Who's Your Second Favorite Builder?

[JasonA]

Favorite custom builder: Baranik
Favorite more affordably priced custom builder: Paragon
Favorite factory guitar: Larrivee

[mcozma]

Another vote for Guild - their maple jumbos smoke.

[TDK]

Favorite custom builder: Vince Pawless (www.pawless.com)
Favorite factory guitar: Larrivee  

[samarks]

Santa Cruz or Goodall, with the edge going to Goodall for quality of wood.

Sadly, I don't own either...yet.

[thomgs1]

Martin.

[AcousTronic]

MORGAN... I guess it's very fitting since he learned guitar building from Jean Larrivee.  

[tiffer]

Breedlove (and espcially their new revival OM's), SCGC, Goodall, Martin

[NewStrings]

(1) Goodall
(2) Collings
(3) Santa Cruz
(4) Froggy Bottom
(5) Tippen

And I was fortunate enough lately to add the Goodall to my collection.  Very, very sweet guitar.  I'm in love!!!

NewStrings

[Stringdancer]

We all know Larrivee is first, but who would your second choice be?
For purposes of the study, please don't pick Taylor, Martin or Tacoma!
And NO Asian imports!


So sorry my friend,but I own Martins and Larrivees
and these are the only guitars that I play on a daily
basis.The best of both worlds,In my opinion!!, feel
free to ponder that thought. ;)

  Mike

[Sam]

J.A. Duncan, a former builder with Larrivee here in Vancouver, is now busy with a very worthwhile cause called Duncan Africa. Have a look at this website..
www.duncanafrica.com.

He's building guitars again, i personally went to check out some of the guitars his workers in Africa built. All the wood are acquired from Larrivee, but his experimenting also with local African wood.
The one guitar "Selah" model, which is an OM type, sounded incredible. Since he's just started up this cause to raise funds, the guitars right now are priced comparable to 3 series pricing. These are handmade, small builder type guitars, with great craftmanship, tone and feel, built in Africa to help people in this village sustain a living.
For anyone in the vancouver area, i'd recommend dropping Jay an email to check out the guitars.
I put a deposit down on one already, expecting it in the fall. :-)
Coincidentally, I started to email Jay about 3 years ago, never met him til now, as he was the builder of my classical guitar i bought used.
It's great to meet the builder of an instrument i own, so much information and knowledge as to why he built it the way he did. Of course, it was great for him to see a guitar he built 10 years ago, come back full circle too. Very nice guitars, but an even nicer builder!

[canoe65]

Before I got my Larrivée, I had two guitars made by the Godin family of companies ... a Seagull S6+ Cedar and a La Patrie Etude classical ... and like my Larrivée, they were made in Canada.

I have to say that my Second Favourite Guitar Builder are Seagull guitars made by Robert Godin .... Outstanding guitars - sound, looks, quality, and very affordable.   

[Jeff]

My vote's for Lowden.  I played a used cedar top recently that I couldn't put down. 

[Carlos4]

Northwood I have 2 of them,
Lo Prinzi,
Lakewood,
Laurent Brondel,
Andrew White

[bhika]

I have a Thompson T-1 that is an exceptional guitar.

[Danny]

As bad as they can be sometimes, I would have to say Gibson.  If you can find a good one (I did), they can be great, and definitely have a unique sound. 

I thought I was going to be the only one for Gibson. They make and have made some that are as good as any builder, and some flounders as well.   Danny

[noyage]

ive always thought that Huss & Dalton's are pretty cool for some reason. really old school looks and tone. id like to have one myself. 

I'm with the creature on this one.  Hog 00-SP I played years ago still haunts me...

[Capodave]

David Webber
Great hand built guitars at reasonable prices.
I have a signature Roundbody.
I have played other models he makes...they all sing!

[ronmac]

Dana Bourgeois is definitely at the top of my list. 

I have GAS for a lot of instruments, but the one that really gets me wanting to spend some of my hard earned is a Bourgeois Slope dread, Adi over Mahogany.  Every one I have played has just slayed me.

[seungmo82]

Lakewood~

[lw216316]

"favorite' is hard to answer without some sort of qualification -

is price a consideration ?  Can I call it a favorite if I've never owed one ?

Many brands have been mentioned that I've never played but might be a ' favorite ' if I did.  - such as Olson

I recently went to a concert in Nashville that featured half a dozen famous pickers - including P. Huttlinger and M. Anderson -
to my ear, the best sounder guitar there was a Collings  -  so that is a 'favorite ' I have heard but not played.

Of the guitars I have played (but not owned) - a Santa Cruz 000 was my favorite - but it cost more than twice what I paid for my new SD-50 -

- Larry