|
Many folks consider the pre-war
Martin D-28 to be the standard for measuring other guitars used
in Bluegrass. These instruments were made in Martin's "Golden
Era" between 1930 and 1945. One such guitar is the
1935 D-28 owned by Tony Rice which was previously owned by Clarence
White. This guitar has the sound that everyone seems to want.
We are fortunate today to be living
in something of a new "Golden Era" of guitar making. There
has been a renaissance in guitar making in recent years, and
today you can find excellent quality instruments from a variety
of manufacturers and luthiers at a reasonable cost. |
| Allen
Guitars |
Allen Guitars is an fine example of the high-quality
guitars being made today by individual luthiers. His instruments
are individually hand-crafted with painstaking care. |
| Bourgeois
Guitars |
Dana Bourgeois has been making finely crafted flattop
guitars since 1974. While the old Bourgeois Guitars closed down
in 1999, Dana has opened a new business specializing in custom-built
instruments. |
| CA Guitars |
If you're looking for the ultimate road/festival guitar, you might want to look into one from Composite Acoustics. Made of carbon fiber, they are strong, durable and sound great to boot. |
| CB Guitars |
CB Guitars is the lutherie of Chris Bozung of Fairview, TN. His
guitars have become very popular among flatpickers
and are known for fine craftsmanship and value. |
| Collings
Guitars |
Collings
builds instruments based on traditional American designs. Their goal
is to continue this legacy of tradition, quality
and style by building the finest acoustic instruments possible. |
| Dudenbostel Stringed Instruments |
Lynn Dudenbostel is making some of the most sought-after
guitars by flatpickers. Editor's note: Lynn Dudenbostel
is not taking new orders for instruments at this time due to the
backlog of existing orders.. |
| J.W.
Gallagher |
Gallagher is the guitar that Doc Watson plays, having
switched from Martin back in the late 60's. |
| Gibson
Guitars |
Gibson is another traditional maker of fabulous
flattops. This link is to their Gibson Montana web site,
where their acoustic instruments are made today. |
| Henderson Guitars |
Wayne Henderson makes highly sought-after guitars
in his shop is in southwest Virginia. Wayne doesn't have a web
site, but you can reach him by phone at 276.579.4531. The link shown at the left is to the Wayne Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition. |
| Hoffman
Guitars |
Charlie Hoffman has been building quality guitars
since 1971 and has built up a loyal following among his customers.
He also offers instrument repair services. |
| Huss
and Dalton |
Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Huss and
Dalton are makers of fine hand-crafted instruments that capture the
spirit of the time-honored music played there for generations. |
| Larrivee
Guitars |
A fine maker from Canada, Larrivee guitars feature
a modified Martin-style bracing pattern that produces a great sound. |
| Lucas
Custom Instruments |
Randy Lucas is a luthier who makes custom instruments
that blend the best in traditional design with the knowledge gained
from years of repair work. |
| C.F.
Martin |
Martin continues to be the standard by which others
are judged! They recently introduced many new models into their
product line. |
| Merrill
Guitars |
Jim Merrill was the talk of Merlefest 2000 where
he was showing his high-quality, exact replicas of the 1930's era
Martin dreadnoughts. |
| Nashville
Guitar Company |
Marty Lanham is the founder of the Nashville Guitar
Company. He has been building and restoring instruments for over
30 years, including 8 years at Gruhn Guitars. |
| Roy Noble |
Roy Noble began his career as a luthier in 1962 and builds instruments
in the old fashioned way - each guitar built by one craftsman. |
| Proulx
Guitars |
Mario Proulx is a luthier from Ontario, Canada who
is a regular participant on the Flatpick-L list group. His guitars
have received the highest praise for quality and value from list
members. |
| Rockbridge Guitar Company |
Rockbridge guitars are hand-built and have features reminiscent
of Gibson
guitars, including a shorter 25" scale, internal bracing style and
pattern, and the neck size/shape. |
| Santa
Cruz Guitar Co. |
SCGC was founded by luthier Richard Hoover in the
mid-70's. Their Tony Rice model is based in part on Clarence
White's D-28 that Tony now owns. |
| Taylor
Guitars |
Bob Taylor began building guitars in 1972. Today,
Taylor is a major manufacturer, offering a full range of models
with solid wood construction |
