PRICING, ORDERING, AND WARRANTY
The current base price for my standard classical guitar is $3,500.00 US. This guitar has a 650 mm string length with 19 frets and is fan-braced. I use 7 symmetrical fans, which are individually carved and profiled. My standard instrument is constructed of Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) for the back and sides and either Engelmann Spruce or Western Red Cedar for the soundboard. Other woods can be used, some with an appropriate upcharge. Please contact me regarding custom features and I will price an instrument accordingly. Lattice bracing is available for an additional $100. A 12-hole bridge is standard, as is a french-polish finish (complete instrument). French polish is a very thin, beautiful, acoustically rich finish which is labor intensive to apply. While fragile, it can easily be repaired and is the preferred finish for fine guitars. It is, however, not as hard, thick, or shiny as a sprayed laquer finish. All the guitars illustrated in photos on this site are french polished so you can preview the appearance of this finish. While the 650 mm scale length is standard, I also offer 640 mm and 613.5 mm scale lengths at no additional charge. Struggling to play an instrument that is too “big” for a person’s hands is unrewarding and can lead to physical injury over time. Shorter scale guitars I have built to date have not sacrificed tonality compared with my 650s, perhaps because I keep the lower bout/bridge position geometry the same as for the standard instrument. All my instruments are built with a small amount (1.5 mm) of spherical doming in the top to safeguard against bridge rotation and the resultant distortion of the top in front of, and in back of, the bridge, and to enhance tone and projection. Laminated sides and solid linings are standard. Finally, while I have successfully used Schaller Hauser tuners for years, I have recently switched to Gotoh Premiums with friction resistant rollers. These tuners are incredibly smooth. I usually string with D’Addario medium tension strings and recommend clients use only medium or “normal” tension strings, whatever brand they prefer. A hard shell, laminated-wood case is also provided with the standard instrument.
If you would like to explore having me build a guitar for you, please use the contact form on this site and I will get back to you. A non-refundable deposit of $350.00 is required for me to put your guitar in the building schedule, the balance due at the time of completion. It normally takes me two months to build a guitar. Upon receipt, you will have a week to determine your satisfaction with the instrument. If you are not satisfied, you can return it for a refund, less the original deposit. I will also subtract from the refund the cost of any repairs necessary to restore the instrument to “new” condition in case it has been damaged while in your possession. Return shipping is the responsibility of the purchaser.
If you are interested in buying a completed guitar, I sometimes have one or more on hand that I am holding while the finish “settles” or I am waiting to learn how some new feature plays in before offering the instrument(s) for sale. Such instruments can be found on the “Available” page on this site and will be priced according to the build details.