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We are constantly impressed by the quality of builders that are out on the scene right now, even the builders we are just finding out about. That is the case with Ben Wilborn, this is the first instrument we have had from Ben and it is thoroughly amazing. The build quality on this Orchestra model is outstanding, hold this guitar for only a minute and you can tell it was built by a professional who is passionate about his work. What’s more amazing is the quality of voice Ben achieved on this guitar, it is so full and mature you would think this was a decades old guitar, it truly is astounding!

When David MacCubbin steps up to the plate, you know it’s going to be a home run. No matter that the bat’s made of different woods than you’d expect, the result is the same: thunderous tone, and lightning-crack responsiveness. The 2014 Concert Series we’ve got here stands as proof that not all guitars are created equally, or created from the same material. With Sinker Mahogany back and sides and a gorgeously colorful Tulip Magnolia top, this guitar has a voice rich in overtones and sustain. Tulip Magnolia seems to fall between Spruce’s brightness and Cedar’s warmth, offering a dynamic compromise between the two that allows for expressive fingerstyle passages just as easily as flatpicking crescendos.

David’s obviously onto something here, and when you find a topwood like this on a guitar so cleanly constructed, you’ve got a guitar which commands attention both for its appearance and its voice. The neck profile is particularly comfortable, with a slinky setup for fast and easy fretting, and the Ebony fretboard showcases MacCubbin’s playful sense of style with its wandering Mother-Of-Pearl dots. Trimmed in Flamed Maple with open-back Grover tuners, the words “stunning” and “classic” come to mind. Finally, this guitar comes in a brand new TKL hardshell case, so there’s no worries about any harm coming to this unique combination of Tulip Magnolia, Sinker Mahogany, Ebony, and Maple.

Randy Muth is another new builder to us that we met this year at the Woodstock guitar show. It is immediately apparent when you meet Randy that he is truly passionate about guitar building and eager to help advance the craft while honoring the past. This S16J is built from a jaw dropping set of Tasmanian Blackwood and Lutz Spruce. Randy has voiced this guitar expertly. It is perfectly balanced and the bass is one of the most fulfilling we have heard recently, while the trebles and mids blend and sing together like a choir. A true knockout of a guitar!

Tom Doerr is a luthier who builds a guitar that is equal parts tone maker and eye catcher. So when you see how phenomenal this guitar looks, you know that it has a voice that could bring a tear to your eye. This Trinity model combines the age old pairing of Mahogany and Adirondack (Red) Spruce to make for a voice that is sweet and fat, yet offers a deep and gritty bark when driven hard. It handles drop tunings like a pro, even gaining in richness and fulness when downtuned a bit. Playability is easy and fun, ready for anything you throw its way. Come check it out! This is one you won’t soon forget…

While exploring somewhere deep into the cavernous recesses of the Luthier’s Mercantile lumber supply, Stephen Kinnaird discovered an incredible set of Bubinga that he just had to have. Once he paired it with a delicious Sinker Redwood top, the guitar practically built itself. This 2014 P-1 is brand new, and already the voice is absurd. Use whichever words you prefer–huge, fat, grand, rich, enveloping, sonorous–and they will all come up a bit short to describe the complexity of this instrument. Notes might actually sustain for days. Give it a strum and start counting, and while you wait for those sweet, rich notes to expire, explore the depths of the whorls in the Bubinga back and sides, and the panoply of colors in the Sinker Redwood top. You might find yourself caught between staring and playing. Stephen knows how to build a Parlor guitar, that much is certain.