Thomas Ripsam, C.F. Martin and Co.’s First Non-Family CEO, Combines a Love of Guitar with Global Business Experience
Thomas Ripsam’s path to CEO at C.F. Martin & Co.’s Nazareth, Pennsylvania, headquarters is even more unlikely than most.
Great Acoustics: This Custom Style 21 Cowardin 000 Celebrates a Decades-Long Friendship
A friend commissioned Jack Cowardin to build an understated 000 acoustic guitar to complement his 1938 Martin 000-18. The result was much more than just wood and metal.
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Remembering Guitar Innovator Rick Turner (1943–2022)
Remembering guitarist, luthier, electronics designer, and Acoustic Guitar contributor Rick Turner, who passed away April 17, 2022 at age 78.
Kathrin Hauser and Her Family’s Guitar-Making Dynasty
The Hauser guitar making dynasty started in the late 19th century with Josef Hauser (1854–1939) and continues today with Hermann Hauser III and his daughter Kathrin Hauser.
Jeff Jewitt Embraces Dual Roles as Both a Top Finishing Supplier and Guitar Luthier
Without any formal training in lutherie, Jewitt, now in his late 60s, has made a name for himself as a sought-after boutique guitar maker.
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How I Learned to Make Guitars: Eight Modern Luthiers on the Origins of Their Craft
What does it take to go from loving acoustic guitars to actually building them? To answer this, we asked a handful of luthiers to tell us their origin stories.
How CEO James ‘JC’ Curleigh Is Using Lessons from Levi’s to Spur Gibson Guitars’ Revival
James “JC” Curleigh is using his experience revitalizing the Levi's brand to do the same with Gibson guitars after taking the reins as CEO in 2018.
Del Langejans Makes Guitars That Sound Rich and Full, ‘Like a Grand Piano’
Drawing on three decades of experience building guitars for stars and students, Del Langejans’ small outfit near Lake Michigan has developed a signature sound by using thick, rigid sides and rosewood necks.
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After 50 Years at the Forefront of the Guitar Repair Industry, Dan Erlewine Is at the Top of His Game
Dan Erlewine's pioneering reference works and instructional content have made him a mentor to three generations of guitar maintenance and repair geeks.
“The Gibson Guy”: How Folkway Music’s Mark Stutman Became a Leading Vintage Guitar Expert
Photos by Claire Bégin The sound of a customer fingerpicking a 1950 Gibson CF-100 in the front showroom of Folkway Music, in Waterloo, Ontario, an hour west of Toronto, drifts into owner Mark Stutman’s office. On the floor lie guitar cases with instruments ready for repair. On one wall is…
Makers & Shakers: Sherwood ‘Woody’ Phifer’s Forward-Thinking Archtop Designs
His fresh thinking and artistic touch combine to make his instruments both striking and familiar.
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Taylor Guitars Discovers a New Sustainable Tonewood in Its Own Backyard
The desire to make Taylor as ethically eco-conscious as possible has led to the ultimate sustainable supply chain: Growing their own trees.
Ecuadorian Master Luthier Luis Uyaguari Uses Hand Tools and Designs His Own Guitar Molds
Almost 50 years ago, master luthier Luis Uyaguari Quezada, then an adolescent, moved with his family to the metropolis of Cuenca, Ecuador, leaving behind the remote mountain village of San Bartolome. Their tiny pueblo had a generations-long tradition of guitar making, and Uyaguari’s father was one of the village’s best,…
Peace, Love & Guitars: the 1970s Lutherie Revolution
Michael Durian, Richard Hoover, Linda Manzer, and Steve Klein reflect on their early days of guitar building and their contributions to the luthiers scene of today.
Personalized Inlays: Working Pieces of Art
For many players, these personalized inlays are not about having a flashy stage guitar, but about adding embellishments that makes a guitar their guitar.
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Made in Oregon: The First Twenty Years at Breedlove Guitars
Breedlove has capitalized on creative designs and fearless expansion to carve its own niche.
Luthier Profile: Larrivée Guitars
Since building his first guitar in the 1970s, Jean-Claude Larrivée also built several factories from the ground up
Makers & Shakers: Audrey Bartlett of Waterloo Guitars
Audrey Bartlett, the lead builder and department manager of Waterloo Guitars, in Austin, Texas, says, “I’m not a musician—which makes me different from most of the people doing this work.” That can make her feel like she doesn’t fit in, but also sets her apart for its parallels to her…
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Guitar Talk: Andy Powers of Taylor | You Can’t Build a Guitar Without Thinking About Playing It
Get to know the man behind the curtain at Taylor Guitars, Andy Powers, a thoughtful and curious lover of music. While showcasing a trio of instruments he built, Andy shares some of his history as a luthier, and reminds us that while the tools, processes, and materials are important, at the end of the day "it's about the guitar and how much fun you have playing the guitar."
Shop Visit: Luthier Raymond Morin and His Pleinview Guitars
Pleinview’s reputation has spread predominately through word of mouth, an approach to marketing that has worked well for Raymond Morin and his assistant, Adam Rousseau.
Makers & Shakers: A Chat with Nylon-String Luthier Stephan Connor
Cape Cod, Massachusetts–based luthier Stephan Connor has built a world-class reputation by taking a fresh approach to what may be the most traditional branch of guitar building.
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Guitar Talk: UK Guitar Maker Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars
Roger Bucknall built his first guitar around 1959 and started taking his craft seriously around 1973 in a small shop on the northwest coast of England, in Fylde, Lancashire. There were very few guitar builders in that country at the time, but Bucknall helped spearhead the fine art of guitar…
Makers & Shakers: A Visit With Eric Schoenberg
“I’ve always been ‘the OM guy,’” says Eric Schoenberg, from his shop in the tiny enclave of Tiburon, California, just north of San Francisco.
Innovation Through Tradition: Four Modern Luthiers Discuss Their Craft
The world of guitar making is in an exciting moment, with exceptionally skillful luthiers handcrafting instruments to the highest standards. Many of these artisans are making instruments in ways that draw from traditional techniques and designs while bringing them into the contemporary world—through everything from porcelain resonator cones and tiny…
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Makers & Shakers: Talking Shop with Steve Uhrik of Retrofret Vintage Guitars
If you met Steve Uhrik, the founder of Retrofret Vintage Guitars in Brooklyn, New York, out of the context of his shop, you would likely have no idea he was “somebody” in the vintage guitar industry. In fact, he would probably reject that description entirely and turn the conversation towards…