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2010 Olson Collector Series #1300, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar
To celebrate #1300, Jim Olson pulled off a beautiful feat of lutherie that’s adorned with the inimitable Larry Robinson’s inlay work along the fretboard. “1300” is inlaid at the ninth fret in Black MOP and silver dust, with fine silver vines entwining around it among Paua Abalone leaves and Black Abalone flowers. The body boasts a fabulously figured Brazilian Rosewood back from Jim’s private reserve stash, and a Master Grade Cedar top for the classic Olson sound. BRW bindings, rosette, and heelcap; gold Gotoh 510 tuners; classic Calton flight case in burgundy.
It’s a feat just to have reached 1300 guitars in a lifetime, and this work of art is a proud testament to Jim’s career and passion.Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, james olson, james taylor, red cedar, 5-ply, fingerpicking
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2017 Olson Series 1 James Taylor Clone, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
James Taylor and James Olson are two names which need no introduction. Here we find ourselves with a recent 2017 Clone of the original Series 1 James Taylor signature Olsons which can more than make that introduction. Indian Rosewood back and sides with Cedar on top, of course, with dark blue and green Abalone appointments and MOP dove inlays. No cutaway, weighs just over four pounds, and plays like grass-fed butter. The original Series 1 JT Olsons are obsessively desirable and hard to find, and this Clone gives you all the look, feel, and tone of the originals with the advantage of being right here, right now.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilidng, james olson, james taylor, red cedar, 5-ply, fingerstyle, bespoke guitar, fingerpicking, paua abalone, calton
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
1999 Olson Parlor, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
This sweet little package was in our hands then out the door in a matter of hours! One of James Olson’s gorgeous Parlor guitars from the 1990s, it’s no surprise that someone snatched it up so quickly. The voice is strong and clear, with great separation of notes and a bell-like cadence. Considering that Olson’s SJs have such a vigorous and powerful voice, it’s not surprising that this 1999 Parlor should also have that kind of strength. The Western Red Cedar provides a rich, warm timbre to the instrument, and Olson picked a tight-grained Indian Rosewood set to complement and round out the sound. This little cannon, as a result, is a powerful and dynamic guitar, with sublime playability and tone. This guitar comes with the original Calton Flight Case.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.3100 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
2010 Olson SJ Cutaway, Ziricote/Sinker Redwood
One of the more unique Olson guitars we’ve seen! This beautiful SJ from 2010 has striking Ziricote back and sides with a Sinker Redwood top, Rosewood bindings, and Rosewood dove inlays across the fingerboard. An L.R. Baggs LB6 pickup brings you faithfully onto the stage, and the fingerstyle response both amplified and acoustically is superb.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Redwood, Ziricote 
2015 Olson James Taylor Clone, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar
James Taylor + James Olson = pure bliss. Check out our latest James Taylor SJ Clone, this time from 2015 with gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar on top (of course!). Abalone dove inlays along thee fretboard, Abalone trim and appointments, and the glassy, smooth-sailing tone that’s made both Jim and James famous. This beauty is a single owner in exquisite condition, hardly more than a fingerprint to be found! And to keep it just as safe n sound, a custom Hoffee flight case.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilidng, james olson, james taylor, quilted mahogany, figured mahogany, red cedar, 5-ply, fingerstyle, bespoke guitar
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2015 Olson James Taylor Top Tier Clone SJ, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar
James Taylor does it right, and so does James Olson. This JT Copy is an absolute powerhouse, orchestra-in-a-box, a room filler. Built in 2015 as a clone of the ultra primo top tier James Taylor Signature Olson with a set of BRW that Jim was planning to keep for himself for a retirement guitar, this Olson plays like organic, grass-fed butter, and soaks up fingerstyle arrangements like a sonic sponge. Abalone appointments (right down to the dove inlays along the fretboard), Florentine cutaway, and of course the L.R. Baggs LB6 undersaddle pickup for the classic James Taylor/James Olson amplified tone. The Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, and Cedar top, were handpicked by Jim for the original owner of this guitar, a personal friend of both ours and Jim’s! And to round it all out, this beauty has been Plek’d to perfection! An easier-playing Olson we challenge you to find.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilidng, james olson, james taylor, red cedar, 5-ply, fingerstyle, bespoke guitar
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2018 Olson SJ, The Tree Mahogany/Cedar
Jim Olson is at the top of his game, and playing this Tree Olson is like standing on top of a mountain—but much, much warmer. We love just how warm, responsive, and enveloping this 2018 Olson SJ plays. And why be surprised? Highly figured The Tree Mahogany back and sides with a pale Cedar top—of course it’s going to sing like a blazing fire. Individual note definition comes with a whole host of rich, velvety overtones. Built only yesterday in 2018, this Olson is basically new, plays like a dream, and boasts intricate floral and thorn inlays along the fretboard from the inimitable Larry Robinson. An honest-to-god collector’s passion.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilidng, james olson, james taylor, quilted mahogany, figured mahogany, red cedar, 5-ply, fingerstyle, bespoke guitar
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Mahogany - The Tree 
2019 Olson Collector Series, The Tree Mahogany/Italian Spruce
To celebrate his 1600th guitar, James Olson pulled out all the stops. This SJ comes bedecked with shockingly beautiful Blue Paua Abalone, The Tree Mahogany back and sides, and an Italian Spruce top from the Fiemme Valley. Larry Robinson executed an impressive inlay scheme along the fretboard to celebrate this milestone guitar. Honestly, one builder reaching 1600 guitars? Simply incredible. This one came in, and went right back out the door before we could even list it.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Spruce - Italian, Mahogany - The Tree 
2018 Olson SJ Cutaway, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar
As new as it gets, without standing at the front of the line! We’ve landed a like new 2018 Olson SJ Cutaway in Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar that’s simply incredible. Abalone appointments, Abalone dove inlays, and an exquisitely effortless playability all combine for maximum resonance. Jim’s guitars speak completely for themselves, and this 2018 SJ is no exception: clarity, dynamism, and playability are the name of the game.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2011 Olson SJ Cutaway, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar, Brazilian Rosewood Neck
A piece quite unlike anything we’ve seen from Jim Olson: a Brazilian Rosewood neck SJ Cutaway with extensive and exquisite Abalone inlays from tuners to tail. Brazilian Rosewood back and sides paired with Cedar make for Jim and James Taylor’s hallmark sound, and we have an L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup installed to carry that tone straight from the studio to the stage.
