Featured: Stephen Marchione Custom 15 Archtop Preowned 2016
"By now you know the admiration I have for Stephen Marchione’s instruments. His instruments are incredibly expressive, dynamic, with impeccable artistry and craftsmanship. The arrival of a Marchione in the shop is always cause for excitement, and we pretty much have a guitar on order from him all the time. This particular instrument is back from a collection, and is in near-unplayed condition.
"This Marchione archtop is absolutely stunning, a superlative world class guitar that has everything you could possibly want from an archtop instrument. It is both a museum piece and an eminently playable guitar. Beautiful to look at, with Stephen’s distinctive aesthetic sense, and wonderful to play. In your hands, this guitar feels like an extension of you. Everything feels just right, from the 15 inch body to the characteristically wonderful softV/full C Marchione neck..." - Craig
Featured: Collings 290 Custom
"Like virtually everyone I know, I was first inspired to play guitar by the Beatles. Who wasn't? So it's particularly gratifying to me to be able to present to you this very special Collings custom 290 with a faded crimson '59 finish. I always loved the look of Lennon's guitar with the CC neck pickup and the dogeared P90 bridge pickup - the guitar he performed with on the Mike Douglas Show (!) and at Madison Square Garden to benefit a group dedicated to helping children with learning disabilities - the One to One Organization.
"The Charlie Christian neck pickup provides more clarity and transparency than a P90 neck pickup. It's more balanced with less of a midrange bump. Paired with the dogeared P90 bridge pickup, this electronic package expands the tonal range, making this an extremely versatile guitar. Great for rock, blues, country, or even jazz (thanks to the CC pickup) It's a wonderful pickup combo, something I will do again. I also stayed with the one volume one tone platform that was on Lennon's Jr. To me it's straight forward and balances the tone just right..." - Craig
Featured: Mario Martin T Style CRG Custom
"So here I go again on a quest to bring a realistic representation of one of my favorite guitars. Like I did when I wanted to clone my '56 Strat, I called upon the super talented Mario Martin to build me THAT guitar.
And build he did! This custom CR Guitars '63 T-Style is absolutely terrific in every way. It's is super lightweight - 5.8 lbs! It's perfectly balanced. You could have this guitar hanging from your shoulder all night and not break a sweat. The tones are righteous — love the Arcane pickups — and lay out pretty much every hing you'd expect from a fine Tele. The chunky C neck shape is dead-on-perfect and it plays with an ease that is hard to find in an actual vintage Tele..." - Craig
Featured: 1962 Gibson ES-335 TD with Block Inlays
"No matter how many great guitars I have played in my over 50 years of picking and strumming, my heart always skips a beat when I get to lay my hands on a fine classic vintage guitar. You would think by now, I'd be a little jaded or at least numbed by another hunk of a wood with 6 strings on it but no, that is just not the way it goes. Rather, what happens is this: I approach the guitar case with a bit of trepidation, not sure what I'm going to discover, not sure if my find will meet my expectations, or if I'm lucky, surpass them. It's either right for you or it isn't.
"Let me be blunt. This stellar 1962 Gibson 335 is right for me, and I mean really right! I mean so right that this is going to be a hard one to let go. I have the feeling it will be right for you, too. Here's why: first of all, this beauty is in excellent original condition, untouched other than an excellent fret job done by the great luthier Chris Mirabella. The sunburst finish has that warm glow that you see in well preserved vintage Gibsons; it really puts a smile on my face. The neck is beautifully shaped, wide at the nut but with more girth than the typical '60 or '61 wide flat 335 neck shape. I could play on this neck all day and never tire of it. It's just a really sweet C shape that plays great through its entire range..." - Craig
Featured: Rancourt CR Guitars Signature Acoustic Archtop
"It's always a joy to discover, meet, and get to know exceptional and gifted talents who are devoted to giving inspired meaning to pieces of wood with strings on them. Case in point: I found Guillaume Rancourt through the legendary guitar maker and dear friend Ken Parker. I had asked Ken if he could recommend any young builders for me check out. Ken strongly suggested I contact Guillaume Rancourt, which led me to order one of his superb instruments for the shop. Rancourt was kind enough to hand deliver this Concerto to me and let me say I am not only immensely impressed with the guitar, but I was equally impressed with the man himself. Like I said, it's a part of my job that brings me great joy.
Guillaume's commitment to excellence, his absolute care, his unrelenting search for perfection and his masterful talent just blow me away. So young and so able combined with deep personal and professional integrity. Just like the the builder Issac Jang, he is a welcome addition to the world of lutherie and will be for years to come..." - Craig
Featured: Mirko Borghino Bluesy Walnut Model
"Yes, Italian builder Mirko Borghino was chosen by John McLaughlin to reimagine his Shakti guitar, a guitar built decades ago by the famed builder Abe Wechter. Big shoes to fill I'm sure, but from what I have discovered Borghino is more than able to live up to the task.
