The last time I spoke with Dermot McIlroy, he told me his waiting list was up to 4 years. Play this guitar and you’ll know why his guitars are in such high demand. This fine McIlroy A30 has very accurate and precise bass frequencies, and strong clear trebles. The profile of the neck makes it easy to reach for complex fingerings, and I found it quite easy to execute difficult musical passages because of it. This is a great opportunity to get a McIlroy today without the long wait!

Dermot McIlroy builds wonderful instruments in his Ireland workshop. McIlroy guitars are known for offering tremendous tone at a players price. This A35 is a perfect example, solid Rosewood with a gorgeous Red Cedar top, cutaway, custom inlays and gold Gotoh tuners and clear, strong voice that is equally adept at fingerstyle, strumming or flatpicking. In addition this one is as mint as they come.

Tim McKnight builds an instrument that is intended to speak to and move the player, inspiring and encouraging you to be more expressive and write new songs. This 2009 Slope McKnight is made with Reclaimed Brazilian Rosewood and Carpathian Spruce, making it a true top-of-the-line model both in woods and in tone. The McKnight is a body shape and style that is respectful of tradition, but this one has additional features like the carved soundport and modern bracing design that enhance the player’s experience while maintaining outward projection. The bass and trebles balance melodiously over smooth, even mids, making this an ideal instrument for both personal play and group sessions, whether finger picked or strummed.

Here we have a Cuban Mahogany Sunburst OM from Tim McNight guitars. Tim’s philosophy is to blend tradition with innovation and this guitar shows that. Cuban Mahogany is terrific and not well known tonewood. It is the densest Mahogany and therefore has a voice full of the Mahogany power and clarity but with a bit of the focus found more typically in Rosewood guitars. So it’s a unique voice. Paired here with Sitka it gives this guitar a rich tone with great balance and punch. The custom soundport, spalted rosette, Madagascar Rosewood Bridge and deep sunburst add distinctive style.

McPherson’s third ever Camrielle model—and this beauty sings. The slimmer proportions of this 2011 CMG 4.0 makes for added punch and clarity; bundle that into the richness and colorful response of Engelmann Spruce over Madagascar Rosewood—the result is smooth, rich definition from bottom to top. Curly Maple bindings set off the Rosewood-Spruce, and also ring in the offset McPherson soundhole for flair. The Rosewood bridge lines up perfectly with the Rosewood fingerboard and headplate veneer, itself capped with the McPherson logo and gold Waverly tuners. The V neck, with a 25.5” scale and 1 3/4” nut, plays very easily—and we had a blast tuning this one down to DADGAD. It even held up well in C#. Plug in with the L.R. Baggs Element pickup system for all of that in an amplified setting.
Hands down, this 2011 McPherson Camrielle is an exquisite example of McPherson’s contributions to modern lutherie: articulate, responsive, eminently playable.

Other keywords: 1941, fingerstyle, maddie, ameritage, cmg-4.0, cmg4.0

We’ve landed a lovely McPherson MG 4.5XP from 2007 that’s been played in and is singing with a wide awake voice today. And it’s got a lot to sing about! Dramatic, figured Brazilian Rosewood body with Adirondack Spruce on top, Figured Koa bindings throughout; plus McPherson’s XP oversized soundhole and easy playing setup. The L.R. Baggs pickup system, complete with volume control at the soundhole, sounds fantastic, and will carry you faithfully on to the stage. This one holds up very well in a group setting as well—with McPherson’s second biggest body size, this MG 4.5XP has a lot of power under the hood, waiting to be let out.

Other keywords: macpherson, offset soundhole, schaller, m.g. 4.5., 1027, brazilain, adriondack, ameritage