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Add to CompareBrand New Simon Fay Model One, Cuban Mahogany/Engelmann
It’s been several years since we’ve seen a Simon Fay guitar in the shop—and we’re tickled pink by this brand new Model One from Simon himself. This guitar exudes professionalism: the fit and finish are flawless, the aesthetic streamlined and quietly modern, and the voice is engineered with excellent note separation and sustain. With a short multiscale spread of half an inch (25.5” bass to 25” treble) and EVO frets, this Fay plays easily, and remains crisp and responsive when taken into altered and open tuning territory. We found DADF#AD to be a particular favorite.
Cuban Mahogany back and sides, Engelmann Spruce top, and a Redwood rosette to tie it together. Bois de Rose bridge, fossilized nut and saddle, Alessi tuners—Simon’s Model One is the complete package, and one we recommend heartily if you’re looking for a gorgeous instrument with clarity at the heart of its sound, and a trim punching weight of 4lbs 3oz to keep you playing more easily and for longer.
Our Fay Model One is a prize worth keeping.
Other keywords: engleman, mahagony, multi scale, ameritage case
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 25.5 in Nut Width 1.78 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann, Mahogany - Cuban 
Add to Compare2017 Kostal OM, Figured Mahogany/German Spruce
This is as close to a new Kostal you’re likely to get without shaking hands with Jason himself when he finishes a build. OM #131 was built only a few months ago in 2017 with eye-catching Flamed Mahogany back and sides and a German Spruce top. Jason’s hallmark Stained Glass Rosette sets off the creamy palette of the German top, and the extra thin finish which protects it from the elements (ditto for the Hoffee flight case) keeps that Spruce as lively and responsive as possible. The C profile neck has well-rounded cheeks, and the crest flattens just a smidgen.
The voice is a bit of a firecracker: the bass response has a distinct pop that projects out from the guitar, rather than enveloping the player. Similarly, the upper mids have lots of punch, and you’ll be surprised how well this Kostal OM responds to a medium to aggressive attack. Digging in, you really have to try hard to make it top out. All this crispness, and in a 14-fret, short scale 25 inch package, is further proof of Jason’s formidable lutherie chops. Top of the line fingerstyle guitar that’ll cut right through the mix? Look no further, your finely-honed axe has arrived.
Other keywords: somogyi, somogyi apprentice, luthier, figured mahogany, jason kostal
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce - German, Mahogany - Figured 
Add to Compare2000 Martin D-21JCB Jim Croce, Brazilian/Sitka
This Martin would have made Jim proud. We’ve seen heaps of Martin signature models over the years, but this 2001 D-21JCB seems to have stolen our hearts in a different way. Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Sitka Spruce on top, and a 1973-minted dime inlaid into the third fret to memorialize Jim’s passing.
It’s a natural choice for picks, but we were surprised by just how much volume and tone we could coax out of the D-21JCB by fingerpicking. It’s not often we see a Dreadnought lend itself so well to both sides of the aisle. There’s extra juice in the trebles, and it’s a breeze to play. It’s in really stupendous condition, especially considering it’s from 2000.
#52 is waiting for the right person to come along to keep the music going. And it comes, appropriately, in a denim-covered TKL case in a final tip of the hat to Jim.
Other keywords: singer songwriter, bad bad leroy brown, time in a bottle
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.68 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2007 Schwartz Oracle Brazilian/Bearclaw Sitka
We don’t know what dark rites Sheldon must perform to make such magical, resonant, and enveloping tone machines like this Oracle, but we’re glad he’s willing to go to such lengths for his craft. This 2007 Oracle has the kind of huge, enveloping bass that shoots out of the soundhole and wraps you up in a trice. Notes have palpable weight, and these trebles! Clear fundamental, and heady sustain. We apologize if the language is a bit extravagant, but it’s hard to describe this guitar as anything less than incredible.