"I currently have Mirko's Bluesy Walnut model in the shop and all I can say is that I am totally blown away by this guitar. Not only is the build impeccable, from the choice of woods to the masterful construction, but the tone is absolutely stellar. Though it is a bit smaller than an OM the rich sonorous sound that it produces feels likes it's coming from a larger guitar. The tone is big and bold and clear, never boomy, and in my opinion superbly balanced. This is certainly a guitar that I would use in any playing situation. It's very touch sensitive yet dynamic and handles fingerstyle playing gracefully and yet can certainly can take a good beating if you want to dig in with a pick..." - Craig
News:
Fender Diamond Collection Now Available
An alert from CR Guitars owner Craig Snyder:
"A very special collection of Fender guitars has been just put up for sale at the Music Gallery (musicgalleryinc.com). The Music Gallery is owned by my good friend Frank Glionna. I've known Frank for many years, even before I opened CR Guitars, and he is the guy I've always turned to when I need a guitar with an "F" on the headstock. He is also a Fender Diamond Dealer and gets the very best of the best. I don't usually tout other shops in news entries, but this Diamond Collection is so special that I felt it worthy of a special mention and a heads up for any interested parties..."
CR Guitars Guitar Safari
An update from CR Guitars owner Craig Snyder:
I am absolutely dedicated to offering only the finest hand selected guitars and amps here at CR Guitars. To that end, I have been on my own guitar safari, on the hunt for the great stuff. And when I mean the great stuff I'm talking about the most righteous gear. Everything I bring back has to be the best of the best; great playing, great sounding – the sweetest versions of whatever flavor guitar or amp they happen to be.
Behind The Scenes At CR
At CR Guitars there is quite a lot of activity that happens behind the scenes, activity (guitars) that you, our Internet viewers, never get to see. That's not say that what's on our site isn't our best stuff; it is, but it doesn't represent everything. You see, part of our 'hand selected' ethic means serving many customers directly, and that means many guitars get ordered directly through us and never make it to our website...
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The Yanuziello Milano Series - Interview w/ Joe
Like every artist Joe Yanuziello is always looking for new territory to conquer, the next mountain to climb. Enter the first in a 10 piece Limited Edition Series called the Milano, what Joe considers his next level instrument. It's that great. So great we decided to interview Joe for a feature on his new Milano Series. Joe's insatiable curiosity has taken him off the beaten path to a line of unique guitars that harken back to the European electrics of the early '60s, particularly Italian makers, that over the years have become quite collectible in the vintage market. Read on to find out about the truly remarkable Milano Series...
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Tao Guitars; Engineering Prowess, Cultural Finesse
We have been fortunate to obtain a few Tao Guitars over the last few months and honestly, we're completely blown away. From their automotive-inspired body carving/shaping to their unique finishes to their impeccable build quality these are instruments that truly stand out. When you examine the myriad of small details that make these instruments what they are you get it; these are guitars built by consummate designers with an engineer's edge. Every aspect has been considered and deeply designed. Designed for tone, designed for ergonomics, designed for visual impact. Tao guitars are created by true artisans. You simply HAVE TO check them out.
Friends of CR Guitars: Jostein Gulbrandsen
Jostein Gulbrandsen, who has done many product videos for CR Guitars and is a longtime friend of CR Guitars owner Craig Snyder is originally from Norway. Since 2001 he has been based in New York where he received his master's degree in jazz guitar from the Manhattan School of Music in 2003. Gulbrandsen has played at Kongsberg Jazz Festival, Blue Note, Birdland, BB. Kings, Cornelia Street Cafe, Smalls, Smoke, Blues Alley, The Kennedy Center and many other places. He has toured in Norway and Scotland and also held master classes at Agder College of Music and Hobart and William Smith Colleges...
...Read MoreFeatured Videos:
- CR Guitars Features: Collings I-35 LC Custom Faded Cherry
- CR Guitars Features: PRS Private Stock Archtop II with Piezo
- CR Guitars Features: Johan Gustavsson 59 Bluesmaster Limited
- CR Guitars: Unboxing Stephen Marchione Semi Hollow
- CR Guitars Features: Daniel Slaman Sisterhood #6
- James Tyler Psychedelic Vomit
- CR Guitars Features: Yanuziello “ala Frisell” Spruce Top (4K)
- CR Guitars Features: Raymond Kraut Modified Dreadnought
- CR Guitars Features: Lowden S35 WA/RC 2015
- Fryette Aether Amp Part 2 - In the Shop with David Torn
Recent Arrivals:
Andersen Vanguard 16 Custom 2015 - preowned
Following the success CR Guitars has had with our customized Andersen Electric Archie, I decided to work with Steve on another special model guitar, using basically the same esthetic formula...
