Options

Choose from many combinations of exotic woods, sound boards, scale lengths, and up to 10 strings on certain models.

Back/Side Woods

BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD

Starting $500
Considered by many the king of tone woods. It is very rich, clear, punchy, and focused with depth, strength, and metallic brightness.

Current price depends on availability/quality.

INDIAN ROSEWOOD

No Charge
The old Indian forest variety is becoming harder to come by. The best of it is similar to Brazilian — very high and resonant. Mostly what is available is the plantation variety. In general, the sound is very rich and warm.

COCOBOLO

+$110
A rival to Brazilian in both appearance and sound. Extremely heavy and dense. Dust can be hazardous to work with.

ZIRICOTE

+$350
Another striking exotic. Although not a true Rosewood, it shares all its tonal qualities with unsurpassed beauty.

HONDURAN ROSEWOOD

+$100
A true Rosewood, it has a glass-like crystalline tap tone much like Brazilian and, tonally, some consider it to be the only legitimate rival to Brazilian. It usually has a lighter salmon color and straight grain.

BLACK ACACIA, JARRAH AND SHEOAK

+$150
Aussie down-under woods.

EURO MAPLE

+$100
This was the standard back/side wood for guitars up through the 1800s. Unmatched beauty in the Flamed and Birdseye varieties. Makes for a bright, woody and crisp-sounding guitar.

Fingerboards

EBONY

No Charge
The standard for finger boards. A very dense and hard wood in either black colour or with slight brown grain marks.

ELEVATED FINGERBOARD

+$400
Allows for easier access to the higher registers. More and more guitars are being made with fingerboard elevation.

SNAKEWOOD

Head +$50, Bridge +$50, Bandings +$150, Fingerboard +$300
A very rare and extremely hard wood. Makes great fingerboards. The grain displays a stunning ripple effect.

Finish

FRENCH POLISH TOP

+$200
Laquer on the back and sides with a French polished top provides the best of both worlds in tone and durability.

FRENCH POLISH ENTIRE GUITAR

+$600
A painstaking hand process providing superior sonic results.

Custom Options

CUTAWAY

+$200
For those who want a “crossover” style guitar, or just ultimate access to the higher notes.

DOUBLE THICKNESS SIDES OR CEDAR LINED

+$300
Adds extra stability to the guitar, perhaps giving it extended longevity. Some feel the added stiffness helps to transfer more vibration energy to the soundboard, resulting in more response and volume.

CUSTOM SCALE LENGTH

No Charge
Darren has made many shorter scale guitars. Scales available (in mm) are 613, 622, 630, 635, 640, 644, 648, 650, 652, 655, 660, 665. Also a variety of other specs can be customized such as nut width, saddle spacing, etc.

EXTRA STRINGS

+$200 per string
Darren has built 8 and 10-string guitars for such notable players as Andrew Schulman, Gordon Kreplin, and Perf DeCastro.

Soundboards

ENGELMANN SPRUCE

No Charge
Similar to Euro without the lush complex overtones, quicker to open. Excellent substitute to Euro, best for fingerstyle.

GERMAN SPRUCE (EURO)

+$50-150 (inquire for current price)
Considered by many the best top for classicals. It takes longer to break in, but it is worth the effort. Very rich, majestic, and complex with lush overtones. Bright, clear, focused, quick and crisp, with a wide range.

SITKA SPRUCE

No Charge
Sitka has a dry, raspy brightness, best balance between the ranges: bass-mids-trebles. It takes longer to open than both Euro and Engelmann. It is most suitable for steel string guitars due to its strength and longevity.

CEDAR

No Charge
Cedar is loud, powerful, rich and dark, slightly unfocused, with immediate openness. It envelopes the player with sound, but may not project quite as well as spruce.

REDWOOD

No Charge
Punchy brightness and brilliant highs, sensitive, lyrical, fat bottom end.

Cases

TKL DELUX CASE

+$125
This is a nice upgrade from the standard hardshell included in your order. Provides excellent protection for use at home and local travel.

CALTON DELUX CASE

+$500
The ultimate in protection and a must if you do any air travel.

Tuners

GILBERT TUNERS

+$150
The Gilberts are super smooth and offer a modernistic look.

SLOANE TUNERS

+$150
Sloane tuners are a visual delight and function flawlessly. Inquire about other tuner option that may be available.

We can create your dream guitar

WITH CAREFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP AND THE WORLD’S FINEST DESIGNS AND MATERIALS

CALL US