Several amazing new guitars slated for October 2022 completion

Left to right: redwood/rosewood parlor guitar, spruce/rosewood dreadnought, all-mahogany parlor guitar, spruce/rosewood parlor guitar, redwood/rosewood bass, spruce/mahogany dreadnought

We’ve been busy all summer working on a stunning batch of new guitars: three parlor guitars, two dreadnoughts, another fretless bass, and a OO (double-oh). All of these guitars have Honduras mahogany necks and ebony fingerboards/bridges, but the other trim & appointments vary. These should be strung up and ready to play within the next month or so:

  • All-Honduras mahogany (top/back/sides) parlor guitar, featuring 14 frets to the body, a 24-3/4″ scale, 1-3/4″ nut width, rosewood binding, and rope marquetry purfling. Styled like a classic cowboy guitar, this one is already David’s favorite from the batch.
  • Old-growth redwood top & Honduras rosewood sides/back parlor guitar, featuring 14 frets to the body, a 24-3/4″ scale, 1-3/4″ nut width, boxwood binding, colorful marquetry purfling, as well as a soundport on the player’s side upper bout. We built a redwood/rosewood parlor guitar with a huge voice a few years ago & somebody snagged it right away, so get in touch if you’re interested in this one.
  • Sitka spruce top & Honduras rosewood sides/back parlor guitar, featuring 12 frets to the body, a 24-3/4″ scale, 1-13/16″ nut width, ebony binding, herringbone marquetry purfling, and an astronomy-themed fingerboard & peghead inlay (custom order).
  • Sitka spruce top & Honduras mahogany sides/back dreadnought, featuring 14 frets to the body, a 25-3/8″ scale, 1-11/16″ nut width, rosewood binding, abalone soundhole ring inlay, and a feather inlaid on the fingerboard (custom order).
  • Sitka spruce top & Honduras rosewood sides/back dreadnought, featuring 14 frets to the body, a 25-3/8″ scale, 1-11/16″ nut width, boxwood binding, herringbone marquetry purfling, and a feather inlaid on the fingerboard.
  • Old-growth redwood top & Honduras rosewood sides/back fretless acoustic bass guitar, featuring 14 “frets” to the body, a 31″ scale, curly maple binding, and a soundport on the player’s side upper bout. This body is based on David’s OO-12 guitar design, only with some extra depth. Its boxwood frets have been flush-sanded, so you’ll be able to slide around the fretboard and still know exactly where you are. This is a larger version of the parlor bass from last year.
  • Sitka spruce top & mystery African hardwood sides/back OO, custom-built for David’s son. This highly figured wood was cut down by David’s grandfather in Angola about a hundred years ago, and David has been waiting for the perfect moment to make a guitar that’ll stay in the family. This one has a 25-3/8″ scale, 14 frets to the body, ebony binding, 1-23/32″ nut width, and stunning inlay with a redwood tree motif on the fingerboard as well as a “green man” inlaid on the peghead (custom order).

Please contact us if you’re interested in trying out or purchasing one of the spec instruments — we’ll have two brand-new parlor guitars, a dreadnought, and a medium-body fretless bass ready for the 2022 holiday gift-giving season, as well as several other amazing guitars and ukuleles in our current inventory.

David Dart & the top bracing on his Sitka spruce / Honduras rosewood parlor guitar, August 2022

Dart Instruments at the 2022 California International Guitar Festival

We’re excited to be showing several instruments at the upcoming California International Guitar festival in San Luis Obispo on September 17th & 18th. This year’s performances include renowned artists such as award-winning guitarist & festival organizer Jack Cimo, legendary classical & flamenco guitarist Pepe Romero, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Ho, the internationally acclaimed Ana Vidovic, the Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and many more talented musicians from around the world.

Please note that although the festival runs from Friday, September 16th until Sunday, September 18th, the luthier marketplace will only be open on Saturday & Sunday.

From the CIGF website:

“After a 5 year hiatus, California International Guitar Festival (CIGF) will be held September 16-18, 2022 at the Performing Arts Center on Cal Poly’s campus in San Luis Obispo, CA.

The festival is a sweeping three-day celebration, showcasing the beauty and history of the guitar as an artistic tool through the performances of a cadre of international guitar masters. The CIGF will also feature numerous master classes for young and up-and-coming performers conducted by giants in the field. The popular luthier marketplace will also return.”

For more information & advance ticket purchase, visit www.californiainternationalguitarfestival.com.