Handmade Acoustic Guitars - Artisan Guitars

Browsing Acoustic Guitars

Bourgeois DB Signature Dreadnought Adirondack and Madagascar

Santa Cruz Tony Rice Dreadnought German Spruce and Indian Rosewood

Collings 01H Sitka Spruce and Mahogany with Herringbone Short Scale

Smith and Young Model 1 Square Neck Spider Cone

Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe Varnish Finish Hot Hide Glue

Collings CJ Mh SB Sitka Spruce and Mahogany

Santa Cruz 1929 000 Mahogany with Custom Sunburst Finish

Collings D2H Herringbone Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood

2000 Santa Cruz Custom H 12 String All Koa

Smith and Young Model 1 Spider Cone Round Neck Nickel Plated Steel

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Bourgeois DB Signature Dreadnought Adirondack and Madagascar

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 23/32" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Madagascar Rosewood

Hear This Instrument: Bourgeois DB Signature Dreadnought Adirondack and Madagascar

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The Dana Bourgeois Signature Dreadnought features "Signature" Adirondack and "Signature" Madagascar RW... this translates into the absolute best examples of each tonewood that can currently be found. The traditional Squares & Diamonds inlay are made unique by cutting them from Certified Fossil Ivory. With finely flamed Curly Koa body binding, Gold Waverly tuners, Bone pins and a premium pickguard you will be hard pressed to find more value and beauty in a single guitar.

Here's what Dana says about Madagascar: "Madagascar rosewood will probably get you closest to the sound of Brazilian, and at a much lower price. Madagascar has much of the same rich overtone range as Brazilian, as well as a slightly "reverby" quality. It's a little heavier than Brazilian, so I have to be careful about selecting the right top and the right neck in order to keep the weight down and not adversely effect its response characteristics. " Since Dana himself still picks every top, back and side for each guitar we build, this isn't a problem with his builds.

The response and balance that this guitar exhibits is nothing short of astonishing. The incredibly straight grained set of Madagascar lives up to every bit of the legend it is known for... and may just be better! The Adirondack top shows nice wide grain with plentiful bearclaws, making the top even stiffer with more headroom.

There is certainly some magic going on with these DB Signature guitars, and this guitar is one of the best! Order yours now before it's too late and this incredible wood is gone!

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Tags: adirondack, bourgeois, koa, madagascar rosewood, mp3 included

Santa Cruz Tony Rice Dreadnought German Spruce and Indian Rosewood

Scale: 25.375" | Nut Width: 1 11/16" | Top: German Spruce | Back: Indian Rosewood

Hear This Instrument: Santa Cruz Tony Rice Dreadnought German Spruce and Indian Rosewood

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The Tony Rice Model from Santa Cruz represents over 30 years of collaboration between the world's foremost flatpicking icon and SCGC's founding luthier, Richard Hoover. Richard asked if he could design Tony a custom instrument that would benefit his playing and tonal requirements, and there began a lifelong friendship in 1979.

Today's TR model incorporates decades of refinement in response to players' demands and the sophisticated evolution of the master's technique. The TR Model is voiced to showcase his stellar lead work with influences from Clarence White to John Coltrane. Tony's guitars delivers exactly what the contemporary flatpicking artist needs: substantial treble and midrange for rapid single-line lead, clean note separation for definition and the traditional bass boom without the woofy bottom end of some of the venerable Pre-war dreadnoughts.

This Tony Rice has a custom German Spruce top, and has a bold, even tone. It also features aSanta Cruz Logo Inlay at the 16th fret - emulating the Tony Rice Professional. German Spruce provides a rich, complex tone and is perfect for many players who play fingerstyle as well as flatpick. German Spruce is stiffer than Sitka, providing more headroom and power, yet more flexible than Adirondack so that it responds well to a lighter attack. This allows the guitar to be played fingerstyle while maintaining a high level of comfort, without sacrificing the invaluable headroom offered by a stiffer spruce.

