At a certain point, it’s no longer about quality.

There’s something that top-tier boutique guitar builders understand that many players don’t. If you have the opportunity to speak with them and the topic of other high-end, hand-built brands comes up, you would likely be surprised by their thoughts and comments. Specifically, it’s unlikely you will hear them claim that their guitars are “better” than others. You may even hear them freely offering compliments.

Why is that? It could be for many reasons: humility, friendships in a small industry, or a focused commitment to their own work, just to name a few. Certainly, each builder has their own reasons, conscious or not, to praise, or at least not criticize, their competitors.

I believe, however, there are two common reasons they all share, and one is particularly relevant to you as a consumer.

The first is simple: respect. As builders themselves, they understand the immense work required to craft a top-tier instrument while sustaining a successful business. Many people can build high-quality instruments, but few can do so in quantities that support a commercial enterprise. Even fewer can successfully combine exceptional craftsmanship with sound business practices to maintain the highest standards year after year. If they didn’t respect others who have also reached that level, I would question a great deal about them.

The second reason, and the one most relevant to you as a consumer, is that they know their guitars aren’t, in fact, objectively “better” than those of their peers. Don’t confuse healthy pride (something we want in a builder) with arrogance. As craftsmen and craftswomen, they know firsthand that there comes a point at which an instrument cannot be made meaningfully better, from a quality perspective. They are all using the same limited supply of premium tonewoods. They are all employing the same foundational woodworking skills and techniques passed down through generations- though their applications may differ. They are all building the finest guitars that can be made at commercial quantities today.

They understand, as you as a consumer should too, that at this level, it’s no longer about quality. It’s about subjectivity. It’s about what makes that specific guitar feel like it was meant for you, the player. It’s about feel, fit, sound, and aesthetics- all deeply personal and subjective elements. Top-tier builders know they’re not “better” in any absolute sense, but they strive to be the best match for a certain subset of players. They aim to be, and are, vastly superior to lower-quality and mass-produced guitars.

So why does this matter to you as a consumer? Understanding what the builders themselves know about quality frees you to find the best guitar for you, regardless of brand. No top-tier guitar is flawless, regardless of what people may say- nothing made of wood by human hands ever is- but they’re all the same proximity to it. They differ in those subjective areas we’ve mentioned, certainly, but they are all near equals in quality. 

If you understand this, you’re far more likely to find your perfect guitar- agnostic of brand and claims of unrivaled mastery (which, notably, tend to originate from guitar sellers and not builders). You may even save a significant amount of money by choosing one absent a name premium. We don’t carry every top-tier brand, so we may not have your perfect guitar. We do carry what we consider to be best in class- subjectively, those we think have the best fit, feel, sound, aesthetic, or function and much less subjectively, though not entirely free of it, value.

Reach out if you’re searching for your perfect guitar, we’d love to help.