Serracini Grand Auditorium Model
What we currently have in the shop is a Serracini Grand Auditorium Fan Fret model. Davide uses a very slight fan fret design, one that is hardly noticeable when you play but really adds to the the sonic quality...
Stephen Marchione OMC Preowned 2017
Marchione's OMC is built in the Spanish tradition, with the sides let into the neck. What that means to the player, is that the string action is flawless for the length of the fret board, rather than having the board sink into the body as it nears the sound hole...
Bourgeois OM Banjo Killer Preowned 2017
Our latest acoustic offering is a highly customized 2017 Dana Bourgeois OM with Dana's "Banjo Killer" bracing. Usually offered on the Slope D model, the BK bracing adds extra cutting power to the overall guitar tone...
Collings CJ35 Vintage Inspired, 2014
This guitar's sound is deeply resonant and highly articulate with a vintage-like clarity. The German spruce top is enhanced with a deep rich sunburst finish of nitrocellulose lacquer. Like all Collings the fit and finish are of the highest level...
Nico Moffa Americana “New Model”
The Americana is a fully hollow guitar that plays as easily as any electric semi or solid body in the shop. The tone is rich and full. It's classic jazz, with a tone that will put a smile on any player's face. The Moffa Americana is truly a complete joy to play in every way...
Collings 290 Custom
The tone just bleeds out of this guitar, with clarity and a voice that is just alive. This is yet another example of Collings taking a beloved historical instrument, capturing the essence of what we love, and making it available to us with incredible playability, stability and a beautiful finish...
Tommy Rodriguez Jr. Esquire
Tommy Rodriguez is one very talented builder. Well known in the classical guitar building world, he has recently upped his visibility as a maker of electric guitars. Tommy has deep skills and it really shows in this current offering, the Jr. Esq...
Triggs Custom New Yorker Preowned, 2013
Jim Triggs is one of the few builders who really carries on the D'Angelico tradition; one look at the headstock and you'll see the continuity. This particular instrument is a 2013 custom 16" D’Angelico-style New Yorker, with a touch of classic Gibson L-5 CES added with its built-in, rather than floating pickup...
Sadowsky LS-15
Based on Sadowsky's well-known and loved SS-15 model, the LS15 offers a longer scale (25 1/2"), two PAF style pickups and 16 frets to the body. Like the SS-15 the 1 3/4" body depth makes this a very comfortable archtop to navigate...
Sadowsky LS-17
Roger has added another dimension to the LS-17. The 17" body, the 25 1/2" scale, and PAF pickup were all designed to satisfy players who are used to a more traditional archtop, but all the particulars were designed in such a way that the player could become one with their instrument.
Sadowsky SS-15
This 2019 Sadowsky SS-15 is brand new and a real winner. The body size is perfect for travel and the sound is sweet, clear and immediate. Its neck shape is a medium C with the right amount of taper...
Lowden Wee Lowden Jazz (WL-35 GR/AS)
New for 2019, the Wee Lowden Jazz is an exciting and inspired addition to George Lowden's very popular WL model guitars. It's remarkably comfortable to play with an alive and warm tone. The neck carve is superb, something that should appeal to any flat top or electric player...
Benedetto Custom 7 String Archtop
This current offering was one of those special Stroudsburg era guitars and was created for a wonderful professional guitarist. What makes this particular 7 string so special is that it is a duplicate of the one that Bob made for none other than the great Bucky Pizzarelli...
Gretsch G6192 ‘53 Electromatic II Relic
This very special guitar is about as good a Gretsch as you could ever play. Built in 2014, this very rare model came into being as a tribute to the great, and severely overlooked jazz guitarist Billy Bean...
Sugita Kenji Carrera 00
At just 3.7 lbs this Carrera is a pure joy to hold. With all of this guitar's stellar attributes, what stands out is the tone. What amazing tone! The sweetness of a vintage 00 Martin but with the focus and clarity of a modern bespoke guitar...
TLL Marvin
The Marvin is an exquisitely made instrument with careful attention paid to all the things important in a well-made bespoke guitar. The fit and finish, the binding and inlay work are all top notch. The fret work is up there with all the fine builders represented at CR Guitars...
Rick Toone Spearfish Prototype
Rick Toone offers instruments that are head turning works of art, yet wonderfully playable. This Spearfish is the very first ever Spearfish and is absolutely unique. It serves as both prototype and as a new (pivotal) evolution of design thinking.