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Tags: dreadnought, enlarged soundhole, german spruce, indian rosewood, mp3 included, santa cruz, tony rice

Collings 01H Sitka Spruce and Mahogany with Herringbone Short Scale

Scale: 24 7/8" | Nut Width: 1 11/16" | Top: Sitka Spruce | Back: Mahogany

Hear This Instrument: Collings 01H Sitka Spruce and Mahogany with Herringbone

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

With the exception of the Baby, the 0 is the smallest guitar from Collings and is offered with the same shorter scale found on the 12-fret 00. Although measuring only 13.5 inches in width (smaller than a typical classical guitar), the Collings 0 has tone and volume that belies its first impression as being less than full-sized. It can double as a travel guitar or a small OM, performing both roles equally well.

Collings Single 0 series guitars are always highly impressive, projecting an almost unbelievable sound that is full of low end with an overall tone that is focused, powerful, and highly responsive. You don't sacrifice much volume and tone with these modern guitars.

This custom guitar also features a Herringbone top purfle. Not to be confused as just a cosmetic upgrade, the herringbone purfle tends to make the mahogany backed guitars much warmer with increased low end and richer high-end and an instant broken-in feel in regards to responsiveness. We were able to do a sound recording comparing two identical dreadnoughts, with the exception of the Herringbone trim. The recordings can be found here:

Herringbone vs. Non-Herringbone Guitars… Do they sound different?

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Tags: 01, 01h, collings, herringbone, mahogany, mp3 included, Single 0, sitka spruce

Smith and Young Model 1 Square Neck Spider Cone

Scale: 25" | Nut Width: 1.95" | Top: Nickel Plated Steel | Back: Nickel Plated Steel

Hear This Instrument: Smith and Young Model 1 Spider Cone Square Neck

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

Smith and Young Model 1 Spider Cone Square Neck - Guitars for a new beginning

There is an art to reproducing guitars from a by-gone era in today's day and age. The folks at National have certainly proven they can not only faithfully recreate historic models, but also update them tastefully with modern day technology & materials that offer improvements. Today's National ResoPhonic is a constantly evolving company, which is always trying new ideas, reissuing classic models, and pushing the envelope as far as tone is concerned.

For many years, National ResoPhonic has been in research and development of the original Dobro's, as those models were part of the fabric and historic beginning of the original National company founded in 1927. This is the instrument that spawned an entire industry, a sound, and inspired a tone like nothing else. The Dobro company was founded in 1929 by brothers John Dopyera, Rudy Dopyera, Ed Dopyera, and Vic Smith. The name "Dobro" represents an early acronym for the Dopyera Brothers, thus: Dobro.

Dobro was never intended to mean a specific instrument, like a banjo, or mandolin, however, over the years, the name Dobro became synonymous with any squareneck spider-bridge resonator guitar, held in the lap, and played with a bar in open tunings, rather than fretting the strings on a fretted fingerboard.

Over the years the company changed ownership many times, and was shuttered from 1942 to 1954, bought by Semi Mosely, then lost, and finally bought by Gibson. Fast forward to today's modern era National ResoPhonic instruments, located in San Luis Obispo, where founder Don Young started his company in 1989. Having worked for the Dopyera brothers several times during his career, Don is uniquely qualified to recreate these iconic guitars. We are proud to introduce the newest line of instruments from the Smith and Young Spider Cone division of National, the Smith and Young Model 1 Spider Cone Square Neck!

These instruments incorporate a host of new innovations from our friends at Smith and Young, which make these wholly different from their roundneck cousins. The string break angle at the bridge has been increased to have a steeper incline, which increases downward pressure on the spider cone, transferring more energy to the cone. The result?... Enhanced volume sought after by steel players [read as "LOUD"]!!

The same design has been utilized at the nut, which once again makes the string break angle more severe thereby increasing volume and sustain. Make no mistake, these instruments have an enormous volume in reserve, yet still maintain a sweet singing tone!

The Model I features a light gauge steel body with a vintage nickel "rubbed" finish that only adds to the guitar's traditional mojo and vibe, while the Model II which is maple, is finished in a vintage dark Sunburst that harkens back to the "catalog" guitars from the 40's!