Gorgeous dark Brazilian Rosewood back and sides and a Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top are just the tip of the iceberg. For the Schwartz Oracle, Sheldon creates three offset soundholes, adds a Venetian Cutaway with an extended bevel, a bent-style arm bevel, 5-piece neck, and a 25.5” scale that accommodates everything from Standard to esoteric C tunings. There’s a K&K pickup installed via the rear access panel, and if you peek inside you’ll find the top has been lattice braced for excellent resonance, and we found it responded equally well to picks as well as fingertips, in spite of the fact that Sheldon designed this guitar with primarily fingerstyle in mind. A pinless bridge and Calton case round out the package.
The Schwartz Oracle stands in a category all its own.
Other keywords: brazilain, bear claw, elliptical soundholes, lutherie, luthier
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2004 Manzer “The Bear,” Koa/German Bearclaw
To celebrate 25 years in the business, Linda Manzer built “The Bear” archtop, a stunning feat of Bearclaw Spruce and Maple with Kermode bears inlaid into the headstock. However, this wasn’t the only Bear she built! Linda also built a flattop version of “The Bear” for a client—making this the steel string twin to the original archtop Bear. Naturally, the top is a powerful set of Bearclaw German Spruce, and Manzer paired that with tightly flamed Koa for the back and sides, Her Manzer Wedge body, matching inlays of Kermode bears on the headstock, and the claws of a bear inlaid into the fretboard, reaching out for some berries. The fanciest gold etched “gold bug” Schaller tuners we’ve ever seen, fossilized ivory bridge pins, and a colorful Abalone, Purpleheart, and Boxwood rosette round out the beatific package.
The voice of this Manzer is very balanced, with a midrange that errs on the side of dry, and a well-defined bass to keep the bottom end crisp and responsive. Thanks to Linda’s wedge-shaped body, there’s quite a lot of space in the air chamber, which makes for great projection and sheer volume, which is sustained even with a light attack. In excellent shape, this one-of-a-kind Manzer Bear flattop comes to you with nary a scratch, except the raking claws of the bear inlaid into the fretboard, of course.
Other keywords: larivee, larrivee, lutherie, pat methany, fingerstyle, anniversary guitar
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.625 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - German, Koa 
Add to Compare2012 Bourgeois DBJC Cocobolo/European Spruce
Here we have a gorgeous 2012 Bourgeois DBJC Custom in Cocobolo Rosewood and European Spruce. This Bourgeois is exquisite in every way–the tonewoods, the build quality, and fit-n-finish are all perfect. This guitar has the power and headroom to really dig in, but it also has a sweeter more delicate side, thanks in part to the large soundboard area. It’s worth stressing the wow factor of the Cocobolo. Rich brick-red hues with sapwood in the center! It’s some of the finest-quartered and best-looking we’ve encountered in some time. That fact, combined with tasteful Flamed Koa bindings, a cutaway for enhanced access to the upper register, and a K&K Pure Mini installed by yours truly make this one a winning pick every day of the year. Fossilized Mastadon Ivory bridge pins, bone nut and saddle, hide glue construction, and a varnish finish don’t hurt either!
Other keywords: dana bourgeois, fingerstyle, bourgeous, sj, small jumbo
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce - European, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to CompareBrand New Bouchereau Mistral OM-C, Cocobolo/Engelmann Spruce
Our latest OM from Loïc Bortot of Bouchereau Guitars feels cozy and intimate in your arms while boasting a rich tone and string-to-string balance. Beautiful Cocobolo Rosewood for the back and sides is paired with an Engelmann Spruce top and black Ebony bindings and a satin Mahogany neck. Loïc’s “interlace” rosette continues the Cocobolo-and-Ebony motif around the soundhole, which also ties together with the headstock and magnetic truss rod cover.
Lightweight and agile in your hands, this Mistral OM-C is an obvious choice for the fingerstylist who spends equal time in standard and altered tunings. The balanced voice keeps arrangements clear and defined, while the overall energy keeps your music projecting far and away. This Bouchereau is brand new and eager to be played. We recommend starting right away.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, cocabolo, englemann, engelman, 14-fret, orchestra model, cutaway
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.6875 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Engelmann, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to Compare2017 Buendia OMC, Brazilian Rosewood/German Spruce
This 2017 Buendia OMC is practically new, and practically heaven. Leo’s supply of Brazilian Rosewood must have some pretty dramatic players, see exhibit A: #026 with brick-red hues and wild figure toward the edges of the lower bout. Tight-grained German Spruce on top with an Ebony-and-Burl rosette. Trimmed out in Ebony with Maple purflings, Florentine Cutaway, and Gotoh 510 cosmo black tuners—this guitar wins the beauty pageant every time. Take it across the hall to the music contest, and it’ll take first place there too.
