Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

David’s kept this wood in his collection for decades. It comes from a tree in Angola, Africa, harvested by his grandfather in the 1920s. The top is master-grade Sitka spruce, which has been curing in David’s shop for over twenty years. This is only the second guitar made from this spectacular quilted wood; his son Eli has the other one — a 00-sized guitar with a pointed cutaway.

• Quilted old growth African hardwood back & sides
• Sitka spruce top (Ketchikan, Alaska)
• Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and peghead overlay
• Honduras mahogany neck
• Boxwood body, neck and peghead binding, back stripe, and heelcap
• Abalone body, neck, and peghead purfling
• Abalone soundhole & fingerboard diamonds inlay
• Peghead inlay features canine howling at the moon (mother of pearl, curly koa)
• Waverly tuners
• Satin finish

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

Custom A-5 mandolin with magic mushroom & gnome inlay in abalone and mother-of-pearl, commissioned by our dear friend Michael.

• Spalted Western maple neck, back, and sides (Olympia, Washington)
• Sitka spruce top (Ketchikan, Alaska)
• Indian ebony fingerboard, finger rest, bridge, peghead overlay, and binding
• Custom bronze Dart tailpiece
• Rubner tuners

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

After building carved top & back mandolin-family instruments for over fifty years, David built this custom archtop with a 15″ lower bout for our friend Dan, a talented musician and composer.

• Western maple back, sides, and neck (Oregon)
• Sitka spruce top (Ketchikan, Alaska)
• Indian ebony fingerboard, tailpiece, binding, finger rest, & peghead overlay Boxwood bridge
• Waverly tuners
• Abalone “vine” peghead inlay
• Satin finish
• 15” lower bout
• 25-3⁄8” scale
• 1-7⁄8” nut width

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

Custom-ordered A-5 mandolin with abalone “butterflies” peghead & fingerboard inlay. The customer asked for a similar inlay motif to match a D-12 dreadnought guitar he’d ordered a few years prior.

• Figured black walnut neck, back, and sides (California)
• Curly redwood top (Mendocino County, California)
• Indian ebony fingerboard, finger rest, bridge, & peghead overlay Curly maple binding
• Custom bronze Dart tailpiece
• Rubner tuners
• Satin finish

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

Custom David Dart baritone ukulele

• Curly Western maple top, back, sides, and neck (Oregon)
• Indian ebony fingerboard, binding, peghead overlay, & bridge
• Waverly tuners
• Satin finish
• Custom abalone “pelican” peghead inlay
• Hand-cut abalone soundhole & fingerboard diamond inlay

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

Custom redwood & Honduras rosewood classical guitar

• Reclaimed old-growth redwood top
• Honduras rosewood sides, back, & peghead overlay Brazilian rosewood bridge
• Ebony fingerboard & binding
• Honduras mahogany neck
• Custom maple, boxwood, ebony, & rosewood rosette Sloane tuners
• French polished shellac finish

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

David Dart mahogany & spruce acoustic baritone guitar

• Figured Honduras mahogany back, sides, and neck
• Sitka spruce top (Ketchikan, Alaska)
• Indian ebony fingerboard & bridge,
• Honduras rosewood binding, heelcap, & peghead overlay
• Waverly tuners
• Satin finish
• 28-1⁄2” scale
• 16 frets to the body

FOR SALE – contact David if you’re interested!

Photo credit — Geoffrey Yenson (www.yensonguitars.com / Instagram @yensonguitars)

David Dart Honduras rosewood & Sitka spruce D-14 dreadnought guitar

• Honduras rosewood sides & back
• Sitka spruce top (Ketchikan, Alaska)
• Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and peghead overlay Honduras mahogany neck
• Boxwood binding
• “Rope” soundhole purfling inlay
• Rubner tuners
• Satin finish

FOR SALE – contact David if you’re interested!

This gorgeous acoustic bass guitar is built from a reclaimed local old-growth redwood top, Honduras rosewood sides & back, curly maple binding/heelcap, ebony bridge/fretboard/peghead overlay, and a Honduras mahogany neck. The redwood & rosewood are the same as David’s recent redwood-rosewood parlor guitar.

Its 31″ scale results in easy playability and reach, while still holding onto its dynamic punch.

Like its cousin parlor guitar, this bass also features a soundport, on the player’s side upper bout. The soundport acts as a monitor, directing sound waves towards the player’s ears as well as from the front aperture.

SOLD

• Old-growth Mendocino County redwood top
• Honduras rosewood back & sides
• Honduras mahogany neck
• Curly maple binding and heel cap
• Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and peghead overlay
• Gotoh tuners   
• Abalone Dart logo
• Modified X-braced top, carved and voiced by David Dart
• Player’s side sound port
• Mother-of-pearl side dots 
• Bone nut & saddle 
• Satin polyurethane finish
• 31” string length  
• 14 frets to the body
• 1-3/4” nut width 

Just finished & for sale! This 14-fret parlor guitar has a reclaimed local old growth redwood top, Honduras rosewood sides & back, boxwood binding/heelcap, colorful marquetry purfling, ebony bridge/fretboard/peghead overlay, and a Honduras mahogany neck.

The redwood top has stunning medullary grain pattern & from a tree that was easily 1,000 years old – maybe much older – with 25 growth rings per inch over what we’re assuming was at least a four-foot radius. Any redwood experts want to weigh in on this?

This one is also David’s first guitar with a soundport, on the player’s side upper bout. The soundport acts as a monitor, directing sound waves towards the player’s ears as well as from the front aperture. This guitar sounds a lot bigger than its parlor size – available for demo at the Dart Instruments showroom.

FOR SALE – $8,500. Price includes hardshell case; tax and/or shipping extra. Contact us if you’re interested in this instrument.

• Old-growth Mendocino County redwood top
• Honduras rosewood back & sides
• Honduras mahogany neck
• Boxwood binding and heel cap
• Colorful marquetry edge purfling & soundhole inlay
• Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and peghead overlay
• Waverly tuners   
• Abalone Dart logo
• Modified X-braced top, carved and voiced by David Dart
• Player’s side sound port
• Mother-of-pearl side dots 
• Bone nut & saddle 
• Satin polyurethane finish
• 24-3/4” string length  
• 14 frets to the body
• 1-3/4” nut width