In the world of electric mandolins, it is a truth universally acknowledged that the more widely available the instrument, the lower the quality. But the Eastman El Rey may be poised to change all that. Introduced at Winter NAMM 2019, the El Rey hits stores this summer. At $1299...
The fretboard of Linda Manzer's out-of-this-world Dark Universe 12-string guitar.
Portland, Oregon's Charles Freeborn had three acoustics all boasting unique bridges like this. This one was called the Petit Quartre.
Curly Creek Guitars was having fun stretching beyond the classic guitar shapes.
Irvin Guitars.
Chicago's Caton Guitar's created an elegant alternative to the typical soundport location.
Truckee, California's Randall Kramer.
A gorgeous rosette found on a Lame Horse acoustic.
Charles Fox was one of many legendary luthiers on-hand at La Conner.
Renton, Washington's Cedar Mountain Mandolin Company had some gorgeous instruments on display.
Brier Road of Adams, Massachusetts.
Bellingham Washington's Bright Guitars.
A lovely cutaway detail found on one of Michael Baranik's guitars.
A gorgeous rosette spotted on one of Michel Pellerin's guitars.
A recently finished guitar by Leo Buendia featuring wood from The Tree.
A uke by DL Noble, also built from the legendary The Tree.
Throughout the weekend, La Conner's Maple Hall was packed with guitar enthusiasts.
A nice touch on Mark Gaiero's guitar. Gaiero is making a concerted effort to use sustainable tonewoods.
Mark Gaiero makes some dramatic changes to the typically-round acoustic guitar rosette.
You can see the Somogyi influence on the guitars of Leo Buendia, along with some thoroughly original flourishes.
Bill Tippin continues to craft some of the finest acoustic guitars available anywhere. This was his La Conner lineup.
The unmistakable bridge of one of Steve Klein's guitars.
A couple of great acoustics from Bend, Oregon's Rebecca Urlacher.
Oregon's Mitchell Paulson guitars.
Maegen Well's archtops continue to astound us. These two belonged to Jaimie Stillway and Mark Goldenberg.
Closeup on a Maxmonte Guitar, handmade in Italy.
Sam Guidry has been studying Mokume gane, a traditional Japanese metalworking technique. He dubbed this guitar Mokume Crazy #1.
Another view of Guidry's metal-themed Mokume Crazy #1.
Wyatt Wilkie's gorgeous lineup of archtops and mandolins.
Circle Strings Guitars brought this gorgeous electric mandolin to the show, featuring a custom pickup by TK Smith.
The entire Circle Strings lineup. Luthier Adam Buchwald also brought a couple examples of his new Iris guitars (left).
The entire Baranik Guitars lineup.
Steve Andersen's archtops, a favorite of Bill Frisell and numerous other jazz musicians.
The distinctive lines of a Cris Mirabella archtop.
Linda Manzer's Star Trek-inspired Dark Universe 12-string guitar. Her Star Trek-loving client also commissioned a companion guitar dubbed Space Odyssey.
Closeup of an archtop crafted by Otto D'Ambrosio.
A striking green sunburst on an archtop from Cris Mirabella.
A slothead, cutaway acoustic from Bend, Oregon's Butch Boswell.
Eric Weigeshoff of Skytop Guitars proves that you don't need a front-facing soundhole to produce an exceptional guitar.
For the third year in a row, luthiers and guitar fanatics from around North America converged upon the sleepy town of La Conner, Washington for the La Conner Guitar Festival. Though the festival is ostensibly a showcase for acoustic guitar luthiers, there are now workshops, clinics and concerts taking...
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