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Holst Stringed Instruments |
Steve Holst is a phenomenal luthier from Creswell, Oregon specializing in archtops, classical guitars, and mandolins. His instruments range from the traditional to the avant garde. He is one of the most innovative luthiers I have ever seen. Check out his uniquely engineered classical guitars for one example of how he sets himself apart from the thousands of excellent luthiers around! |
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Victor Baker Guitars |
Victor is a good friend of mine from Philly who makes terrific archtop and solidbody guitars. He's also a killer musician. I got to spend a few months studying lutherie with him and learned a ton. Check out his awesome website where he displays some of the coolest guitars you will ever see (and hopefully, play). Also, check out his phenomenal guitar playing at www.jazzguitarmaniac.com! |
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Diamond Tropical Hardwoods (AKA "Cocobolo Kings") |
Home of the Cocobolo Kings! This is THE place to call for your Cocobolo rosewood needs. Run by Kevin Yardley in Sellersville, PA, they have tens of thousands of board feet of Cocobolo available. He and I are great friends, and I personally pick out the top grade stuff for his guitar stock. He also sells several other Central American woods including Mahogany, Teak, and Yellowheart. Check out his website and tell him that Jason sent ya! |
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Hipshot Products |
In my opinion, Hipshot makes the finest electric guitar and bass bridges available. They also make a variety of other innovative products here in the USA. Their quality and service is unparalleled. I have put a Hipshot bridge on every guitar I've ever made. They have a new series of guitar tuners that I'm dying to try. |
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Marty Bell Guitar Finishing |
One of the best guitar finishers around and a great guy. Located in San Diego, CA, Marty offers a wide variety of guitar finishing services at great prices. He can do absolutely any kind of finish. Check him out. |
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Stewart-MacDonald |
The absolute last word in lutherie supplies. For special luthier tools, there is no better place. Over the years I have tried several times to save a few bucks by buying knockoffs of their specialty tools (like fret files), and I have regretted it every single time. They also have a wide variety of hardware and electronics (such as pickups, tuning pegs, etc.). Santa rarely comes down the chimney without something for me from StewMac. |
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Lee Valley Tools |
My favorite place for woodworking hand tools! Their quality is remarkable- I particularly love their huge array of drill bits (a MUST for luthiers), measuring tools, and hand planes. Their prices are really great too. Except for some specialized guitar-making tools (which I get from Stewart-MacDonald), I get all of my hand tools and drill bits from here. |
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Grizzly Industrial |
Grizzly is renowned for really good woodworking and metalworking tools at very low prices. I have a band saw, jointer, and drill press from them, and I couldn't be happier. Their customer service is legendary, and you can get almost any replacement part for any of their machines really quickly. The owner of Grizzly is an accomplished luthier himself, and they have a good selection of guitar-making supplies in addition to their tools. Their catalog is enormous, and you'll learn a huge amount just from thumbing through it. I'm certain that it is gracing the bathroom floors of thousands of woodworkers across the U.S. I am currently salivating over their newest 8" jointer! Hurry, Santa! |
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Target Coatings |
Makers of the finest waterborne wood finishes available. Check out their incredibly comprehensive website where you can learn all kinds of tips about finishing in general. The owner, Jeff Weiss, is one of the most knowledgeable wood finishers out there, and he is well-renowned in the woodworking industry for his customer service. Target's waterborne finishes are far less toxic than conventional finishes and aren't flammable. Converting to low-VOC waterborne coatings is a great way to preserve the environment as well your health. Plus, you don't have to worry about blowing your shop (or house) to smithereens! |
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Allied Lutherie |
An excellent source for guitar woods. I get my ebony fingerboards and truss rods from Allied. The founder, Todd Taggart, is a really great guy, and his customer service is terrific. Allied caters mainly to the acoustic instrument builder, but they also feature some general lutherie supplies such as binding, inlay materials, and a limited selection of specialty tools. |
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Paul Gilbert |
Paul Gilbert is the most ferocious guitarist out there. And by "out there," I mean he's REALLY out there. He's hilarious. I love his instructional videos as well. He used to be with RacerX and Mr. Big, but now he's kicking major ass solo. He doesn't play a Kahana guitar, but he still ROCKS! ;) Check out his shred masterpiece, "Spaceship One," on YouTube. |