Leo’s bass response has a smooth, rolling flavor, and pairs well with the other registers. This is a fingerstyle guitar through and through. The setup lets you dig in as needed, but even a delicate attack renders great projection and sustain. There are enough overtones in the treble strings alone to fill the sonic space, but there’s enough body in the guitar’s fundamental response that the overtones decorate, rather than dominate, the voice. It’s like even flubbed notes sound good.
Our Buendias are selling faster than Leo can make them; snag this one now while you still can.
Other keywords: leonardo buendia, somogyi, ervin somogyi, lutherie, luthier, brazilain, dadgad
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.125 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2004 Hill Fleta Brazilian Rosewood/European Spruce
Ignacio Fleta’s design features sturdier bracing of the top and back, and results in a powerful concert guitar. His guitars have been played by Andres Segovia, Alexandre Lagoya, Eduardo Falu, Alberto Ponce, and John Williams. This example from Kenny Hill’s shop is Brazilian Rosewood and European Spruce for added warmth and clarity. In addition it is French Polished and upgraded with Gotoh Rodgers-style tuning machines.
Kenny Hill’s take on the Fleta design scores a 10/10 for fit-n-finish, responsiveness, clarity, and easy playability. This 2004 Hill Fleta Signature comes with a mosaic-and-birds-foot rosette that contrasts greens and reds to the rich amber of the European Spruce top. We found that Kenny Hill’s Signature Fleta loves an aggressive attack; digging in, it just got louder and louder without topping out! We’re happy to report that this beauty has opened up handsomely since 2004, and it plays almost without effort.
Other keywords: classical guitar, nylon string, nylon-string, classical, fingerstyle
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.625 in Nut Width 2 in String Spacing 2.188 in Woods Spruce - European, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2016 Traugott BK Multiscale, Brazilian Rosewood/German Spruce
A 2016 model BK from tonewood virtuoso Jeff Traugott with Brazilian Rosewood, German Spruce, and a multiscale fretboard? The options are limitless. We’ll try to keep it professional, but it’s hard to talk about this guitar without using hyperbole to articulate its inspirational qualities. This is the sort of guitar that will do just about everything you want it to, and do it effortlessly with a shocking clarity. Note to note and string to string, this Traugott BK has pristine separation and sustain, making fingerstyle arrangements incredibly detailed, and flatpicked passages crisp and defined. The sustain is unwavering. Let’s call it haunting. In your gut you can feel the heft of every note as it careens out of the pearl-bound soundhole. The top is also bound in pearl, while the 27 to 25.4 inch multiscale fretboard remains inky black with only position markers on the side. This Brazilian Rosewood is from Jeff’s secret stash of “Kentucky” Brazilian, the stock of which was originally used in veneer mills outside of Knoxville, Tennessee around 1900 to 1920. This is the real deal: the same kind of Brazilian Rosewood found on the best pre-war Martins. It’s particularly special to Jeff, since he was able to repurpose such beautiful, old growth wood.
With a Traugott like this in your hands, bad dreams are a lifetime away. Don’t blame us if your personal and professional lives suffer from inattention.
Other keywords: santa cruz, lutherie, luthier, fingerpicking, flatpick, mop, purflings, multi scale, Gotoh
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in - 27 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2013 McConnell 16 Inch, Brazilian/German Spruce
Custom built for one of our our own, this 2013 McConnell 16 Inch is everything (and more) that we’ve come to expect from Jordan’s shop: absurdly precise note separation, bracing depths, as flawlessly balanced as it is constructed. Seriously nice Brazilian Rosewood make up the back and sides, paired with a German Spruce top for creamy sustain, and everything is trimmed in eye-popping Snakewood (from the bridge to the headstock and everywhere in between, right down to the fretboard itself!).