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Tags: model 1, mp3 included, Smith & Young, square neck

Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe Varnish Finish Hot Hide Glue

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 23/32" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Mahogany

Hear This Instrument: Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe Varnish Finish Hot Hide Glue

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

Dana Bourgeois is known around the world for his superb craftsmanship and also as one of the foremost authorities on the voicing, selection and utilization of fine tonewoods. As testimony to these great instruments, they have become a favorite of many professional country and bluegrass players, such as Ricky Skaggs, Bryan Sutton, Sean Watkins, and most recently, we sold a Country Boy to Michael Harris of Apache Relay. If there is one thing Dana Bourgeois knows, it’s building a knockout dreadnought.

The Country Boy is a dependable, tried and true mahogany workhorse. Mahogany has a quick velocity of sound, relatively lightness of weight, and noticeable midrange overtone attenuation. As a result, mahogany guitars are warm, dry, woody, direct, lively, and famously easy to record. This is especially true with this guitar. Each note has commanding presence, yet is balanced and well represented. Chords ring with powerful, driving volume and lead notes are clear, punchy, and distinct.

This Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe features classic appointments such as ebony fretboard and bridge, wooden rosette, Ziricote binding, and Gold Waverly tuners. In addition to selecting only the finest quartersawn and matched figured mahogany backs and sides, this Country Boy is appointed with a beautiful Adirondack Red Spruce with nice wide grain at the edges. Dana always builds guitars with only the best tonewoods, and this guitar is definitely worthy of the Bourgeois name... in both tone and appearance!

The finish is an oil varnish, which pushes the tone to another level. According to Dana, "The closest thing to the sound of a 70 year old nitrocellulose lacquer finish isn't a new lacquer finish, but a thin oil varnish finish. Properly applied, oil varnish smooths out the "jangly" sound of a new guitar in much the same way that lots of playing seems to accomplish." This makes the guitar sound more "broken in" from the start, not to mention the deep golden hue the varnish imparts on the finish is simply gorgeous.

This Country Boy Deluxe also features the use of Hot Hide Glue. Hide Glue was the original glue used on the early Martin guitars but has been phased out by many luthiers due to the added time it takes to work with... not to mention it is very messy! Hot Hide glue sets up like glass, offering a more immediate and efficient transfer of energy throughout the top, making the overall guitar more responsive with a clarity of tone that is unmatched.

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Tags: adirondack spruce, bourgeois, country boy, country boy deluxe, dreadnought, figured mahogany, mahogany, mp3 included

Santa Cruz Don Edwards Cowboy Singer

Scale: 24.75" | Nut Width: 1 13/16" | Top: Mahogany | Back: Mahogany

Hear This Instrument: Santa Cruz Don Edwards - The Cowboy Singer Model

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

When players start discussing tone, the conversation inevitably turns to vintage instruments. Maybe it stems from a reverence and longing for a bygone era, but it's hard to deny the magic in an instrument with rich history and unmistakable tone that only gets better with the passage of time.

If we don't continue to tell the stories of the past, they will no longer be remembered. Don Edwards understands this, and has devoted his life to keeping the lyrics and lore the old west alive and well in the mind and hearts of America. 2011 marked the 50th anniversary in the music business for this most beloved cowboy poet and balladeer, and in honor of this career milestone, Santa Cruz Guitar Company is thrilled to debut the Don Edwards Signature Model Guitar. SCGC's Richard Hoover and Don worked together to create this all Mahogany 12-fret OO with the cowboy singer in mind. A slotted headstock with the vintage script Santa Cruz logo, ivoroid/tortoise/ivoroid rosette, simple black purfling, custom sunburst and gold, 3-on-a-plate Waverly tuners with Snakewood knobs all come together with a classic lone star and Don's signature inlayed on the fingerboard. With its warmth, presence and sophisticated complexity, this is the trusty sidekick that you've always wanted.

Guitar companies like Martin, Gibson, and Epiphone began increasing their use of mahogany to provide a more affordable Guitar for musicians whose livelihood had been crippled by the Great Depression. Mahogany has become a standard back-and-side wood on flattop guitars, but all-mahogany such as this Santa Cruz, are far less common. With 70+ years of history the all mahogany guitar is now catching the ears of a new generation of guitarists.

