A gallery of some of the acoustic guitars I’ve made in over 40 years of guitar building.
Sweet Sam Kisling playing Yesterday’s Wine on #64, a walnut jumbo.
Joey Howell playing The Water Song on #43, a small-bodied honeylocust acoustic.
A gallery of guitars, from the 1980’s to the present.
#66, Maple Street honeylocust, style #2, 2025
Sitka spruce top, Maple Street honeylocust back and sides, walnut neck, curly maple binding and peghead overlay, Malaysian blackwood fingerboard and bridge, “running lizard” rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#65, Maple Street honeylocust, jumbo, 2025
Sitka spruce top, Maple Street honeylocust back and sides, curly maple neck and peghead, morado binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi pottery rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#64, walnut, jumbo, 2024
Sitka spruce top, curly walnut back, sides, and neck, curly maple binding, birdseye maple peghead overlay, Malaysian blackwood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi pottery rosette, abalone fretboard and peghead inlays.
#63, sycamore, style #1, 2024
Sitka spruce top, sycamore back and sides, curly maple neck and birdseye maple peghead, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, pau rosa binding, Anasazi tumpline 2 rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#62, Unami ash, style #2, 2023
Sitka spruce top, Unami ash back, sides, and neck, wenge binding, Washburne ash peghead overlay, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Hupa bowl rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#61, honeylocust, style #1, 2023
Sitka spruce top, honeylocust back and sides, curly maple neck and binding, birdseye maple peghead overlay, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi pottery rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#60, flamed beech, style #1, 2023
Sitka spruce top, flamed beech back and sides, morado binding, curly maple neck and peghead, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Hupa bowl rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#59, Washburne ash, style #1, 2023
Sitka spruce top, Washburne curly ash back and sides, bocote binding, birdseye maple peghead, maple neck, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Hupa bowl rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead and soundboard inlay.
#58, osage orange, style #1, 2022
Sitka spruce top, osage orange back and sides, curly maple binding, spalted beech peghead overlay, walnut neck, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi Milky Way pottery rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#57, Ridenour beech, style #1, 2022
Sitka spruce top, Ridenour beech back and sides, wenge binding, curly beech peghead overlay and fingerboard binding, walnut neck, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi Milky Way pottery rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#54, #55, Ridenour beech ukuleles, 2022
Sitka spruce tops, Ridenour beech back, sides, and peghead overlay, cherry neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood and morado fingerboard and bridge, Andean textile rosette, abalone fretboard and peghead inlay.
#53, beech beach guitar, style #1, 2022
Locally-sourced Pennsylvania spruce top, beech back and sides, curly beech peghead overlay, walnut neck and binding, Burma padauk fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi Milky Way pottery rosette, Long Island quahog fretboard and peghead inlays.
#52, Wallenpaupack curly cherry, style #1, 2021
Sitka spruce top, Wallenpaupack curly cherry back, sides, and peghead overlay, walnut neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi pottery rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#51, Sevy apple, style #4, 2021
Sitka spruce top, Sevy apple back, sides and peghead overlay, walnut neck and binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi pottery rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#50, Washburne ash, style #4, 2020
Sitka spruce top, Washburne ash back, sides, and peghead overlay, walnut neck and binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi belt rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, black mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#49, walnut, style #4, 2020
Sitka spruce top, walnut back and sides, birdseye maple peghead overlay, walnut neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi tumpline rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#48, hackberry, style #4, 2020
Sitka spruce top, hackberry back and sides, flamed beech peghead overlay, ash neck, walnut binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi tumpline rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#47, olive ash, style #4, 2020
Sitka spruce top, olive ash back, sides, and peghead overlay, walnut neck and binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi tumpline rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#46, sassafras, style #4, 2019
Sitka spruce top, sassafras back and sides, flamed beech peghead overlay, walnut neck and binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi tumpline rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#45, pignut hickory, style #4, 2019
Sitka spruce top, pignut hickory back, sides, and peghead overlay, maple neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Anasazi belt rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, black mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#44, ash, style #2, 2019
Sitka spruce top, ash back and sides, birdseye maple peghead overlay, ash neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running lizard” rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#43, honeylocust, style #2, 2018
Sitka spruce top, honeylocust back, sides, and peghead overlay, maple neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “circus tent” rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#42, curly oak, style #2, 2018
Engelmann spruce top, curly oak back and sides, birdseye maple peghead overlay, walnut neck and binding, ebony fingerboard, Indian rosewood bridge, “Navaho mesa” rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#41, quartersawn oak, style #2, 2008
Sitka spruce top, quartersawn oak back and sides, curly oak peghead overlay, maple neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “Navaho mesa” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, rosewood peghead inlay.
