Cumpiano steel-string "in-the-white" guitars
Choose one; I'll then finish it and send it off to you.
Browse down through the gallery, or go to our index where these guitars are sorted by size and type.
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wrc 209 Ziricote
14-fret Thin Jumbo
For musicians who prefer the rich low-end that only a jumbo guitar can provide—yet find that most deep-bodied jumbo guitars are just too big to wrap your arms around comfortably—I offer a soundbox scheme developed by New York city makers Ivon Schmukler and Matt Umanov during the 1960s. They took castoff Martin C-series arch-top, flat-backed guitars and replaced the old arched tops with new x-braced flat sound boards. The result was a guitar that was larger in width than anything on the market at the time, but with sides that were as narrow as 14- and 15-inch guitars of the time. A guitar that was large, with a large, deep and resonant sound, yet was less bulky to hold—was the result.
$5400.00 plus case and shipping
Select Honduras mahogany
Matching ziricote/back-stripe marquetry
Master-grade Englemann spruce
Central American Ziricote
Matching Central American Ziricote
Ceylon Ebony
Zig-zag wood marquetry
White fiber line around body, sides and back
Central American Cocobolo
Chrome Gotohs
First ring: fine bwb lines; Second ring: Paua snail circle bordered with fine bwb lines
25.4 in.
(645 mm)
4 1/8 in.
(10.5 cm)
16 1/8 in.
(41 cm)
Thai rosewood
1 11/16 in.
(43 mm)
2 1/8 in.
(54 mm)
wrc 257 Indian Rosewood
Deep-bodied 12-fret
Jumbo steel-string
A guitar of impressive size! This is my own impression of the rare Martin 12-fret Dreadnaught template, which recalls the "bass guitars" CF Martin made for the Oliver Ditson Co. during the early 1930s. My own 12 fret jumbo guitars are not bass guitars though--although I have used the same template in the past for special-project four-string acoustic bass guitars. This standard-scale jumbo guitar is, however, deep, dark and resonant, a guitar with "broad shoulders."
The configuration makes it suited for balladeering and Delta-blues picking. It's master-grade East Indian back and sides are nothing less than perfect in their straightness, uniformity and coloration, The neck is slightly wider than the standard for larger hands.
$5600.00 plus case and shipping
Select Honduras mahogany
Master-grade Kermode spruce
Master-grade East-Indian rosewood
Deep-curl broad-leaf maple
Ceylon Ebony
German Schaller chrome minis
Cocobolo with rosewood bridge pins, each w. brass-bordered pearl dot inlay
Std. 3-ring, bwb fine lines on outer ring; herringbone marquetry center ring
25.4 in.
(645 mm)
1 7/8 in.
(47.5 mm)
2 1/8 in.
(54 mm)
Herringbone marquetry on top;
bwb fiber lines on back
Deep-curl broad-leaf maple to match binding
4 3/4 in.
(12 cm)
15 3/4 in.
(40 cm)
East Indian rosewood
Herringbone marquetry
wrc 264 Cocobolo
12-fret Grand concert size
steel string guitar
One thing which factory production instruments can't offer and hand-builder can is to take care that the back AND sides are flitch-cut: that is, that both back and side plate slices are sequentially sawn out from a single original thick plank of tonewood.
From an aesthetic standpoint, certainly, this confers not only symmetry but also a visual integrity to the soundbox, one which is impossible to achieve in a mass-production setting. It is only one visible—among the many invisible—differences between artisanal and factory-made.
This particular guitar is an example of this: it has both sides and all three back-plates resawn from a single original plank of high-figure cocobolo. Further,, the fingerboard, bridge and headpiece veneer have all been made from rosewood to also achieve a frontal integrity. So this entire instrument is a fine example of a conscious exercise of color and grain balance and symmetry.