This guitar excels at fingerstyle playing while also providing great projection and depth when strummed and flatpicked. The all-mahogany construction provides a clear, woody, dry and airy tone that is very balanced and smooth thanks to the masterful voicing. The tone is quite balanced thanks to Richard Hoover’s masterful tap tuning and skillful bracing, providing a sound that is much larger than many other similar sized instruments.

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Tags: all-mahogany, cowboy singer, don edwards, mahogany, mp3 included, santa cruz

Collings OM2HG German Spruce Deep Body

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: German Spruce | Back: Indian Rosewood

Hear This Instrument: Collings OM2HG German Spruce Deep Body

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

This Custom Collings OM2H features a German Spruce top and Indian Rosewood back and sides. The extra features are what make this particular model stand out from the rest, featuring a thicker, deep body, measuring 4 5/8" deep. The deeper body provides rich low tones not often heard on OM size guitars, providing an incredibly rich and full sound. The compact shape makes the Collings OM equally easy to handle onstage or when sitting on the couch, and the deep depth of the body on this custom model results in a strong and powerful tone with an immediate response and much larger bottom end than is generally found on OM sized guitars. The nut width on this OM2H was upgraded to 1 3/4" for comfortable chording.

German Spruce, a special appointment on this guitar, provides a rich, complex tone and is perfect for many players who play fingerstyle as well as flatpick. German Spruce is stiffer than Sitka, providing more headroom and power, yet more flexible than Adirondack so that it responds well to a lighter attack. This allows the guitar to be played fingerstyle while maintaining a high level of comfort, without sacrificing the invaluable headroom offered by a stiffer spruce.

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Tags: collings, deep body, german spruce, indian rosewood, mp3 included, om, om2h, om2hg

Collings CJ Mh SB Sitka Spruce and Mahogany

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 11/16" | Top: Sitka Spruce | Back: Mahogany

Hear This Instrument: Collings CJ Mh SB Sitka Spruce and Mahogany

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The Collings Jumbo, or CJ, is Collings' version of the classic slope-shouldered dreadnought, a shape that has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years. While the CJ is similar in width and depth to the traditional dreadnought, it has a distinctly different tone. Despite its large size this model works well with the optional shorter string scale, resulting in a somewhat percussive bottom end ideal for acoustic blues or other styles that benefit from a more controlled bass response. Of all the Collings body shapes, this is the one most often requested with a sunburst top finish, as this guitar beautifully demonstrates.

The topwood on this guitar is Sitka Spruce, which is very versatile and known for it's lush bass response and easy playability. The back and sides are mahogany, which produces clear and distinct notes and is very well appreciated in the recording studio, as it is known to be a bit more balanced in front of a microphone than rosewood.

Browse our fine selection of Collings Guitars.

Learn more about the history of Collings Guitars.

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Tags: collings, collings CJ, mahogany, mp3 included, sitka spruce

Santa Cruz 1929 000 Mahogany with Custom Sunburst Finish

Scale: 25.375" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Mahogany | Back: Mahogany

Hear This Instrument: Santa Cruz 1929 000 Mahogany with Custom Sunburst Finish

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The 1929 000 is the full sized version of the 1929 Model we originally commissioned. A longer, 25.375 inch scale for additional volume and bass make it a worthy ensemble instrument. You will find the same simple and elegant aesthetics of the 1929-O and 1929-OO versions. The master grade True Mahogany top is correctly dimensioned and hand voiced for a full and complex presence, and the elements for an heirloom guitar are all in place. The 1929-000’s look includes a period correct “Vintage Script” logo done tastefully in Ivoroid. Classic Ebony complements the pyramid bridge, tuner buttons, head-plate and fretboard. An appropriately simple rosette is inlaid with a rich faux tortoise shell celluloid ring in a vintage Ivoroid border. The 1929-000 Model has all the exceptional presence and playability that you would expect from the Santa Cruz stable of state of the art acoustic guitars.

This guitar excels at fingerstyle playing while also providing great projection and depth when strummed and flatpicked. The all-mahogany construction provides a clear, woody, dry and airy tone that is very balanced and smooth thanks to the masterful voicing. The comfortable 000 size doesn’t lack for low end… as stated above, the tone is quite balanced thanks to Richard Hoover’s masterful tap tuning and skillful bracing, providing a sound that is much larger than many other similar sized instruments.