Wrapped up with Jordan’s exciting marquetry across the rosette, fingerboard extension, and heel–and Snakewood-capped Alessi tuners–this 16 Inch screams elegance and rich potential. Oh, to play this guitar: it is an exercise in futility to put it down after the first strum. We put it through its paces with DADGAD and CGCGAD; no problems. The basses remained crisp and resonant, and those trebles continued to cut like a sushi chef’s knife. We’d advise you to jump on this while you can, ‘cuz it’s not long before someone else swoops in and snatches this work of art up for themselves!
If you’re intersted in how great a classical guitar Jordan can build in addition to his steel string models, check this one out! https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/2001-mcconnell-classical-wood-wood.html.
Here’s a video of Jordan McConnell himself playing this beauty! https://youtu.be/toot_xwPOT0
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2009 Olson Presentation SJ, Brazilian Rosewood/Cedar
Really, can you get much more gorgeous than this? We’re talking about a masterpiece from one of America’s master builders, a 2009 Olson Presentation SJ in Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar. Adorned with striking blue-green Abalone across the headstock, fretboard, body, and rosette (right down to the Fossilized Ivory bridge pins and vine inlay), and voiced with Jim’s signature sound, this guitar makes perfection seem possible. Doesn’t hurt that it’s also dressed to the nines as a presentation grade instrument.
Not only is the Brazilian Rosewood of the highest calibre and the fit and finish flawless, but this SJ powerfully demonstrates the pinnacle of that classic Olson sound—crystalline bell trebles, sonorous basses, glass-smooth mids that hang in the air like confetti. Playability is so smooth as to be effortless, like feathers beneath your fingertips. In altered tunings this Olson really opens up and the Cedar warmth smooths the note separation. If more guitars were built this wonderfully, the guitar world would be so much the better for it.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.813 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2004 Ryan Nightingale, Cocobolo/Cedar
Listen to this 2004 Nightingale sing, and you’ll understand why Kevin Ryan’s guitars are so revered: string-to-string balance is even and clear, the trebles smooth and round, the bass and mids with a profound sonority and depth. This is, simply put, a fingerstyle dynamo. Cocobolo for the back and sides, Cedar on top, and Kevin’s arm bevel and 25.7” scale all make for smooth clarity, and just the right amount of velvet overtones to make its acoustic voice an almost palpable presence.
Abalone appointments set off the dark woods, and Gotoh 510s are the golden capstones of the headstock. Playability is pure butter, not that hydrogenated junk. This Ryan Nightingale is the real deal.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, contemporary guitar, fingerstyle guitar, cocobolo rosewood, red cedar
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.7 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
Add to Compare2008 Beneteau Nick Lucas, Quilted Sapele/Adirondack Spruce
Marc Beneteau’s take on the Nick Lucas model has a bucket full of bass and sparkling trebles on top. This deep bodied fingerstyle machine makes for a great companion for singer-songwriters, or for any devotee to open tunings (it’s particularly warm to Open G). Gorgeous Quilted Pomele Sapele back and sides, Adirondack Spruce top, BRW bridge, Waverly tuners and a 25.4” fretboard—all the fixings for an energetic little sound cannon. And this gem from 2008 comes to us with nary a scratch on it! You can’t get much more minty than this without it arriving shrink wrapped in its original packaging.
Other keywords: don ross, nick lukas, gibson, altered tunings, slack key, singer songwriter, blues
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Sapele 
Add to Compare1998 Claxton EM Indian Rosewood/Sitka Spruce
This baby does it all. In essentially the same shape since its birth in 1998, this Claxton EM can take whatever tuning or genre you throw at it and make something beautiful out of it. The classic combination of Indian Rosewood and Sitka Spruce has rarely sounded so crisp, even, and projective–at Claxton’s SJ-size, this EM has a huge voice, but its lightweight construction makes for a guitar that’s easy on the shoulders to play for extended periods of time.
The string-to-string balance is yep, you guessed it, superb; the bass notes are rich but focused, paired sweetly with the trebles. When we flatpicked tunes, the EM roared, then with nails and fingertips we found the woody tones in the lower-middle register blossomed. After only a moment’s strum you can tell this EM has opened up deliciously since 1998.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.18 in Woods xx, Rosewood - Indian