Why My Guitars Cost What They Cost

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 Every instrument I build is voiced, fitted, and finished one at a time to serve a specific player. The cost reflects the materials I select, the methods I use, and the time I spend to make the guitar feel alive in your hands — responsive, balanced, and musical from the first note. 

 Tonewoods (AAAA/AAAAA/Master Grade)

• Back, sides, neck: Highly figured domestic hardwoods (maple, black walnut, etc.) for tone, stability, and responsible sourcing.
• Soundboard: Sitka spruce or Port Orford cedar (or equivalent), master‑grade, individually analyzed for stiffness‑to‑weight and tap‑tone.
• Fingerboard, bridge, headplate: Ebony or rosewood for durability and feel.

Neck: Built for Your Hands

• Custom profile, taper, and thickness to your preference
• Scarf‑joint headstock for strength and efficiency
• Bolted mortise‑and‑tenon neck joint for serviceability and precision
• Heel‑access truss rod + carbon‑fiber reinforcement rods for long‑term stability
• 14th‑fret body joint
• Your preferred fingerboard radius (including compound radius)
• Stainless steel frets for longevity and smooth play
• Mother‑of‑pearl fret markers and side dots
• Mother‑of‑pearl headstock brand inlay

Acoustic Voicing

• Targeted wood selection for your tonal goals
• Brace shaping and adjustment, plate tuning/shaping
• Iterative listening + objective sound analysis to balance power, clarity, and responsiveness

Craft Details That Matter

• Shop‑made wooden binding and purfling
• Shop‑made wooden rosette (geometric or radial designs)
• Solid laminated linings (not kerfed) for stiffness and top/back energy transfer
• Hipshot tuners (or equivalent)
• Bone nut, saddle, and bone bridge pins
• French polish finish — ultra‑thin, labor‑intensive, and exceptionally resonant

Included Services

• Personalized design consultation and a signed spec sheet
• Custom action setup tuned to your playing style
• In‑person delivery only with final setup and action adjustment at handoff
• Warranty covering defects in materials and craftsmanship (as outlined in the guide)

 1) Material Excellence
Master‑grade tops and highly figured domestic hardwoods are selected piece‑by‑piece. I reject wood that doesn’t meet exacting structural and acoustic thresholds. That selectivity shows up in the guitar’s responsiveness, headroom, and consistency across registers.

2) Time, Method, and Handwork
From shop‑made binding, purfling, and rosettes to the French‑polish finish, your guitar receives hundreds of careful, intentional hand operations. French polish alone is a high craft finish that is thin, light, and acoustically transparent — it takes more time, but it lets the instrument breathe and sing.

3) Fit, Feel, and Longevity
A neck that fits your hands, stainless frets, carbon‑fiber reinforcement, and heel‑access truss rod combine to deliver immediate comfort and long‑term stability. The bolted M&T joint and solid laminated linings make the guitar both robust and serviceable for decades.

4) Acoustic Engineering
I don’t just assemble parts or build to a pattern — I voice the instrument. Brace carving, plate tuning, and objective listening/measurement translate your tonal brief (warmth, sparkle, headroom, quick response) into a living structure. This is the difference between a guitar and your guitar.

5) Personal Service & Delivery
No shipping. We meet in person, review care and humidity together, and I perform the final setup with you so the guitar leaves dialed to your action preferences. That last hour of collaboration transforms the feel of the instrument.

• AAAA/AAAAA/master‑grade woods throughout
• Custom neck (profile/taper/thickness), stainless frets, CF reinforcement
• Heel‑access truss rod; 14th‑fret body join; preferred radius (incl. compound)
• Shop‑made wooden binding/purfling and wooden rosette
• Solid laminated linings
• Hipshot tuners (or equivalent)
• Bone nut, saddle, and bridge pins
• Full voicing (material selection, brace shaping, plate tuning)
• French polish finish
• Custom action setup and in‑person delivery with final adjustments
• Warranty on materials & craftsmanship

Note on cases & humidity: Cases and humidity systems are offered as add‑ons so you can choose your protection level (standard hardshell, or premium makers like Calton/Hoffee/Karura) and preferred humidity solution (Boveda/Humidipak). We’ll verify fit and review humidity best practices at delivery.

• Exotic hardwoods or ultra‑figured domestic sets
• Specialty scale lengths
• Cutaway(s)
• Arm bevel / comfort bevel
• Shell inlay (from tasteful accents to showpiece work)
• Pickups/electronics
• Other finishes / bursts
• Alternate nut/saddle materials
• More involved purfling/binding/rosette designs

You’re commissioning a guitar that is selected, voiced, built, and finished for you — using master‑grade materials, advanced structural methods, and a resonance‑first finish. The investment reflects that level of craft, the time required to do it right, and the personal service at delivery to make sure it feels like home on day one. 

(A philosophy about instruments and the players who bring them to life)

A guitar is more than its materials or construction — it’s a partner in expression. And while much is made of woods, bracing patterns, or finishes, one truth sits above everything else:

Most of the sound that comes from a guitar comes from the player.
Their touch, intention, and technique shape the instrument’s voice more than any single design choice.

My role as a builder is to create an instrument that helps the player make their best sound. To support that goal, every guitar I build is guided by a few beliefs:

• The guitar must fit the player.

The instrument should feel natural in the hands and body — comfortable in posture, scale length, neck shape, and setup. When a guitar fits, it disappears, leaving only music.

• The setup should match the way the player wants to play — and stay stable.

Action, relief, string tension, and geometry should support the player’s technique, whether light fingerstyle or heavy strumming. A predictable, reliable setup builds confidence.

• The guitar’s voice should align with the sounds the player loves.

Some players gravitate toward warmth, others toward clarity or sparkle. A well‑voiced guitar should reflect the tonal qualities that inspire them.

• The guitar should be a joy to look at, hold, and hear.

An instrument that feels meaningful and beautiful invites care. When a guitar brings visual and tactile pleasure, it becomes part of a daily ritual.

• The more a guitar supports the player, the more the player grows.

When an instrument feels good, sounds right, and matches the musician’s style, the player naturally plays more — and better. The guitar becomes an encourager, not an obstacle.