The finishing touch on this particular 1929 guitar is the custom sunburst over the highly impressive set of Mahogany. This finish and wood combination instantly set the guitar apart visually from our other 1929 models.
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Tags: 1929, 1929-000, all-mahogany, mp3 included, santa cruz, sunburst, vintage script

Collings D2H Herringbone Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Sitka Spruce | Back: Indian Rosewood

Hear This Instrument: Collings D2H Herringbone Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The square-shouldered 14-fret dreadnought is the most popular steel-string acoustic guitar body shape in the world. While Collings is certainly not the first to build them, they bring a new tonal clarity to the depth and warmth usually associated with such a large, deep-bodied guitar. Although its bass response makes the dreadnought ideal for vocal accompaniment, Collings versions are also often employed by bluegrass flatpickers who must compete with inherently louder instruments such as banjos and fiddles.

The standard D2H is ideal for players who find Adirondack Red Spruce too stiff for their style. Sitka Spruce is a versatile topwood that accentuates the warm round aspects of the guitar's tone. Indian Rosewood is warm and rounded with complex overtones. The D2H is a powerful dreadnought without any compromise.

Browse our fine selection of Collings Guitars.

Learn more about the history of Collings Guitars.

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Tags: collings, collings d2h, indian rosewood, mp3 included, sitka spruce

Pre-Owned: 2000 Santa Cruz Custom H 12 String All Koa

Scale: 25.375" | Nut Width: 1 13/16" | Top: Koa | Back: Koa

Hear This Instrument: 2000 Santa Cruz Custom H 12 String All Koa

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

Long an honored presence in the Santa Cruz collection, the 1930's inspired H Model joined the famed luthier's catalog in 1977 during the formative years of the company. This was a challenging era to introduce a non-Dreadnought, non-12-fret guitar. Opting to be favored by natural selection, SCGC presented the now standard 14 frets to the body configuration to an audience that valued the additional 2-fret access on such a classic, vintage body.

This custom 2000 Santa Cruz H 12 String features an all Koa body, and on this particular instrument the figuring of the Koa is absolutely stunning. With rich, contrasting ripples that cascade down the length of the body; leave it to Santa Cruz to provide choice woods such as this. The tone of this guitar is rich and powerful with a focus in the mid-range that seems to fall in between mahogany and rosewood. The high end is crystal clear without being overpowering.

Most players are astonished when they play the Santa Cruz H for the first time. Its volume is startling for a small-bodied guitar. The body's depth allows for a much larger presence than would be expected in an instrument of its size. The guitar's balanced hand voicing gives the H a precise response at every fretboard position. This model is highly recommended for those who prefer the sweetness and ease of playing a small guitar but require more comfort and volume. Although many would associate a 12string with a very large body style, and very large neck; this custom version is a joy to play for long periods, with the neck being comfortable, while still providing the necessary room for chording.

This custom guitar was recently sent to Santa Cruz Guitar Company for a full check-up / setup by their technicians, and returned with a clean bill of health. Because this instrument is over a decade old there are some minor /assorted scratches and dings throughout, as well as some minor separation in the binding that can be seen in the photographs below. With some sets of highly figured Koa the wood begins to "set", which we did our best to capture in the photographs. This does not effect the tone or stability of this guitar. Original Hardshell Case included.

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Tags: 12 string, all koa, custom, custom H, h, koa, mp3 included, santa cruz, santa cruz guitar company

Smith and Young Model 1 Spider Cone Round Neck Nickel Plated Steel

Scale: 25" | Nut Width: 1.825" | Top: Nickel Plated Steel | Back: Nickel Plated Steel

Hear This Instrument: Smith and Young Model 1 Spider Cone Square Neck

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

These instruments incorporate a host of new innovations from our friends at Smith and Young, which make these wholly different from their National ResoPhonic cousins. The string break angle at the bridge has been increased to have a steeper incline, which increases downward pressure on the spider bridge, transferring more energy to the cone. The result?... Enhanced volume sought after by steel players [read as "LOUD"]!!

With their newly designed hot rod cones, these instruments have an enormous volume in reserve, yet still maintain a sweet singing tone!