#40, mulberry, style #2, 2006
Sitka spruce top, mulberry back and sides, curly oak peghead overlay, maple neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “C” rosette, dogwood fretboard inlays, rosewood peghead inlay.
#39, hackberry, style #5, 1999
Sitka spruce top, hackberry back and sides, curly walnut peghead overlay, maple neck, curly maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “Navaho blanket” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, rosewood peghead inlay.
#38, sycamore, style #5, 1999 (completed 2020)
Sitka spruce top, sycamore back and sides, apple peghead overlay, maple neck, walnut binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “Navaho blanket” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, apple peghead inlay.
#37, curly maple, style #5, 1999
Sitka spruce top, curly maple back and sides, bubinga peghead overlay, maple neck, bubinga binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “Navaho blanket” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#36, ash, style #5, 1999
Sitka spruce top, ash back and sides, curly oak peghead overlay, maple neck, bubinga binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “Navaho blanket” rosette, dogwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#33, bubinga, style #2, 1997
Bearclaw Sitka spruce top, bubinga back and sides, kingwood peghead overlay, mahogany neck, curly maple binding, Madagascar rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running lizard” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#32, wilson oak, style #4, 1996
Red spruce top, quartersawn oak back and sides, curly oak peghead overlay, mahogany neck, walnut binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running lizard” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl and rosewood peghead inlay.
#30,Indian rosewood, style #2, 1995
Bearclaw Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, kingwood peghead overlay, mahogany neck, bubinga binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running lizard” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#29, Indian rosewood, style #2, 1994
Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back, sides, and peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “seismic” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#27, myrtle, style #4, 1994
Cedar top, myrtle back and sides, birdseye maple peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running man” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, rosewood, padauk and ebony peghead inlay.
#26, pau ferro, style #4, 1993
Redwood top, pau ferro back, sides, and peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running man” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, rosewood peghead inlay.
#25, Indian rosewood, style #4, 1993
Redwood top, Indian rosewood back, sides, and peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “running man” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl peghead inlay.
#23, nato, style #4, 1992
Sitka spruce top, nato back and sides, Burma padauk peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “zigzag” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl, rosewood and maple peghead inlay.
#20, Indian rosewood, style #4, 1992
Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back, sides, and peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “chevron” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#19, Indian rosewood, style #4, 1992
Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back, sides, and peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “chevron” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#17, morado, style #4, 1991
Sitka spruce top, morado back, sides, and peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “trapezoid” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#14, shedua, style #2, 1989
Sitka spruce top, shedua back and sides, crotch maple peghead overlay, mahogany neck, holly binding and peghead back overlay, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “circus tent” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, abalone peghead inlay.
#13, bubinga, 12-string, style #1, 1989
Redwood top, bubinga back and sides, spalted apple peghead overlay, mahogany neck, maple binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “circus tent” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, mother-of-pearl, rosewood and walnut peghead inlay.
#12, padauk, style #2, 1989 (rebuilt 2020)
Redwood top, padauk back and sides, spalted beech peghead overlay, mahogany neck, holly binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “circus tent” rosette, gold mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays, pearl peghead inlay.
#11, bubinga, style #2, 1989
Redwood top, bubinga back and sides, crotch maple peghead overlay, mahogany neck, holly binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “circus tent” rosette, satinwood fretboard inlays, rosewood and padauk peghead inlay.
#5, Phillipine mahogany, style #1, 1983 (rebuilt 2023)
Bearclaw Sitka spruce top, Phillipine mahogany back and sides, maple neck and birdseye maple peghead, curly maple binding, bocote fingerboard and bridge, “circus tent” rosette, mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays. (Top, rosette, fretboard, bridge and binding replaced 2023.)
#3, padauk, style #1, 1983 (rebuilt 2021)
Sitka spruce top, padauk back and sides, curly maple neck and binding, Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, “diagonal” rosette, tulipwood fretboard inlays. (Refinished, fretboard, bridge and binding replaced 2021.)
#1, walnut, style #1, 1983
Sitka spruce top, walnut back and sides, curly apple peghead overlay, walnut neck, maple binding, ebony fingerboard and bridge, “diagonal” rosette, apple fretboard inlays.