Exquisite. One look at this Nightingale 12-string from Kevin Ryan, and you understand what all the fuss is about. We love Kevin’s guitars for their flawless fit and finish, modern aesthetics, and surgically precise tone, and this 12-string brings all of that to the table with the added presence and dynamism of doubled strings. You can bang out cowboy chords, sure, but any regular 12-string can handle that. Where this Ryan 12-string excels is in the definition of each individual note, from string to string and across the registers. This is an incredible fingerstyle guitar, and Kevin’s patent effortless playability really makes this one shine. This beauty was built in 2008 with Kevin’s finest woods (the Brazilian Rosewood is primo grade, and would today only be used on Kevin’s Signature models). Brazilian and Moonspruce, a perfect combination. Additionally, this Nightingale features Kevin’s namesake arm bevel and acoustic flutes, plus a custom fit Calton flight case for travel.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, 12 string, leo kottke, fingerpicking, brazilian, kevin ryan guitars, paua, abalone, gotoh

Sweet, sweet, and sweeter. Our 2002 Abbey Grand Parlor from Kevin Ryan is a delightful small-bodied guitar with an easy balance between warmth and precision that you’ll not want to put down. Indian Rosewood back and sides with a Sitka Spruce top and Kevin’s stepped bridge & slotted headstock, this Ryan has opened up handsomely in the intervening years, and is in great playing shape for many more years to come. We love the bass response this Grand Parlor offers, which sets it apart from its fellow small-bodied guitars. Combined with a glassy setup and slim weight, this Ryan Abbey is a guitar that’s easy to play, hard to put down.

Other keywords: lutherie, ryan guitars, abby, fingerstyle, parlor, small guitar, 0, 00, abalone, waverly

It’s no secret that we love Cocobolo here at Dream Guitars, and man, oh man, what an excellent example of that wood here in this 2015 Santa Cruz 000-12. Cocobolo back and sides, with Italian Spruce on top, short scale, and twelve frets to the body make it a perfect little fingerstyle guitar. With its hard V neck profile, there really isn’t much more a traditional guitar enthusiast could ask for. Whether you’re looking to expand your collection with some seriously amazing quality Cocobolo or you need a couch guitar, you may have stumbled upon what you’re looking for.

Other keywords/mispellings: Luthier, lutherie, richard hoover, ameritage, trad, triple aught, team built.

Eric Skye and Santa Cruz—would could be finer than such a collaboration? Portland’s Jazz phenom worked together with Richard Hoover to bring the world their signature 00~Skye model, a powerhouse 00 built with Cocobolo and Adirondack Spruce, 12-fret neck for added warmth, and 24.9” scale for fat, juicy trebles. The body on this 2012 number is subtly deeper to enhance the bass pop (which it has in spades); we love playing this little gem in a wide range of fingerstyle settings. Soft V neck plus a silky smooth setup make for an effortless playing experience, and the petite dimensions kept this guitar in our arms for long periods of time. It definitely had an impact on our productivity, but we consider it a worthwhile price to pay, in order to play such a sweet Santa Cruz.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, acoustic jazz, ameritage, adriondack, scgc, 00 Skye, cocabolo

Richard Hoover and his team of time-tested luthiers offer a stable of incredible instruments for every walk of an acoustic guitarist’s life. We’ve recently taken in a 2014 Style 1 with Brazilian Rosewood and Adirondack Spruce that is a killer example of the Santa Cruz team at the top of their game. The Style 1 is based off Martin’s Size 1 guitar, which around the turn of the century (well, last century) was one of their largest guitar models. How times change! Today, the SCGC Style 1 is a compact, easy-playing, and rich-singing guitar that’s a great choice for fingerpicking blues, sweet old time accompaniment, or really whatever the musician’s heart desires. This beauty has Herringbone trim, 12 frets to the neck, and a slotted headstock with Gotoh tuners, and the whole package comes wrapped up in a snug Ameritage case.

Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, parlor guitar, parlour guitar, fingerpicking

The Slope Shoulder Dreadnought from Santa Cruz is not just for flatpicking. This well-oiled machine is sweetly balanced for a dynamic response and wide range of tones. Built in 2009, our D12 is in excellent condition and boasts impressive Brazilian Rosewood back and sides and a European Spruce top. We love playing this one with fingers in open tunings, and the setup is easy on the hands for a multitude of styles. 12 frets to the neck helps warm up the bass response, and the folks at Santa Cruz tuned the top for sweet trebles to balance everything out. Really, a lovely guitar that straddles so many genres—and excels at each, every time.

Other keywords: richard hoover, lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, bluegrass, slope d, fingerstyle, herringbone, dreadnaught