$5800.00 plus case and shipping
Master-grade Kermode spruce
Select Honduras mahogany
Flitch-cut and matched Central American Cocobolo rosewood
Central American Cocobolo rosewood
bwb fiber lines bordering a flitch-cut Cocobolo rosewood center panel
Central American Cocobolo rosewood with ebony bridge pins each w. a paua center dot
Chrome Schaller minis for slotted peghead
Central American Cocobolo rosewood
Ring 1: fine bwb fiber lines:
Ring 2: herringbone marquetry circle
Central American Cocobolo rosewood
25.4 in.
(645 mm)
1 3/4 in.
(44.5 mm)
2 1/8 in.
(54 mm)
Rock maple
Top: herringbone marquetry
Back: black-white-black fiber lines
4-1/4 in.
(108 mm)
15 in.
(38 cm)
wrc 262
Honduras Mahogany
14-fret sweet scale
$4200.00 plus case and shipping
Select Honduras mahogany
Select Honduras mahogany
Master-grade British Columbia Kermodie spruce
Curly broad-leaf maple
Ceylon Ebony
Black and white mosaic marquetry
Top: black and white fiber lines
Ceylon ebony with ebony bridge pins, each w. brass-bordered abalone dot inlay
Wavery chrome tuner with butter bean knobs
Hiigh figure curly Hawaii koa
2-ring, one with herringbone circle
Brazillian rosewood
1-3/4 in.
(44.5 mm)
2-3/16 in.
(55.5 mm)
25.4 in.
(645 mm)
4-1/4 in.
(108 mm)
15-1/8 in.
(384 mm)
wrc 226-1
Brazilian rosewood
12-fret short scale
$5100.00 plus case and shipping
Select Honduras mahogany
Brazilian rosewood
Master-grade British Columbia Kermodie spruce
Brazilian rosewood
Ceylon Ebony
Herringbone mosaic marquetry
Top: black and white "rope" mosaic marquetry
Back: black and white fiber lines
Brazilian rosewood
Schaller chrome Minis
Brazilian rosewood
2-ring, one with herringbone circle
Brazilian rosewood
1 7/8 in.
47.5 mm.
2 1/8 in.
54 mm.
24.9 in.
632.5 mm.
4 in.
101.5 mm.
15 in.
381 mm.
wrc 212
Madagascar Rosewood
14-fret Dreadnaught
$5800.00 plus case and shipping
Select Honduras mahogany
Master grade Canadian Sitka spruce
Madagascar rosewood
(Dalbergia baronii)
Basswood
Ceylon Ebony
Abalone-shell strip inlay
Black-white-black; fiber lines
Ceylon ebony with ebony bridge pins, each w. mother-of-pearl dot inlay
Schaller M6 black finish
Brazilian rosewood
Ring 1: fine bwb fiber lines:
Ring 2: abalone strip circle
Basswood
1-3/4 in.
(44.5 mm)
2 1/8 in.
(54 mm)
25.4 in.
(645 mm)
4-7/8 in.
(12.4 cm)
15-3/4 in.
(40 cm)
wrc 242
East Indian Rosewood
14-fret sweet scale
Grand concert
A powerful, resonant tone and an outstanding sustaining sound is the result of the combination of a deep body and a innovative x-brace made of moulded graphite by the Fibersonixx© company.
$5400.00 plus case and shipping
Select Honduras mahogany
Master grade Englemann spruce
Master-grade East Indian rosewood
Curly Norwegian maple
Ceylon ebony
Custom multicololor marquetry
Half-herringbone ("rope") pattern strips
Ceylon ebony w. ebony bridge pins with pearl dot and brass ring
Gotoh minis, chrome finish
Macassar ebony
Single herringbone ring inlay
East Indlian rosewood
15 1/8 in.
384 mm.
4-3/16 in.
(106 mm)
24.9 in.
(632 mm)
2-3/16 in.
(55.5 mm)
1-11/16 in.
(43 mm)
wrc 284
Quartered Sycamore
14-fret thin Jumbo
Loud, bold, complex tone and a wonderfully complex medullary ray pattern on its soundbox result in a dramatic and unusual instrument made from renewable, domestic timbers.
$4400.00 plus case and shipping