Bothell, WA U.S.A.
Standard Features
Sitka Spruce top (all models)
​Indian rosewood or mahogany back and sides.
Khaya or Sapele neck
Wood binding (selected to fit the overall appearance of the guitar)
Simple purfling scheme including side purfling
Ebony or rosewood bridge with wood bridge pins
Bound ebony or rosewood fretboard
Bone nut and saddle
Mother of pearl or abalone dot or diamond fret marker inlays
Mother of pearl headstock logo inlay
Solid wood, herringbone, or abalone ring rosette
Bound soundhole
Medium nickel/silver frets
Two way adjustable truss rod
Gotoh tuners
Hard shell case
Options
Alternative top woods I have available include:
Engelmann or Carpathian Spruce and Red Cedar at no extra cost
Adirondack Spruce, Bearclaw Sitka Spruce, Lutz Spruce, and Redwood at extra cost.
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I have a good selection of alternative hardwoods I would love to use for back and sides:
Ambrosia Maple, Birdseye maple, Black Limba, Bocote, Bubinga, Ebiara (Red Zebrawood), Lacewood, Leopardwood, Ovangkol, Sapele, Sipo Mahogany, Black Walnut, and Zebrawood at no extra cost.
Cocobolo, Koa, Curly Claro Walnut, Bastogne Walnut, and Ziricote at extra cost based on the specific set selected
Of course, I'm open to building with a number of other hardwoods as desired.
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Other options (extra cost)
Venetian cutaway (Kingfisher)
Maple or Mahogany neck
Gold Gotoh tuners or alternative tuners
Custom rosette design
Fancier purfling schemes including marquetry purfling such as herringbone or diagonal block purfling or back strips
Pickup (I favor K&K pickups based on their performance, simplicity, and user feedback)
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Pricing and Ordering
Prices including the standard features listed above start at:
Meadowlark parlor guitar $3000
Kingfisher OM-size guitar $3500
Osprey dreadnought guitar $4000
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Hummingbird octave mandolin $2500
Towhee octave mandolin $3500
Blackbird mandocello $4000
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​​​To get the ball rolling on a custom build, I would discuss with you in person, by telephone, or by e-mail what you are looking for in a guitar, what sort of tonal characteristics float your boat, what musical styles you play, what playing techniques you use, what your likes and dislikes have been with previous guitars you've played, and so on so we can work out what would be a good overall guitar configuration for you as a starting point.
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At that point, if you choose to go forward, I would need a deposit of $750 that would apply to the final cost to go ahead and put together a detailed proposal for the guitar to be built. This would specify all the materials and components and the dimensional specs. You can have a little or a lot of interaction in that process as suits your tastes. Some would be happy to choose a model and the overall materials and then let me work out the aesthetic details and others would enjoy being involved in details like choosing the type of binding, purfling schemes, fret marker layout, rosette design, and so on. Other players may fall somewhere in between. Any of those are fine with me. Some players don't have really strong preferences for neck width, string spacing, or neck thickness and my standard specs will work just fine, others may have strong preferences that may differ from the standard specs and I can accommodate those.
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Once a proposal is finalized and agreed upon, I will provide an estimated completion date. During the build, I will give you regular updates on the progress with photos.
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Upon completion, the balance of the total cost plus shipping and insurance is due. I will then carefully pack the guitar and ship it to you and you will have 7 days to evaluate the guitar. If for some reason the guitar does not meet your expectations, contact me so we can discuss returning the guitar. I will refund the total cost of the guitar minus the return shipping cost.
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Please feel free to contact me to talk about the possibilities.
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Warranty:
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My guitars are warrantied to the original owner for defects in materials or workmanship for as long as I am a working luthier. They are not warrantied against normal wear and tear or against damage caused by abuse, careless handling, neglect, exposure to extremes of temperature or humidity, leaving your guitar in the trunk of a car on a hot or subzero day, leaving it where your roughhousing dogs knock it over, lending it to your friend for a drunken weekend of car camping, or fending off disgruntled audience members.
From starting materials...
to finished guitar.
