ model from 2016, hands down. Indian Rosewood back and sides with Sinker Redwood on top come together for warmth and sweet overtones, and the setup is typical Charis—smooth and glassy. Larry’s inlays take the form of a series of birds and branches sprawling across the fretboard and headstock veneer, and Bill trimmed the body out with flamed Koa (really making the arm bevel pop!). Upper bout soundport to bring it all together. Our repair folks recently installed a K&K Pure Mini pickup too, so this one is stage ready to boot!
Other keywords: jim olson, charis guitars, fingerstyle, fingerpicking, open tuning, art guitar, gotoh, arm bevel, inlay art, abalone, calton
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Redwood - Sinker, Rosewood - Indian 
Add to Compare2008 Charis Grand Concert, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
Tonewood maestro Bill Wise has been crafting world class fingerstyle guitars for years now, and he’s nailed the sweet spot between easy playability and projection, sustain, and dynamic response. This 2008 Charis Grand Concert comes to us with Indian Rosewood back and sides, Cedar top, 5-ply Rosewood neck, and a glassy setup that practically plays itself. Additionally, there’s a K&K Trinity Pro pickup system installed, which is one of our favorite dual source systems of all time.
This Charis has an exquisitely well-tempered response that’s even from string to string and all the way up to the tiptop frets. Cedar gives a little more warmth and presence to the upper mids and trebles to round things out, and it really loves to go down to altered tuning territory, thanks to a 25 5/8” scale length. The voice has opened up nicely since 2008, and we’re happy to report that the condition is superb.Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, IR, red cedar, fingerpicking, tkl, k & k, gotoh, abalone
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.625 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
Add to Compare2009 Charis SJ, Amazon Rosewood/Cedar
A Bill Wise masterpiece. 2009 Charis SJ in Amazon Rosewood and Cedar, 5-ply Mahogany neck, Wenge arm and rib bevels for added player comfort, 25.5” scale for crisp, powerful response—the list goes on. This is a fabulous fingerstyle instrument, and with the addition of a Florentine Cutaway and a soundport in the upper bout keeps you in tune with your tunes. Bill’s guitars are famously easy to play, a nod to Jim Olson’s builds with a slim neck carve and SJ body dimensions, and this 2009 SJ is no exception. Silky smooth and quick. Gotoh Delta tuners, Calton flight case, and custom diamond fretboard inlays round it all out.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbulding, olson guitar, fingerpicking, amazonian rosewood, clear pickguard
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Amazon 
Add to Compare2013 Charis SJ, Macassar Ebony/Redwood
A Bill Wise treasure! Our 2013 Charis SJ is a beauty to both the ears and the eyes, with Macassar Ebony back and sides and a rich Redwood top and T’Zalam bindings. 13-fret neck with a 25 inch scale makes for easy playability and a touch extra warmth in the trebles, and the Florentine Cutaway makes sure you can still get all the way to that pesky 20th fret without breaking a sweat. Overall, this Charis can be characterized by a smooth response, and even smoother playability. The string-to-string balance makes for an excellent fingerstyle guitar, and it handles dropped tunings like a champ.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, fingerpicking, abalone, 13 fret, cedar creek, gotoh
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Redwood, Ebony - Macassar 
Add to Compare2007 Charis Dream Series – SJ Brazilian/Italian
Support for Puerto Rico has been skyrocketing, but they’re going to continue to need help for a long time to go. We’re keeping that support going strong in our own small way by offering another incredible guitar at a great price. This week we’ve got two beauties on the block: our 1987 Franklin Prairie State and our 2007 Charis Dream Series SJ.
As before, a portion of the proceeds will go the the United For Puerto Rico fund spearheaded by Puerto Rico’s first lady, Beatriz Rosselló. They’ve been able to donate over 36,000 units of water, almost 11,000 units of food—but much of the island is still without reliable power and water. Please email your bids to [email protected], and we will keep you informed as to the current bid during the auction. This auction is scheduled to close on 12pm EST, December 3rd.
This Charis was originally priced at $8,795, but we’re starting bidding at just $4,995. Domestic bids only, please.
As sweet as a banana split, but rich as cheesecake, this 2007 Charis SJ has all the toppings to make any fingerstylist happy: glassy low action, articulate string-to-string balance, and resounding basses paired with bell-like trebles. This is number five of ten guitars that Bill Wise built exclusively for us as a part of our Dream Series, so we were able to pick out a fabulous set of Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides and an Italian Spruce top for added creaminess to the voice.
The low end is warm and very present, but with a well-defined edge that contributes an enveloping quality to your arrangements. With a few years under its belt, this Charis has opened up nicely, and responds well to even a delicate touch. If you’re a fan of altered tunings, you’ll be well served by this one, especially if Celtic stylings are more to your liking.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.63 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Italian, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2012 Charis Heart’s Home Series SJ Pau Rosa/Cedar
Not a Charis passes through our shop that doesn’t leave our jaws hanging and our hands itching for one more minute with that butter-slick neck and that resounding projection–this “Heart’s Home Series” SJ is no different. Bill Wise’s technique lends each guitar with scientific precision and laser-cut articulation between the strings. Blessed with Pau Rosa back and sides and a Cedar top, what we have here is an SJ with all the expressiveness of a 00 and the power of a Dreadnought–while simultaneously maintiaining a flawless separation of notes. Fingerstylists, of course, will love the articulation and even presence of each register, but there’s also an ease of playability and aptitude for projection and sustain which flatpickers recognize as essential for a guitar to faithfully broadcast chords, leads, fiddle tunes, and overtones. Here’s something on which both kinds of players can agree: this SJ handles dropped tunings like no guitar’s business, lending the guitar an even more full-bodied voice. Packed up securely in a Cedar Creek hardshell case, this Charis is ready to go anywhere and play any tune.
