Featured: Nik Forster Semi Acoustic Archtop Charlie, 2012

"Just out of a collection, a preowned 2012 Nik Forster archtop guitar. "Charlie" (as the model is known) is a uniquely designed, hand-carved hollow body archtop. Nik is a great builder, and this Charlie is beautifully made. Every part of this guitar is imbued with Nik's thinking and execution. I think it's perfect for the archtop player who wants to take a deeper dive into the electric world, as its full-body neck adds electric guitar benefits with classic archtop construction.

"The long flamed maple and ebony neck lays over the carved German spruce top and is seated directly on the Sri Lankan ebony bridge. Nik feels that this design provides the player with the response one would normally find on an electric guitar. The acoustic tone of the smaller body is distinctive yet familiar, and its size and weight provide a really comfortable playing experience. It's a fantastic couch guitar, in addition to its electric capabilities. All the woods are exquisite and the fit and finish is righteous. I really love the neck carve; a perfectly profiled medium C. Like I said, it's a really comfortable playing experience..." - Craig

Featured: Fender Custom Shop Telecaster

"Just arrived! One beautiful preowned "1953" Fender Custom Shop Tele in a lush Closet Classic aged cherry sunburst finish. Built with very light weight ash, this Tele is resonant and very comfortable to play. I particularly like its 7.25" radius U shaped neck. The profile is totally vintage Fender yet it's not as clubby as many early Teles were. Measuring .88" at the first fret and .960" at the 12th, it's a very familiar U shape but without added bulk. The pickups are wired in the original old school '53 style. The neck position is the so-called "dark channel." Middle position is the neck pickup with volume and tone, and bridge position is the bridge pickup with volume and tone. It also has the Fender Greasebucket tone control which is a cool way to roll off the highs and lows in your guitar while preventing your tone from getting muddy. This is especially helpful for creating sparkling clean tones, but it's also useful for overdriven sounds..." - Craig

Featured: Stephen Marchione Premium Semi 2015

"This pre-owned 2015 Semi–Hollow electric from Stephen Marchione was created with professionalism in mind above all else. It is in near mint condition, being straight out of a collection, with some of the most exquisite wood choices I've seen from Stephen - it is truly an outstanding example of this much desired model that looks and plays as impressively now as the day it originally left the shop in 2015.

"Simply put, this guitar is, indeed, astonishing. A masterful creation from the hands of the great luthier Stephen Marchione. It really is an instrument whose sound and playability are far beyond any narrative description. This is a guitar that needs to be experienced in person. And better yet, played. Imagine having one of the world's finest archtop builders distill all his knowledge and finest materials into an amazingly player-friendly platform..." - 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: Daniel Slaman Jazz Pauletta

"Daniel Slaman's new solid body electric model, the Pauletta, is a wonderfully bold statement; no punches pulled here. Slaman set out to create an archtop sounding electric that was feedback resistant, rich and woody sounding, and inspiring to play. Crafted with lightweight resonant tone woods by one of our finest builders, the Pauletta offers the modern jazz player a truly honest alternative to a hollow body guitar.

"It is one of the finest jazz solid bodies I have ever played. The custom Charlie Christian design pickup along with the handmade 250 style tailpiece add a sonic quality that I haven't experienced in other solid body electrics. The sound is immediate and present with a warmth and brilliance that is addictive. I'm sure Les Paul himself would have loved this guitar. Make no mistake, the Pauletta is breath of fresh air for the contemporary guitarist..." - Craig

Featured: PRS Private Stock McCarty 594 Preowned 2017

"Straight out of a collection this stellar PRS, originally sold here at CR Guitars is taking a new turn through our shop in search of a new owner - near mint with virtually no sign of playing wear. My original write up follows...

This exceptional guitar is not ostentatious in any way, but rather has a refined aesthetic, and also succeeds in being visually exciting, the kind of guitar that gets your heart racing just looking at it. The now classic bird inlays are sophisticated yet simple, and I love the curly maple binding. Not to mention the vintage pattern carved figured mahogany neck, which looks and feels just wonderful.

Tonally the guitar is a chameleon, with the extended dynamic range of the PRS 58/15 LT pickups and fantastic clarity when coil tapped, it can cover any kind of music with ease. The 58/15s are pretty special pickups in that they have more clarity in the high mids, are a little rolled off in the low mids and have a strong and rooted bass response..." - Craig

Featured: Stephen Marchione Vintage Tremelo

"In my mind, there is a spectrum of guitar builders. It ranges from assemblers to builders to craftsmen, to artisans, to artists. An artist imbues every one of his (or her) creations with a part of his or her soul. It's something that's hard to characterize in words, but it's something you can feel the moment you touch the instruments. There's no question that Stephen is a true artist.

"Always searching, Marchione has upped his game by gently refining his VT for 2019. His use of torrefied woods, refined shapes and contours and tweaked pickups has added next level sensibilities to an already superb design. As always, Stephen chose only the finest mastergrade woods for this build. And to top it off, he dressed this VT in a sublime transparent limed butterscotch nitro finish..." - Craig