This 2011 Olson is one of the most impressive guitars we’ve ever seen come out of Jim’s shop, and it’s not just the woods (although woah, these woods are absurdly beautiful, and we’ve only ever seen a Brazilian Rosewood neck once before, on the McConnell Jordan built for Paul)—the voice is crisp to a “C,” with flawless intonation along the fretboard and balanced from bass to treble. A perfect fingerstyle guitar with family heirloom appointments.Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, james olson, BRW, brazilian neck, calton, bespoke, one of a kind
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
1984 Olson Dreadnought, Indian Rosewood/Spruce
Here’s an Olson that stands apart from the crowd: an Olson Dreadnought from all the way back in 1984. Indian Rosewood and Spruce, Jim’s hallmark 5-ply neck, and the same easy playability you’ll find on his more common SJs. The voice is very even and balanced across the registers, and loved it when we dug in for a more aggressive response. Being nearly four decades old, this Olson has its fair share of play wear and finish checks, but we’ve gone over it toe to tip to make sure everything is ready to roll—this one’s got a clean bill of health. Additionally, there’s a Fishman Matrix Infinity pickup installed that’s killer; ready for the stage today, the recording studio tomorrow.
Other keywords: james olson, olson guitars, james taylor, allen Shadd, flatpicking, bluegrass, flatpick, herringbone, 28-style, schaller
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.3125 in Woods Spruce, Rosewood - Indian 
1995 Olson SJ, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
This 1995 Olson SJ continues in the tradition of all of Jim Olson’s guitars, which is to say that this Olson is a fingerstyle fanatics favorite (or soon to be) weapon of choice. The string-to-string balance is superb, and the play feel is gossamer. Dropped into lowered tunings, the strings remain crisp and responsive; let those bass strings rumble when you can, because the lower depths have an awesome dark growl to fill out your arrangements. Freshly brought back to peak playing condition by our very own repair team, this Olson has spot-on intonation and is ready to roll for many more years to come!
The clarity and easy projection typical to Olson guitars is represented in full force here: it doesn’t take much for this SJ to sing. The Indian Rosewood back and sides, paired with a Cedar top, impart a bright and articulate voice that really comes out in the trebles with bell-like overtones. Completed by an Olson-labelled Calton case, this guitar is ready for any and all hijinks your fingerstyling can come up with.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, jim olson, james olson, james taylor, small jumbo, fingerpicking
Here’s an additional demo with our own Al Petteway: https://youtu.be/7OT7LIQq1aQ
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
1999 Olson SJ, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
A powerhouse Olson SJ! This gorgeous 1999 classic in Indian Rosewood & Cedar plays like butter, and likes to be played. We see a lot of Olsons come through our shop that maybe haven’t seen a lot of play time, so it’s a special treat when one comes in that’s obviously not rested on its laurels. This Olson has been extensively played in in the past 20 years, and it sounds oh so alive.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, jim olson, james olson, james taylor, fingerstyle, fingerpicking
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
1993 Olson SJ, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
The Olson party continues to grow! We’ve now taken on a 1993 SJ non-cutaway with additional MOP and Abalone appointments. Indian Rosewood back and sides with the classic Cedar top, this Olson SJ is 100% James Olson–James Taylor tone. This is a particularly well preserved example of Jim’s work from the early 90s, one of our favorite Olson periods, and comes wrapped up in the tweed hardshell case to seal the deal.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, jim olson, fingerstyle, sj, fingerpicking, mother of pearl, mother-of-pearl, 405SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian
James A. Olson (“Jim”) has been handcrafting acoustic flattop guitars since 1977. His instruments began getting national attention in the mid 1980s, after Phil Keaggy commissioned the first cedar-topped Olson SJ guitar and began playing Olson guitars almost exclusively on his acoustic albums and in concert. In 1989, James Taylor purchased three of Jim’s guitars; through Taylor’s visibility, Olson guitars became known and prized by a wide variety of players around the world. Today an impressive number of well-known players in styles spanning fingerstyle to bluegrass to country to pop are proud Olson owners, including Leo Kottke, David Wilcox, James Taylor, Graham Nash, Sting, and many others. But most of the 40+ or so guitars Jim is able to build each year go to players of less renown (like those of us who contributed to this site, and perhaps like you), although of perhaps equally discriminating taste!