Here is one of the latest guitars I’m working on. The back and sides of the guitar are spalted tamarind.
I received a custom order for a mandocello with a guitar body.
In 2013 I was commissioned to build a custom acoustic guitar for Snap On Tools. They wanted a guitar for a promotional event, it had to be playable since it was going to be played on stage in Nashville and they wanted the neck to look like a Snap-On wrench. It required extensive artwork and graphics but in the end they got exactly what they wanted. Now it hangs in the Snap-On museum in Kenosha WI.
The 21 string hollow arm harp guitar is the most logical layout for getting the most notes easily accessible on a harp guitar. This harp guitar is influenced heavily by the John Doan harp guitar which was designed and built by Jeffery Elliot and John Sullivan.
The top is Sitka spruce, back and sides are Indian rosewood. The neck is made from mahogany with an ebony fingerboard and bridge. The body is bound in curly maple and paua abalone and finished in lacquer.
There are a total of 21 strings, 7 sub-bass, 6 melody, 8 super trebles. In this case they are tuned (low to high) EFGABCD EADGBE efgabcde for a total of 5 octaves. The sub-basses are wound nylon, the melody strings are phos bronze and the super trebles are steel.
If you are interested in commisioning a custom harp guitar please let me know and we can discuss tunings, woods, inlay. etc. Every one is unique and built to custom order. If you would like more information feel free to contact me at Jim@WorlandGuitars.com
The lyra harp guitar is inspired by William Eaton who built the original Lyraharp Guitar. Played like a standard guitar, the harp guitarist can pluck the harp strings or let them ring along with the melody strings adding depth to the overall sound.
The top is Sitka spruce, back and sides are Hawiian Koa wood. The necks are made from mahogany and topped with ebony. The body and necks are trimmed in curly maple.
There are a total of 24 strings, 10 sub-bass, 6 melody and 8 super trebles. They can be tuned any way the played wants and sound great when tuned to open tunings.
If you are interested in commisioning a lyra harp guitar please let me know and we can discuss tunings, woods, inlay. etc. Every one is unique and built to custom order. If you would like more information feel free to contact me.
The Gibson model U harp guitar was a fairly popular harp guitar when they were made between the 1890’s and the 1930’s. They are big and heavy and are not as popular among harp guitarists today as the Dyer style.
My version of the Gisbon model U is built like a modern flat top guitar with braced top and back rather than the carved arch top and back of the originals. This gives it a sound more like a flat top guitar that most people are used to. It also makes for a lighter more responsive instrument. The body is scaled down to make it less cumbersome to hold.
The top of this particular example is cedar, back and sides are curly walnut with curly maple binding. The necks are made from mahogany with ebony fittings. It has 6 sub basses tuned with geared banjo tuners.
If you are interested in commisioning a harp guitar please let me know and we can discuss tunings, woods, inlay. etc. Every one is unique and built to custom order. If you would like more information feel free to contact me.
The Lyra harp guitar is inspired by William Eaton who built the original Lyraharp Guitar.
This version was designed in close collaboration with Echo Greywolf, the musician who now owns and plays it.
The Harp Guitar is played like a standard guitar, the harp guitarist can pluck the harp strings or let them ring along with the melody strings adding depth to the overall sound.
A highly customized vintage style guitar that was designed by the customer. The shape is based on a 1930’s Gibson L-00 that caught his eye. All of the appointments were specified by the customer, from the peghead shape which he found on an old National to the inlay inspired from a Silvertone. Some of his comments:
Read a review of this guitar on the Acoustic Guitar forum
“Well, you’ve outdone yourself again, Jim, and beat my expectations, too. Wow! This guitar is just so amazing. To be honest, I was a bundle of nerves all day (lots of butterflies). It arrived around 3 pm, but I didn’t get up the nerve to open the box until 6 pm. And then once I had the case out of the box, I was afraid to lift the lid. Maryann just laughed at me and opened it for me. What a sight! To my eyes, the most beautiful guitar I’ve ever seen.
The lush Honduran rosewood, the amazing color and shading, the lovely binding, purfling, and rosette. The cool peghead shape. The extra cool-looking inlays. I was surprised to see that your gold MOP logo matches perfectly with the vintage-style tuning keys. Beautiful craftsmanship all around. Fit and finish look perfect.
You know I love the vintage body shape, but the slim soft-V neck was a bit of a gamble, and yet it feels perfect. I tuned it up and played just a little (because I’m afraid I’ll scratch it), and it sounds young but really fine already. I was surprised at the bass and huge volume for such a small bodied guitar. It’s bright and clear and really rings out. And to think it will only get better. I’ll play a lot more tomorrow (and for years, I’m sure) but for now I’m content to just marvel at its stunning beauty.
You can’t get a guitar like this at Guitar Center at any price, and even though there are plenty of fine sounding and playing guitars at the better shops, you put the whole package together for me: beautiful tone, great feel, and everything I wanted in vintage looks. A simple “thank you” seems too little for such a fine thing, but here it is — Thanks! ”
This Jumbo model was built as a fingerstyle performance guitar. It has a koa back and sides with a sitka spruce top and a sharp cutaway. Some comments from the owner after picking up his new guitar:
Jim, thanks again for the fine work! Sorry I couldn’t stay longer: it promised to be a long day and I finally pulled in here at 4:45 totally exhausted. But Taylor people will tell you that you only need 30 seconds to tell whether a guitar is any good or not, and yours blew me away in15! I can tell you right now that it’s at least as good if not better than my 510! I may take it up to the jam session on Tuesday in Coopersville if the weather permits. Again thanks! rdw
Yah, I figured you meant “with it”. I hope to do that in the spring when I re-record a couple of tracks off my first CD. In the mean time, I finally got around to playing it this afternoon, what with church and letting it “climatize” and I would say it’s FANTASTIC, INCREDIBLE, THE BEST THING I’VE EVER PLAYED! Did I get that emphatic enough? It reminds me of a D-35 I played many years ago at my buddy’s store the day I bought my Guild instead – couldn’t afford the Martin. It just took the place of my 414 on Double Drop D and I’m putting that up for sale ASAP so I can get the Breedlove by Christmas. Best of wishes for the upcoming holidays – RDW