While the specifications listed below are typical, it is important to note that I create one-of-a-kind instruments in collaboration with their players. For that reason, all of the following should be considered as a rough guide. Different scale lengths, neck widths, and neck contours are all constructional aspects that are frequently adjusted to satisfy player’s needs. I often duplicate neck shapes of instruments that are comfortable or familiar to players.
One constructional aspect that I don’t alter is the surface shape of the face and back. My guitars do not have a “Flat top” face or a corresponding flat back. They have a slight arch built into them. This provides structural strength that a flat top lacks. It is that arch that allows me to build lighter instruments that still retain structural integrity. With less wood for the string’s vibrations to set into motion, my instruments have a quick, responsive tonal attack, rich tone and volume, and lengthy sustain.
I find particular joy in using highly figured tone woods. In fact, it was the color and figure of my grandfather’s Gibson mandolin that drew me into instrument building back when I was kid. While I will build with any tone wood desired, I only build with Smart Wood Certified woods and woods that are harvested in a sustainable manner. I get a big kick out of using Brazilian Rosewood that comes from the stumps left standing after the original harvests all those years ago. I guess I like it because it puts so much money in the pockets of the indigenous people that it becomes counter productive for them to slash and burn the rain forest in order to raise beef. Also, it doesn’t hurt that it is some of the most highly colored and figured wood!
I’ve listed base prices for all of the models for which I’ve developed jigs and fixtures. However, I can develop one of a kind instruments if the player desires it. It is slower, and certainly more expensive, but just about anything is possible. Let’s talk!
My OM is my most popular instrument. It’s just so versatile and fills so many needs. It can be finger picked very subtly or flat picked to cut through a crowd. In either case, tone isn’t sacrificed. While I’m a big fan of Adirondack or Red Spruce for the face, I’ve built more than a few of these using the softer, whiter Engelmann. Tonally, the trade off is that the Red Spruce has a more clearly defined fundamental, while the Engelmann has a warmer, more complex tone. Describing the sound of different woods sometimes seems like talking about the qualities of fine wines but there really are differences and those differences can be used to build an instrument that best suits the music you play. A guitar with a pleasant nutty aftertaste? I guess that would have to be one made with California Walnut!
Base price for this instrument is $5,000.
| Scale length | 25 20/32" |
|---|---|
| Overall length | 40" |
| Depth of Body | 4 4/32" |
| Width | 15 4/32" |
My Parlor Guitar is my take on Martin’s style 5. It is my personal favorite for learning new tunes. With its short scale length, difficult chord positions become a secondary concern. Its smaller size also makes it a much more comfortable playing instrument for women. Normally, an instrument with such a short scale length tends to lean a bit towards the treble end in terms of tone. However, after quite a bit of experimenting, I’ve come up with a bracing pattern that balances the instrument’s voice quite nicely. It still retains the traditional X brace for structural stability, but the lower tone bars are reversed. This has the effect of spreading more of the vibrational force over the bass side of the face, as opposed to the treble side. That might seem like an odd arrangement, but it works. In fact, it works so well, that this was the instrument that originally caught Keb’ Mo’s eye, or maybe I should say, “ear." One nice thing about this instrument is, because of its small size and narrower body, higher end woods, with more color and figure can be sourced for the base model at no added cost.
While the photo shows an elaboratly inlayed model, the base price for a standard instrument is $4,800.
| Scale length | 21 12/32" |
|---|---|
| Overall length | 33" |
| Depth of body | 3 24/32" |
| Width | 11 1/2" |
This big dog, my version of the classic Dreadnought truly fears nothing. I first developed my version of the Martin original after Keb’ Mo’ asked for a guitar with a “Robust” voice. The instrument pictured here is actually his guitar, shot at a professional studio, hence the “artsy" angles. If you would like to hear this instrument and you happen to have Keb's album, The Door, listen to the lead guitar on the track “Change.” If you don’t have that album, get it, it’s great! Anyway, while I aimed for an instrument with a pronounced bass, I still wanted it to have a balanced voice overall. As a musician, I hate having to compensate “on the fly” for strings that are shy. I want everyone at the party, and I want to hear them all clearly. Part of meeting that goal with this instrument has been the choice of face wood. I rarely build this model with something other than Red Spruce. It’s hard to get cosmetically perfect Red Spruce in this width, but my goal of a balanced voice and a clean tone pretty much dictates this wood over all others. The price can be a bit reduced if a top isn’t perfectly homogenous in terms of color or grain. It really doesn’t seem to effect the tone at all.
My base price for this instrument is $5,200.
| Scale Length | 25 1/2" |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 40 1/2" |
| Depth of body | 4 20/32" |
| Width | 15 25/32" |
Inlay work is another aspect of luthiery that I really enjoy. Working with the player on a design or theme is almost as much fun as making the actual inlay. I also occasionally employ the help of an artist and engraving specialist who has produced presentation pieces for Ducks Unlimited. As elitist as it may seem, I am guided by some aesthetic guidelines and so “anything goes" doesn’t really apply here. Violent themes are right out. Also, I don’t think I could get into doing a pearl rendition of Elvis, King though he might have been (and arguably still might be.) However, original celtic knots, crop circle designs, African tribal textile patterns, Japanese shodou (“calligraphy”), and turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau rug patterns have all found their way onto the fretboards and pegheads of my instruments.
