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Art affords us an opportunity to experience something greater than ourselves. Occasionally, there comes a piece of art which grants us one step further; to be able to enteract directly with that greater something. Any guitar from Grit Laskin’s Toronto bench affords the lucky player such a chance. Take this one, the portrait of a portrait artist (Grit himself) painting the portrait of someone’s daughter. To experience this guitar visually, the eye is instantly consumed, from the intensely-flamed Koa back and sides Sitka Spruce top, roping mosaic rosette, to the portrait itself, where it can rest and ponder the curve of the engraved hatch marks which underscore the child’s eyes. Ranging from Gold Mother of Pearl in her face and Tahitian Blacklip Pearl in his shirt, to the Walrus Ivory of the canvas and the numerous stones that make up the rest of the image, the headstock is alight with rich colors and the shocking verisimilitude of the human figures therein.

An instrument, however, is not simply an object for the eye: let your fingers come to land on metal strings and frets, and the ear is given its day in the sun. The trebles flow like clean water, and bass notes roll out from the soundhole with vigorous force, rendering fingerstyle arrangements lush and complex. Across all the strings, the balance is surgically precise, and the voice has a quality of profound clarity to let each note ring out. And ring out they will–the sustain is haunting in its duration and timbre. If you’re interested in a guitar which will inspire you with each glance and every strum, this Laskin will more than fit the bill. If you want a guitar which stands alone, both in terms of its aesthetics and its voice, look no further.

In combining Mr. Renbourn’s tastes with Martin Guitars’ talents, this guitar stands at the apex of traditional design and contemporary fingerstyle tone. According to Martin, one of John Renbourn’s favorite body styles was the original Orchestra Model, so naturally when the opportunity arose for the two to collaborate on a design, they chose an OM shape with a 14-fret, 25 1/4″ scale length for added tension in lowered tunings. When dropped into DADGAD or the like, this OMM exudes strength and clarity, with none of the tubbiness in the bass notes that similar guitars struggle against. Whether it’s fingerpicked Irish jigs, English ballads, or American Blues, this Martin offers an excellent separation of notes and hearty sustain. The voice is well-balanced across all registers, and the Madagascar Rosewood back and sides, when combined with the Alpine Italian Spruce top, fill out the tonal palette with shimmering overtones that warm the air and lend a complex, lush color to your fingerstyle arrangements. Bound up in a Martin TKL case, there’s no chance of any harm coming to this beauty when it’s not in your hands.

Looking for a Kevin Ryan guitar, but unable to foot the bill for a new one? Try out this 2004 Mission Grand Concert for size! With the classic combination of East Indian Rosewood back and sides and a Caspian Spruce top, this MGC provides the player with a lively mix of bright trebles, rumbling bass, and smooth playability. If you want your guitar to do double duty as a fingerstyle instrument and flatpicking powerhouse, we’re confident that this MGC can more than foot the bill. She responds very well to an aggressive attack, but is lightly built for more nuanced arrangements. With a well-balanced tone that’s superb for recording and session playing, this MGC can also rule the stage when you need to play amplified once you plug into the L.R. Baggs I-Beam with onboard preamp.

Altered tunings like DADGAD, this guitar eats for breakfast–it even handled Cadd9 without losing the well-defined edge of the bass strings! Featuring a custom shamrock inlay on the heel cap by Larry Robinson himself, you’ll feel pretty lucky every time you get to pull the Mission Grand Concert out of its Calton flight case to play.

From Elizabeth Cotten’s Country Blues picking to your own brand of fingerstyle, this 2001 00-18CTN from Martin Guitars is guaranteed to liven up the room with its strong, crisp voice cutting through the air. With a slim 1 11/16″ nut and 00-size body, this guitar is easy, both on the hands and the ear. The bass strings have a well-defined edge that’s balanced with the other registers, and the punchy tone of the Mahogany back and sides is powerfully amplified by the Sitka Spruce top. With Elizabeth Cotten’s signature sharing space with a gorgous MOP train at the 12th fret, this guitar pays subtle homage to the model Country Blues singer for which this guitar is named, and is in practically mint condition. Wrapped up in a Martin TKL hardshell case to transport the 00-18CTN to the gig, this 00 has is included with a Fishman Thinline Natural I pickup to get you through the set with nothing but faithful amplification and zero feedback.

If all 12-fret guitars sounded this good, no one would bother with 14-fretters anymore. With gorgeous Flamed Koa for the back and sides, and an Italian Spruce top, this EVD Model 2 from Edward Van Dick’s workbench is an excellent companion for any fingerstylist who prizes their guitar’s articulation and warmth over the number of frets on the fretboard. The overtones hang sweetly in the air; the trebles are crisp and present; and the oval soundhole really helps project all the vibrant tonality from the Koa.

Looking for an instrument with a refined, yet orginal aesthetic? Between the scalloped fingerboard extension to the offset fret markers and Selmer-Style Cutaway, this guitar is loaded with details that speak to Edward’s unique sense of style. As if that wasn’t enough to make this an instrument difficult to put down–when you need to plug into an amplifier for your gigs, the K&K Pure Western pickup will allow the EVD Model 2’s expressive voice to be faithfully translated into electric territory. Finally, we’ve got her bound up in a Calton hardshell flight case for maximum security, so there’s no chance of any harm coming to this bombshell of a 12-fretter.