Featured: Collings I30LC Aged Jet Black, 2018

"This very special guitar is making a new round trip through our shop, straight out of a collection, in search of a new home..

"I know from first hand knowledge how much research and care have gone into producing this guitar. From its custom designed trapeze tailpiece tailored to provide just the right amount of string tension, to the perfect blend of lightweight laminate woods for the trestle braced body, everything and I mean everything is right and tight here.

"To me the tone is absolutely addictive. It can travel from jazzy warmth to a Grant Green style soulful funk, take a back road through country chicken pickin’ and cross the ocean into the world of '60s British invasion styles — as if there is some Rick in its DNA..." - Craig

Featured: Stephen Marchione Maple OMC Preowned 2018

"Stephen Marchione is a luthier in the truest sense of the word. What I mean by that is that he makes exceptional stringed instruments across the spectrum - archtops, solid body electrics, semi hollow electrics, flamenco and classical guitars, steel strings, and violins.

"That's why I am really thrilled to have one of his stunning acoustics in the shop, the Marchione OMC. Stephen says that it's the synthesis of more than 25 years of professional guitar making, and it is. But I think there's more to it than that. He both deeply understands the traditions of guitar making, and has the skill and insight from his across-the-spectrum experience to add innovation if the instrument will be better for it..." - Craig

Featured: Duesenberg Dropkick Murphys Alliance

"This Duesenberg is the first I've had in the shop, and I am impressed. The quality is superb, the fit and finish are stellar, and the playability is top-notch. Being a limited edition model, this Alliance has unique features that appeal to me. The custom neck profile has just the right amount of taper and girth. It reminds me of a classic Gibson archtop - it's right on the money. In addition to its obvious visual appeal, Duesenberg dialed in a unique acoustic-inspired tone by using just the right woods and construction. Their choice of pickups provides a broad sonic palette. The cleans are open and resonant. If crunch is what you are after, no problem. Just switch on the bridge pickup, push your amp and slash away. You'll get what you want and still maintain the outstanding character of this guitar...'" - Craig

Featured: Thomas Rodriguez T-Style Abbey

Description, from Thomas Rodriguez: "One of my kid's teachers gave me an 1850s walnut bed that had been in her family since before the civil war. My goal with the bed was to make a Tele like George Harrison's rosewood Tele. I love the look but not the weight or tone of an all rosewood Tele, so I decided to use that walnut and stain it. The result would be a much lighter weight guitar and a more traditional sound. The bed worked out perfectly. Like the George Harrison Tele, it's made with a stack laminated body with a maple center sandwiched between that wonderful centries old tonewood.

"In keeping with the old wood theme, the fingerboard is 100-year-old Brazilian rosewood purchased from an antique dealer in Brazil. The position dots and nut are ancient mastodon ivory. The guitar has Lindy Fralin pickups that are based on a 1950s era design featuring alnico 3 magnets and 43 gauge wire. Other specs on the guitar are more in the style of early Esquires and Broadcasters. It has a slightly thinner body than a regular Tele, 10" fingerboard radius, and Broadcaster routes. The result is a versatile guitar that sounds like a great Tele, either clean or overdriven. At just shy of 7 pounds, it's a pleasure to play...'"

Featured: James Tyler Tylerbaster, 2016

"This stellar preowned Tylerbaster is straight out of a collection and is in like-new condition. The refinement of James Tyler's guitars makes them a pleasure to experience. Whether playing or merely looking at his instruments, you know they've been delivered by a master. Look closely at the details; the perfect fret and finish work, the ultra-clean lines where wood meets wood or metal. You'll feel a deep sense of visual satisfaction. And then there is the tone - balanced, articulate, responsive to your every musical gesture. Holding a Tyler in my hands makes me smile every time!

This 2016 Copper Patina Shmear Tylerbaster was custom ordered with a spectacular birdseye maple neck and a Tyler humbucking pickup; a tweaked classic Tele set up - perfect for anyone from Ed Bickert to Keith Richards. While it may seem the essence of simplicity, it's a quintessential T design ratcheted up in Tyler's hands to something special. The Tylerbaster's rich tonal palette and robust and articulate voice reach beyond its humble roots...'" - Craig

Featured: Thomas Rodriguez Sovereign

"There is nothing like the pleasure of discovering a great builder. Tom Rodriguez's new Sovereign model makes the pleasure even greater. If you read my earlier POV on the Brunswick model, you'll know he is already well respected in the classical guitar world. I'm happy to say his vintage-inspired electrics knock me out.

"Tom's most recent model, the Sovereign, was inspired by the vintage classic, the single pickup Epiphone Coronet. Its cutaway shape and slab body says Leo, while the materials, control layout, and hardware are pure Orville. Tom's rethinking of the original model gives the player unfettered access to the entire fingerboard; it's just a better doublecut guitar. In other words, Tom has taken the design and made it his own...'" - Craig

Featured: Thomas Rodriguez Brunswick

"I am always on the lookout for great luthiers, and I'm embarrassed to admit I did not know about Tom Rodriguez until very recently. How did a builder of such skill fly so far under my radar? Tom is a well-respected classical builder, and I was unaware of his exceptional vintage-inspired electrics. They are not merely exemplary instruments--they are truly superb!

"This beauty is brand new to the shop. To build it, an actual 1958 Epiphone Crestwood owned by a player/collector (thanks, Nicky!) was used as a template. The early Crestwood has become a cult guitar, whose original production lasted about as long as it took me to fall in love with this guitar. Its cutaway shape and slab body are a mighty nod westward to Fullerton, while the materials, control layout, and hardware are pure Kalamazoo. Its innovative design gives the player unfettered access to the entire fingerboard – it's just a better double cut guitar...'" - Craig

Featured: Joe Parker Custom Guitars Double Cut

"Legendary Fender Masterbuilder JW Black first introduced me to Joe Parker. J told me that Parker was a builder to watch, a talent that deserves a broader and more focused representation. When JW Black recommends someone, I listen. And why wouldn't I? J has built guitars for the biggest names in the business - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Bill Frisell, to name a few. So I heeded his call and contacted Joe. And I am very happy I did. This graduate of Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and recent Collings guitar builder certainly knows his craft, and I’m proud to add him to our list of great builders.

"Joe has a masterful eye for detail, which he uses in this S Style guitar build. He took a classic design platform and turned it into something more, by including an artfully crafted German carve on the western maple top and matched it to a one-piece mahogany back. They add another level of sophistication. This guitar is rich with artistic flair, from the pickup covers to the honey burst finish and shape of the headstock. Many small design details all come together for a genuinely stunning look...'" - Craig