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| More Fine Guitars for Sale (a partial listing of guitars on hand... please call for others offered confidentially.) For all types of instruments shipping in soon, click here to read the "New Items Coming In Soon" page. | |
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| 1980 Benedetto Fratello Prototype S.N.#4480 17" at the lower bout, with 1 11/16 spacing at the nut. Near Mint Condition, and well played in. Honey Blonde toned European Spruce top over well seasoned Maple back and sides, finished in a medium-dark chocolate color. The masterfully hand carved back is air dried, European cello wood, evenly flamed. This is the guitar that started it all for the Benedetto Fratello model. The 100th Fratello was delivered to Royce Campbell. To read the fascinating history of this guitar and view some family photos, click here. No more Fratello models will be made by Benedetto's hands, due to his contract with Fender/Guild. In fact, Bob had stopped taking custom orders altogether for "the forseeable future" when he put this in our hands. $39,000 with hand written documentation from Master luthier Bob Benedetto |  |
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| From Our Sample Gallery--1997 Somogyi Modified
Dreadnought Sitka Spruce top over top grade Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Abalone rosette and parallel inlays on ebony fretboard. Brazilian Rosewood peghead overlay on front; Burled Oak on back. Original inlay design inlaid into back of neck. Hand carved into the upper bout of the top is an example of another Somogyi specialty: carved art. (NOTE: Stand-alone framed carvings by Somogyi on guitar top woods may be purchased. Contact Richard to discuss your decor needs.) Somogyi consistently delivers a piano-like reverberant, clear tone. Rich in harmonics, the singularity of the notes come through everwhere on the fretboard. Singing sustain. $16,600 (Base price is $12,000.) |
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| New 1996 (with warranty) Kinnard Arched Flat-top
"FGC Special" "I custom ordered this instrument just as Dell Arte Instruments got underway. This was the only custom finish of its kind; it is a honey gold. I stood in the spray booth with John Kinnard. We collaberated on the color as we had on the final design of the pickguard, volume knob and pickup selection. Eventually, this guitar became known as the Frank Hicks model (though another pickup was substituted on the Frank Hicks version). This guitar re-visits a unique construction process that was created in the 1930's at the roots of early jazz. Since those early guitars have held up nicely and matured well over time, John Kinnard adopted the process and moved it forward. The structure is a cousin to the old Maccaferri Guitars. Unlike the Maccaferri, the tone of this hybrid instrument is a cross between a fine flat-top acoustic and a traditional archtop guitar. The braces are hand carved, high. The solid Sitka Spruce top is then flexed over the braces in a compound arch. It is possible to imagine many uses for this guitar. A flat-top player can approach fingerstyle jazz tunes, for instance, maintaining the rich tone and sustain he or she still wants to hear, while adding in the significant sweet Jazz undertones. Other players will come from different musical directions and wind up face to face with this refreshingly versatile guitar. It is so much fun to play with its rich sounding floating Benedetto S-6 pickup. (This is one of the rare remaining Benedetto pickups made by Kent Armstrong to Benedetto's original specs.)" --Richard $4,300 ($1,350 less than today's price with hard case!) |
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| 1997 Abe Rivera "Scepter" solid body neck-thru "This is a hand carved and inlaid artwork by the legendary, opinionated and lovable Abe Rivera. Abe built guitars only when he felt like it. Sometimes a guitar was years in the waiting. He no longer is making the "Scepter" model. In fact, I don't believe he is taking any new orders, as he is getting on in his years. Originally made for a friend of Rivera, this guitar is in excellent condition. The owner of this instrument plays his Rivera archtop more--along with his Boaz Elkayam guitars. He is parting with what may be an instrument of a lifetime for you! This is a rock solid guitar that will feel substantial in your arms and instantly convey the higher nature of a fine handmade guitar to you. It looks and feels like a fine wooden sculpture. The actual weight is 9 lbs. on my scale. It is well balanced when strapped on. The width of the scalloped, bone nut is 1 3/4". The multi-piece neck is a medium full thickness somewhere between a C and a D shaped profile. I have alway appreciated Abe's work, and honor his gifted approach to guitar building. Abe is a Puerto Rican born artist/builder who lives in New York. He has built guitars for many years. Kevin Eubanks, leader of the Tonight Show Orchestra, discovered Abe's work several years ago, and plays a fancier "Scepter," much like this one. Pat Martino also plays a Rivera, as do many other artists. A Bartolini pickup in the bridge position bears the Bartolini logo, with the neck pickup featuring adjustable pole pieces. Wooden knobs complement the hand carved Rosewood pickguard, bridge base, pick-up rings and truss cover. " --Richard $12,000 with arched hard case | |