Add to CompareNew Charis SJ Mango/Engelmann
A guitar shouldn’t be allowed to sound this good. And yet, this 2015 Charis SJ does, with a voice that is thoughtful, probing, and articulate. Bill Wise has outdone himself again, but we hope he didn’t break the mold when he built it, because nothing would make us happier than to see more and more of these compellingly rich-sounding guitars come through our showroom.
This Mango-and-Engelmann Spruce SJ follows you like an old bandmate: perfectly in sync, with nothing lost in translation, just one mind between guitar and player. The trebles have a silky sheen to them which masks a strong, unshakeable clarity underneath. The low-end is eloquent and resounding, well-balanced with middle register that has a small trove of sweet and subtle overtones all of its own. Intonating perfectly, you can play any genre with any style, and the result is humbling. This SJ exudes an aura of effortlessness–it knows how to play the part of virtuoso with grace.
Wise’s choice of Mango and Engelmann is an excellent one: the slightly softer voice of the Engelmann complements the richness of the Mango and creates a tonal palette which is expansive and expressive, but not overwhelming. In a word, this SJ has poise. With the addition of a Koa arm rest and rib rest, Koa bindings across the neck and body, and a Koa-bound soundport, Wise knows how to pair different grains to beautiful effect–right down to the microbevel in the Ebony fretboard binding. Just in time for the holidays, this Charis SJ comes as the perfect present, more valuable and important than pearls or another gold watch.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.63 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann, Mango 
Add to Compare2011 Charis SJ Mun Ebony/Alpine
This 2011 Charis SJ evokes a particular feeling when you play it, we personally felt like we were in the misty hills of Ireland, mysterious and beautiful. This guitar is entirely enchanting. The voice is warm and full, the bass is open but not over powering the sublime trebles. Made from the unusual combination of Alpine Spruce and Mun Ebony this SJ is as sure to stun with its looks as it is its sound.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.63 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Alpine, Ebony - Mun 
Add to Compare2006 Charis SJ Brazilian/Western Red Cedar
Here we have a Charis SJ cutaway in Western Red Cedar and Brazilian Rosewood. Bill Wise is the Luthier behind Charis guitars, and he is a master of achieving a rich and consistent consistent tone. This SJ has a voice that says nothing but praise for Bills voicing skills. Each string is crisp and articulate making this guitar a strong instrument for melodies and difficult fingerstyle solos. We have had many Charis guitars come and go through the Dream Guitars shop, but this one has to be one of the most ornately appointed Charis’s we have seen yet, it is jaw dropping!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.688 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Cedar - Western Red, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2006 Charis Dream Series SJ Brazilian/German
It’s back! This one is the third in our Dream Series from Bill and we are so lucky to have it back in our shop. It has had eight years to mature and blossom as an instrument and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Bill is a master builder who achieves his voice in every instrument he makes, and the set of Brazilian Rosewood on this guitar is magnificent. It’s very tight grained and has a dramatic theme in the center of the back. This guitar is dear to our hearts, but is in need of a good home. Call us today to give it one!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.63 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2002 Charis Indian/Cedar
Here we have a handsome medium-bodied Cedar and Indian Rosewood guitar by Bill Wise of Charis Guitars. Bill is well known for producing beautiful instruments that are consistently well-balanced and imminently playable. This fine example is no exception. On the first strum, the player is greeted with a focused voice that has a nice tight bass, sweet midrange, and luscious trebles that sparkle and dance before slowly fading. The warmth of the cedar top is beautifully balanced by the rosewood back and sides, and the Rosewood and Maple neck provides improved sustain. An excellent guitar that’s very hard to put down.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
Add to CompareCharis SJ Dream Series Brazilian /Red Cedar
A one-of-a-kind instrument specially built for Dream Guitars. We gave Bill Wise license to use the absolute finest materials and collaborated on appointments that would allow the natural beauty of the woods to shine through. It is a gross understatement to say that we are thrilled with the results. This guitar is spectacular, the luscious voice and sweet overtones of Bill’s guitars are taken to new heights on this series. And the unique Makore wood trim gives it character. The pictures describe the beauty much more eloquently then we could so we invite you to behold the Charis Dream Series. This is a rare preowned Charis Dream, #2 of 10 ever made.
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Cedar - Red, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2008 Charis Dream Series SJ Cutaway Brazilian/Italian
Our Dream Series from Bill Wise/Charis Acoustics has been extremely well-received and was a highlight on our the latest Al Petteway CD, Dream Guitars Vol. 1. This one, #7 of 10, is quite special with it’s tight grained Brazilian which is some of the very best you can find today. For #7 Bill gave us his new armrest Bevel in Makore, a full fingerboard border and an inlay of wooden leaves in fall colors. The voice is full of rich color, brilliant highs and perfectly balanced lows. The Charis sound is very special as any current owner would tell you everyone loves his slim neck shape. The Brazilian here really is special, we rarely see it so tight grained and uniform anymore. Bill decided on an Italian top for this one which enhances the clarity and shimmer.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.6 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Italian, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2009 Charis SJ-F Ziricote/Engelmann
This Custom Charis SJ once again proves that Bill Wise is a master builder who achieves his voice in every instrument he makes. That’s a sign of a great builder to us. Featuring a forearm bevel, side sound port, and impeccable and beautiful inlay work, this Ziricote wonder has a is an ideal fingerstyle guitar. The playability is simply superb! The back and sides are from a wonderfully figured piece of Ziricote that lends great focus to the bass and clarity to the mids. The Engelmann top adds warmth and plenty of volume even from a light touch. A sublime Charis!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.6 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann, Ziricote