Pricing / Ordering

After not making an adjustment to my rates since 2005, I have made some rather dramatic changes to my 2009 prices. In addition to bringing my base price and options more in line with the market, I have also found it necessary to adjust the prices for many of my tonewoods.

One of the things I pride my work on is the quality of materials. Like many makers I am constantly on the hunt for only the very best tonewoods. As I am sure you have probably heard, prices of wood have been rising astronomically while quality (on average) has been plummeting. This is not myth; it is in fact an unfortunate reality. Woods that were once seemingly inexhaustible such as high quality East Indian Rosewood and Sitka spruce now require a great deal of effort to procure. Greenpeace and the Forestry Stewardship Council have both made predictions that the commercial supply of Sitka spruce could be exhausted within 10 – 15 years unless rapid and radical changes are implemented. And even though it nearly defies imagination, forest grown East Indian Rosewood sets are harder to procure than Brazilian Rosewood.

Rather than adjusting my standards to the lower grades of wood which are available I have been scouring the earth (sometimes literally) looking for the very best lumber and sets. When I find a good stash I buy as much as I am able so that my guitars (and my customers) can continue to enjoy these wonderful materials. Consequently the prices reflect this effort as well as the scarcity of these wonderful resources.

Rest assured though, my standard guitar offering is very nicely appointed and far beyond what you would expect in a baseline model. I am fastidious about detail. No guitar leaves my shop unless it looks and plays perfectly. I go to great lengths to sweat the details on every guitar I build – after all a well cared for guitar could easily be enjoyed for 100 years or more, so it is worth the effort to make sure it looks and sounds perfect.

Base Price

Base Price	$4,650
Approximate time to delivery	currently 18 months

* If you would like a guitar sooner, please contact me. My build list usually includes a few spaces per year for dealers and guitars built exclusively for guitar shows.

Standard appointments and options include your choice of premium grade Honduran Mahogany or East Indian Rosewood

• Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce or Western Red Cedar top woods
• Adirondack spruce bracing
• Double side construction
• Solid or Laminated Mahogany neck with double acting truss rod and carbon fiber reinforcements
• Headstock backstrap veneer matching trim appointments
• Ebony or Rosewood fingerboard
• Bound finger board and head stock
• Ebony or Rosewood wood bindings and trim
• My signature wood & abalone rosette with bound sound hole
• Plain or "mini dot" fingerboard inlay
• Ebony or Rosewood bridge
• Bone nut, saddle and bridge pins
• Chrome Waverly tuners with your choice of oval ivorid buttons, oval silver buttons or ebony buttons
• High gloss Catalyzed Urethane finish
• A premium quality Ameritage case with built in climate control system

If you wish to personalize your instrument with specific tonewoods, electronics, or appointments this is perfectly acceptable. Below are just a few of the upgrade options that are possible.

Construction Options

Double Top Construction	$1,500
Double Back Construction	$1,000
Venetian Cutaway	$600
Florentine Cutaway	$650
Segmented Rosette	$250
Custom designed Rosette	$350 and up
Bound oval sound port	$250

Binding and trim

Brazilian Rosewood	$200
Madagascar Rosewood	$150
High Curl Koa	$250
High Curl Maple	$250
Cocobolo	$100
High Figure Snakewood	$250
Other woods...	Inquire

Additional appointment options

Micro Abalone Top Purfling	$400
Micro Abalone Backstrip	$100
Micro Abalone Back Purfling	$400
Fossilized Walrus Ivory Nut, Saddle or Pins	Inquire
Custom Inlay	Inquire

Optional Toneoods

Adirondack Spruce	$250 and up
European Spruce (Swiss, Italian, German, Carpathian)	$200 and up
Lutz Spruce	$150
LS Redwood (extremely limited quantities)	$1,000
"Carter" Redwood	$200 - 400

Brazilian Rosewood	$1,250 and up
Madagascar Rosewood	$750 and up
Cocobolo	$600 and up
Amazon Rosewood (limited quantities)	$900
Other rosewood species	Inquire
Flamed Maple	$450
Quilted Maple	$550
Figured Mahogany (limited availability)	$350 and up
Cuban Mahogany(limited availability)	$300 and up
Quilted Sapele (5A Quality)	$650
Quilted Sapele (Gem quality sets)	$1,500
Highly Flamed Koa (AAA Quality)	$750
Highly Flamed Koa (Master Grade)	$1,500
Highly Flamed Walnut	$450
Macassar Ebony	$650 and up
Malaysian Blackwood	$650
High Curl Oregon Myrtle	$550
Ziricote	$750
(other woods available upon request)

Finish Options

Top tint	$300
Custom Sunburst (Top only)	$350
Custom Sunburst (Top, back, sides, neck)	$750

Electronics

K&K Pure Western	$300
Fishman Systems	$200 and up
LR Baggs Systems	$250 and up
(for other options please inquire)

Tuners

Waverly Gold	$125
Other Waverly	Inquire
Gotoh 510 Mini’s w/ black buttons	$150

Cases

Calton Case

$800

Placing an order

In order to secure a place on my build schedule I require a non-refundable $500 deposit and an initial specification of the model, options and appointments. Upon receiving these I will issue a letter that confirms the order and locks in the price. At this time I will give you an approximate timeline of when construction will begin and when you may expect the instrument to be completed. Certain unique items may require an additional interim payment when construction begins (such as elaborate inlays).

Guarantee / Warrantee

Each of my guitars is warranted to the original owner to be free of defects in materials and workmanship during my working life as a luthier. I want you to be completely satisfied with your guitar. You will have a 48-hour approval period in which to test-drive your guitar. Should you decide not to keep your guitar you MUST contact me by phone at 614-746-5695 to arrange a return and refund. Provided the instrument is returned in perfect condition, a refund, minus your initial nonrefundable deposit of $500.00 will be issued.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Guitars with custom inlay or special design options are refunded upon resale only. The amount refunded will be equal to the resale amount, but not greater than the original purchase price.

The customer must FULLY insure all returns. Any damage resulting from the return shipment is the responsibility of the customer and carrier. I will not refund a guitar that's been damaged in return shipment. This is an issue the customer will need to take up with the carrier.

If at any point in the guitar’s life the guitar needs work please contact me. I will either recommend that you have the guitar evaluated by a qualified professional of my choosing or send it back to me to be evaluated at my shop. If I determine that the work is to be covered under warranty I will either personally fix it or have a qualified tech in your area fix it at my expense. I am generous with warranty repairs, but items that are never covered include (but are not limited to) excessive humidity damage, excessive heat damage, damage to the finish, or normal wear and tear.

Shipping

Upon receipt and clearance of your final payment, your guitar will be shipped via overnight delivery. Quoted instrument prices do not include shipping, insurance, taxes or handling charges. These fees will be in addition to the final purchase price of the instrument. Payment can be made by cash, check or money order.