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 has been making some of the most sought-after guitars by flatpickers since 1989. He is known for the care and attention he gives to each instrument he builds. |
| 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. |
| LoPrinzi Guitars | Augustino LoPrinzi has been building fine instruments for over 50 years. His daughter Donna apprenticed with him and now they work together in the company Augustino founded in 1972. |
| 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. |
| Ken Miller Guitars | Ken Miller specializes in hand made fretted instruments that are designed and built individually for each customer. Ken strives to build the very best guitar possible and incorporate his love of the work into the essence of the instrument. |
| 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. |
| Seagull Guitars | Seagull was started in 1982 by Robert Godin in Quebec, Canada. Their guitars offer the essential features of the best hand-crafted guitars priced within the reach of working musicians. |
| 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 |