Modern Guitar Builders
Campellone | Buscarino | Megas | Unger | Zimnicki | Ribbecke
John Buscarino
A GUITAR'S PRIMARY FUNCTION
is usually measured in musical terms: it's ability to produce precise notes,
chords and passages on demand. Consistency is the ultimate test of its
perfection. But to the master luthier and craftsman John Buscarino, this is only
a beginning. 
John is one of the
few luthiers working today, a solo artisan handcrafting guitars suited to each
customer's personal needs. His instruments are prized not just for the beautiful
sounds they produce, but also as the cherished possessions they inevitably
become. Guitar player Steve Morse considers his Buscarino guitars
"treasured works of art," as do many of John's customers.
John is unique among today's guitar builders in that he apprenticed with not one
but two master luthiers. The first was Augustine LoPrinzi, from whom
John learned the finer points of building classical guitars. John later worked
with famed archtop builder Robert Benedetto, spending years perfecting the
woodworking skills that today make him a master luthier in his own right.
John has created hundreds of exquisite guitars using proven methods passed down
over generations. He is constantly refining these time-tested techniques, taking
each to new levels of perfection in mastering the art of lutherie. We are
proud to represent his fine line of guitars at Murch
Music !
Visit
John's Website !!
The archtop guitars of Ted Megas are acknowledged as among
the finest made today, owned by players and collectors worldwide.
What distinguishes Megas instruments from those of other luthiers and
inspires such fervent loyalty from his customers?
To understand, go back beyond Ted’s twenty-plus years of
serious guitar making, back to the origins of his passion for fine
musicmaking. There was first his father’s basement workshop, where Ted
had unlimited
access to woodworking tools and developed his knack for being able to build
just about anything he set his mind to, musical and otherwise. Close
upon this was the teenage discovery that guitars and guitar music were way
beyond cool. It being the sixties, a rebellious spirit illuminated his
path, beginning with Hendrix, segueing into McLaughlin, Montgomery and a
stint exploring jazz-rock fusion in his own band in Buffalo, New York.
Ted’s iconoclastic nature brought him to San Francisco in
the early 70’s, where for years he led a double life of custom
furniture builder by day, jazz player by night: one put food on the
table, the other fed
his soul. But even then his craftsmanship was beginning to take the
turn that would lead to the most rewarding expression of his creative talents:
the art of lutherie. As with all his pursuits an intrepid
spirit of exploration, coupled with a musician’s sense of what a guitar
really needs to work and the critical eye of a perfectionist, led the way.
He experimented with designs and concepts that were way ahead of
the 80’s mindset, finally coming to focus his energies on that most demanding,
aesthetically beautiful and musically pleasing of instruments: the
archtop guitar. He mined the lutherie tradition for
its relevant lessons, then added his own distinctive touches. There he
resides today, taking on every last aspect in the construction of 12 genuinely
handcrafted instruments each year from the finest tonewoods
and building materials available on the planet.
What will you find in a Megas guitar? A craftsman’s
fanatical attention to detail. An understanding and commitment to
superlative materials. A genius for the nuances of archtop guitar
design and
construction. The knowledge that a great guitar is much more than the
simple sum of its parts.
The vision to put it all together.
The proof is in the playing. Pick up a
Megas guitar: play it, inspect it for all the qualities you expect in a
fine instrument. Read what his customers have to say. Ask him
what he has to say. It could open up
a whole new world of appreciation for what an archtop guitar can be.
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Gary has been building custom-made guitars for over 20 years. His approach to guitar building is to incorporate the features that you desire in your personal handmade instrument. Although he has found certain elements to always work successfully and will use them when you don't have a strong opinion, he encourages your involvement in planning the design of your instrument.
The result of this collaboration will be a finely made guitar with exceptional tone, playability and beauty that is perfectly matched to your needs and desires.
As of late 1998 Gary has successfully used this approach to complete over
100 guitars.
![[Archtop]](Arch1.jpg)
Member of A.S.I.A. (Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans)
Member of Guild of American Luthiers
Go to the Zimnicki website for more information.
We are proud to be able to offer instruments to our customer that are made by mater guitar builder Tom Ribbecke -- we will be involved in a very interesting project with Tom over the next year. He will be building a custom one of a kind instrument for us and we will be updating the site on a regular basis showing the progress of this great instrument -- this way you " the customer" will be able to watch the very exciting process of a custom order instrument unfold on our website and have the opportunity to be able to participate in the excitement anyone has going through this process.
Tom
has been building and repairing guitars and basses for twenty-five years in the
San Francisco bay area. He opened his first lutherie business in 1975 in
the Mission district of San Francisco. After ten years (and thousands of repairs
and custom building for clients), He closed the storefront in order to
concentrate on commission building.
For details on the Custom guitar please click here !
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