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| 2002 Ribbecke "Monterey" 17-inch archtop Another available! We now have a like-new Ribbecke to add to the mix during our popular blindfold guitar-tastings. This beautiful lightly orange-toasted blonde Sitka Spruce-over-aged European Maple cello woods is a wonderful gift you can give to yourself for your music--for your lifetime. Tom Ribbecke got this guitar back from a client who could not keep it for financial reasons. He remarked that it was "so babied by its owner that it was like-new!" So, since our relationship with Tom is a good one--he agreed to offer a new warranty on the instrument to you! Where else can you have an opportunity to be the second original owner of a fine guitar? This instrument is a representative example of Tom's lutherie as it has evolved to its highest level. 25-plus years of evolution and hard work has earned Tom Ribbecke a place among the top ranks of guitar makers in our rarely discovered world of fine handmade instruments of the orchestra. The sustain is hauntingly beautiful. Even, rich tone with even tambre across the fretboard. Play it pretty or burn those jazz lines with the easy facility of this fast, well carved neck. With an inspiring instrument, you'll enjoy the hours you spend playing at a much more satisfying level. The only thing "lesser than" about this guitar...is the price. " --Richard $16,900 (Order one through us at the same price as direct from the maker--$17,500 with a 2-year wait). |  |
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| Laurence Juber audio demo available for this guitar.
Email Richard for details 2001 KisoKlein OM s.n.#11 Steve Klein, whom we have represented for many years, was called upon to design a guitar that would capture the essence of his signature sound in a hands-on guitar made with the highest standards by a small group of keenly skilled Japanese luthiers. The result is magnificent. Here is an instrument that looks, sounds, and feels like a fine $6,000 instrument. Its got that Klein vibe all over it--and the price is almost half of that number! In fact, this one, which was on display at NAMM and played in a bit, has a Pick-Up-The-World pickup installed in it...and since the pick-up company was kind enough to supply the pickup and have the inventor and President of the company install it himself...we'll give you the pickup at no extra charge. This is the 11th one made. We are proud to be one of the few sources for Kiso guitars in the USA. What we have here is a new, pleasing tonal color to add to your core collection of guitars that get played often. Chances are, it will be very different from what you have tonally, and, we hope, provide fresh inspiration for your music. Nicely balanced. $3,300 (This OM is available. The dreadnought is sold--another coming in soon. |  |
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| 2003 Laurie Williams "Piwakawaka" ("Fantail") acoustic "You've probably read about Laurie Williams by now. The sound this New Zealand maker offers in his guitars is new to American ears. One client described the tone as having the clarity of spun glass in a bed of fine red wine. I thought that fit so well. There is a smoothness--a richness; certainly a very even and easy sound that comes from this guitar. It is unique and desirable at the same time. The client I referred to above actually rejected it initially because the it didn't have the sound of his other guitars. I urged him (since he was obviously admiring its characteristics) to let this guitar take him to a different place musically. He spent the weekend with the guitar. The following Monday, he informed me he was keeping it. If you have been narrowly choosing a fixed sound in your instruments...consider opening up to new tonal experiences. This same guitar is back with us now for resale, because the client's tastes have been leaning strongly in to high energy, brighter guitars. The sound of this one is more sweetly mellow. Sound like something you are looking for? The top is Kauri wood from New Zealand. The back and sides are Ancient Kauri , which has been carbon dated and certified to be between 30,000-50,000 years old! These old logs from New Zealand's North Island peat swamps have been recovered and carefully cut and sorted by the maker. Only 2 per cent of the wood has yielded this marvelous figure and tone combination. The guitar has a nut width of 1 3/4" and a scale length of 24.9". Aside from a couple of nicks at the very top-rear of the headstock where we usually never look, and a slight ding on the top hidden by the strings, the guitar is still in its original clean condition! Save some money on this particular resale guitar that we have judged to be a wonderful example of Laurie's work." --Richard $5,900 |  |
