Price Information
Tonewoods
These are the woods used to build the top, back and sides of your guitar. As the name implies, the woods selected for these parts affect the sound of the guitars. Like most luthiers and manufacturers, I only use hardwoods to make backs and sides. I use softwoods for guitar tops but can make a top of mahogany or sapele if you like. Guitars start at $3,350. Note that the additional charges quoted here are provided only to give you an idea of what your guitar might cost. Within a given species, wood used in guitar building are available in various grades with prices that vary accordingly. We'll arrive at a final cost when we select materials for your guitar.
Neck
Neck
Mahogany is the most common choice for necks. It’s beautiful,strong, stable and
lightweight. Most (but not all) tonewoods will work for necks as well; we can discuss
choices in more details. Lamination is a great option because it creates an extremely
strong and stable neck. As with tonewoods neck prices will vary with species and grade.
Binding
The binding wraps around the top and bottom edges of the body and sometimes the sides of the fretboard itself. It protects the body edges from bumps, but other than that binding is purely aesthetic and has no impact on tone. One elegant upgrade is to add a thin fiber strip of contrasting color between the binding and the sides. For example, a white fiber strip looks great with wenge or walnut sides with a binding of wenge, walnut or ebony. Or you might choose a black fiber strip with maple or sycamore sides and binding. To upgrade even further, you can choose a “framed” fiber strip that runs along the sides of the end wedge.
Binding
Black Walnut - $0
Cherry - $0
Maple - $0
Mahogany - $0
Maple - $0
Curly maple - $30
Ebony - $30
Fiber strip - $75
Framed fiber strip - $150
Bound fretboard, any wood - $100
Purfling
Fiber strip purfling on front - $0
Fiber strip purfling on back - $150
Mother-of-pearl or abalone purfling on front - $275
Purfling
Purfling is a thin strip that runs around the perimeter of the front and sometimes the back of the guitar inside the binding so it’s seen just from the top (or back) surface. Fiber-strip purflings come in various patterns. A fancier, and much more labor-intensive, option is a mother-of-pearl or abalone purfling.
Rosette
The rosette is a decorative feature that also reinforces the soundhole. The rosette is included in the base price unless you have a more elaborate idea which we can discuss. You can also order a mother-of-pearl or abalone rosette for an additional $100.
Cutaway
As any guitarist knows, a cutaway on the base side of the upper bout provides easier access to the frets closet to the soundhole. Cutaways don’t affect the sound of the guitar in any way I can discern. I can do a Florentine cutaway (the kind that comes to a point) for an additional $275.
Tuners
I am a big fan of Gotoh Mini 505 tuners, which are available in silver, cosmos black and gold. They are smooth and accurate, look cool, and are a good value. I can accommodate any tuners you choose. I’ll charge only any amount over the Gotoh Mini cost.
Tuners
Silver - $0
Cosmos Black - $0
Gold - $25
Pickup
I’ll install any pickup you choose for the cost of the pickup, plus a $75 installation fee. I’ve been using LR Baggs iBeam Active System.