We recently had the great pleasure of chatting with fingerstyle-songwriter virtuoso David Wilcox about his complex (to say the least) journey through the world of guitar amplification. Years of teasing out the proper application of each kind of pickup have resulted in a system that employs over five pickups–for one guitar! You’ll want to listen… Read more »
We’re more than happy to announce our latest partnership with Glenn Nichols, restoration maestro and electric guitar experimenteur. The curves of his Corralitos model are velvet smooth in hand-rubbed varnish and a dark burst, with McNelly Bliss humbuckers and adjustable bridge (more on that later), and it’ll be available on our site soon. In the meantime,… Read more »
With so many great builders to choose from, you’d think it would be hard for Dream Guitars owner Paul Heumiller to pick the proper luthier for his next instrument. However, if you’ve ever played one of Leo Buendia’s masterpieces, you wouldn’t be so surprised to learn that one of Leo’s 12-fret Jumbos was in Paul’s… Read more »
To everyone who’s bid on a charity guitar, everyone who’s gotten the word out to lend a hand, everyone who’s just donated straight to the cause—Dream Guitars thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. We’ve been able to raise thousands of dollars for Puerto Rico hurricane relief, to support hurrican soup kitchens in Houston,… Read more »
We don’t often take on new Classical builders, but we’re more than happy to start a relationship with Mendocino-based luthier Steve Porter! Engineering fiercely resonant and dynamic guitars with a technical nod to Gil Carnal’s own techniques, Porter’s builds with “clarity and maximum string efficiency” at the forefront. Our first guitar from Steve is a… Read more »
Hi gang! The good news keeps pouring in, which in our case means more amazing custom builds with our favorite luthiers. The latest addition to that roster is California-based luthier Isaac Jang. We’ve been telling anyone will listen that both his aesthetics and his acoustics are astounding, and that’s led to one of our clients… Read more »
The Artisan Guitar Show in Pennsylvania was a case of fortuitous timing: Dream Guitars was introduced to a slew of new and talented builders to add to our lineup! Canadian builder Ben Lavoie, Italian luthier extraordinaire Mirko Borghino, and Tyler Robbins, who’s been working alongside Bryan Galloup and Sam Guidry for several years now. Since… Read more »
After the success of our recent Rainsong auction to provide relief for Hurricane Harvey, we wanted to keep the momentum going to help out with Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico. So we then auctioned off two of our own guitars for the cause, a 2012 Grand Auditorium from Leo Posch and a 2009 Tui from… Read more »
We’re not prone to idle hands at Dream Guitars, and neither is Tyler Robbins! In addition to the Cocobolo R.1 he’s building for us, he’s got another one in the works already, this time with Ziricote! Keep checking in as we update this latest build thread with photos and specs. Back and Sides – Ziricote Top… Read more »
Paul recently sat down with Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars for a chat about the boutique guitar market, life, yoga, and more for episode nine of Bashkin’s “Luthier on Luthier” podcast with the Fretboard Journal. “For our ninth episode, I sit down with Dream Guitars founder and owner, Paul Heumiller. If you build or play… Read more »
We met Loïc Bortot of Bouchereau Guitars at the 2016 Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, and a few days later we came home to North Carolina with a sweet little Mistral OM (https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/new-bouchereau-mistral-ziricote-lutz.html) in tow. That Ziricote-and-Lutz beauty wasn’t long for this shop, however, before we sent it on to its new home with one of… Read more »
Paint us pink with excitement: we’ve got another Al Petteway signature model on the way from one of our all-time favorite builders, Bill Tippin! As you know, Al’s left his mark on virtually every steel string demo we’ve ever recorded, but this special Crescendo actually bears his physical mark on its own special label below… Read more »
Paul attended two shows last year, the Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration and the Woodstock Invitational Luthier’s Showcase, and there he met a number of new builders with some truly awe-inspiring builds. Naturally, we took several of them on as new builders for Dream Guitars! The first was Isaac Jang, a Hollywood-based builder who studied… Read more »
Dream Guitars has the ability to reach out and pluck those dream guitars from out of the air, where mere mortals are unable to find recordings of these beasts, let alone actual guitars. Paul’s kept himself at the center of the world of high-end guitars for 17 years now, patiently building his knowledge base and… Read more »
Following are a few highlighted new arrivals here at Dream Guitars. Please click on any of the links or images below for more details on each guitar. Feel free to call the shop as well to further discuss any instrument 828-658-9795. Click here to view all additional new arrivals at Dream Guitars. 2009 McCollum J… Read more »
While it is getting colder and the snow continues to fall, we figured why not warm it up and have a Spring Cleanup Sale!!! All of the following products are offered at a significant discount. To order, please call the shop 828-658-9795. Offers valid while inventory lasts. Currently on Sale: Instruments under $2k: 1895 S.S.… Read more »
Click Here to watch Robert Anderson play Paul’s Five String Nylon Fretless Banjo Years ago when I was spending a lot of time with Martin Simpson, the great guitarist from England, he had a Turkish Cümbüş that he had converted to a five string nylon fretless banjo. I remember that the neck had a super… Read more »
Let’s Make Great Music Together!!! As a result of your requests, we have embarked on the creation of the music CD Dream Guitars Volume Two: Guitars of Distinction – Featuring Grammy winner Al Petteway playing instruments by a select few of Dream Guitars favorite luthiers. Help us make this project a reality by contributing to… Read more »
We are very excited to announce the arrival of this extremely rare Martin Limited Edition D-50 featuring both Brazilian Rosewood and Bearclaw Sitka Spruce. Click Here for the Full Listing, Audio, Video and Specs This 2003 Martin Limited Edition D-50 is number 2 of only 50 made and is as much an art object as… Read more »
Dream Guitars is proud to bring you some exciting news from Tippin Guitars including a brand new model and incoming DG inventory!! Bill Tippin’s New Forte Model First off, Bill Tippin introduced his newest creation, the Tippin Forte, at the recent Healdsburg Guitar Festival in California. This is a new model from him and is… Read more »
This is exciting stuff, folks. We all know that Grit Laskin is one of the finest luthiers around and is widely considered as a master of inlay work. Today, Dream Guitars announces that he is working on a custom guitar that we have made available for reservation with delivery expected in December. Our own Paul… Read more »
A while back, guitar great Al Petteway sat in front of the camera at our showroom in Weaverville, North Carolina, just outside of Asheville, and gave us all a lesson on how to play his own composition, “Tennessee Mountain Rag,” which is included on the “Dream Guitars, Volume 1, The Golden Age of Luthiers” CD… Read more »
The pleasure of owning your very own Dream guitar — Tippin, Traugott, Martin, Laskin, McConnell or any other instrument from our collection or from one of your lucky finds — can only be ensured with proper care and maintenance… and that starts with the right case. Get into one today! Dream Guitars has a solid… Read more »
As you may have noticed, bottleneck slide guitar great Steve James spent quite a bit of time at Dream Guitars in our Weaverville, NC, studios back in May, when he came in for a house concert here. He took time out of his schedule to demo several National Resophonic guitars and perform the classic song,… Read more »
Players Say: "What a staggering collection."
I just witnessed Dream Guitars in Asheville NC. What a staggering collection. Vintage instruments I’d always wanted to try – guitars by contemporary luthiers we read about – exotic masterpieces – they had the lot. I soon realised that manager, Paul Heumiller knew every detail of every guitar right down to the bridge pins, he is an authority on historical instruments and he plays himself. All presented in a friendly atmosphere, and after about 5 cups of tea, I was forced to leave the showroom thanks to Asheville airport. I may have to change my flight details next time!