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| 1999 Morton Metal Single Cone Resonator Guitar #20 Maple neck, ebony fret board with German Silver inlays. This is a tonal and aesthetic beauty. John is one of only two makers in the world who is making one-off metal body resonators with a high level of luthier and machinist skills in one package. A sweet, rounded note tone makes this a stand-out. Throw out your tonal references to the brash, brittle, nasal woof of lesser instruments in this category. Get ready for smooth, even, balanced acoustic-amplified sound, encased in a hauntingly reverberant chamber that allows each note to be out front, clearly. Built in Central California, these resonators are unique in design. While sharing similar tonal characteristics, no two instruments are exactly alike. This is a labor of love. According to our informational resources, in the late 20's, the first "die molds" for metal body resonators were created. To this day, all metal guitars of this style are still made from those molds! The cost of those molds were about $20,000, which was a lot of money at that time. Now, here is John Morton. He loves his craft so much, that he has brought back the use of German Silver (also known as Nickle Silver) for the back and sides. The top is brass, and the whole body is plated in Nickel. A modestly priced instrument that is inspired by the highly prized National guitars of the early 1930's, trading in the upper $8,000 range these days. A classy metal resonator for playing out or in...with pickup and installation by one of our best techs. $4,200 |  |
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| ca. 1900 Joseph Bohmann Steel String Parlor Guitar Here's a fun old instrument for a rare guitar collector--perhaps just starting out--who wants to own a fascinating piece of Luthier history without spending a fortune. Joseph Bohmann, of Chicago, Illinois, was an enthusiastic and controversial luthier. You can feel this just from reading the label: "His fine toned instruments are unexcelled. He challenges the World to equal the tone of this instrument with its perfect Scale Finger Board. He has received medals and awards at all exhibits." Then, pictured on the label, are his World Exposition awards: Chicago 1893, Antwerp 1894, Atlanta 1895. This "new old stock" instrument was discovered in the attic of the old factory building in Chicago where he had his shop. The family who inherited the property found several instruments in completed and near completed stages, wrapped up in World Warll newspapers. The soundboard is spruce, the guitar's back & sides are of Brazilian Rosewood. The fretboard is ebony and is inlaid with a variety of shapes in abalone and mother of pearl. Pearl bushings surround the tuning posts. The tuners are a closed back system, patented by Bohmann. The bridge appears to be ebony, and the strings are wound once around 6 brass screws before exiting the back of the unit. There is a lot of innovative technology, and a departure from the Martin-copy syndrome of most builders of the day. Here is a man who desired to make his mark in guitar history. I acquired the instrument from Muriel Anderson. $900 with original "coffin" case. |
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Why consider New Custom guitars from us?Custom Guitars are an important part of what we do. We offer a balanced range of gifted, consistent luthiers. Prices from us are the same as direct from the maker. We will guide you to the likliest guitar builder and particular models that best match your needs. Let's talk guitars and have some fun together! We are here to serve you in a straight forward way. Give us a call. Often, a new instrument, coupled with new strong direction from a teacher with whom you have good communication can blast you out of your "rut."Let's work together to make your music more satisfying. Live life to the fullest. As a musician, this is what money is for! |
| We proudly represent more than 35 highly skilled luthiers and offer their instruments at the same price as directly from the maker. |
All Instruments come with better hard shell cases unless otherwise noted. US Money Orders, Checks, or simple computer bank wire transfers are accepted. Financing, Terms, Trade-ins Available. Not responsible for errors or ommissions, subject to prior sale, and price changes due to market conditions. We are responsible for taking all the time you need to help get you what you want. |
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