There is no question that the Santa Cruz Guitar Company is one of the cornerstones of contemporary boutique guitar making. Founded in 1976, Santa Cruz was one of the first companies to offer individually made steel-string guitars with custom specs, thereby creating an alternative to factory-made guitars. Combining a freewheeling hippie spirit with serious woodworking chops, a desire to refine the sound and playability of the instrument, and knowledge of the building methods used by violin makers, Santa Cruz quickly found its niche, with players such as Tony Rice, Eric Clapton, and Joan Baez becoming early customers. Santa Cruz has managed to stay on the cutting edge of high-end steel-string guitars throughout its 40-plus year history.
Peghead Nation recently visited the Santa Cruz shop in Santa Cruz, California, and in this first video of a series, Teja Gerken sits down with co-founder and long-time company leader Richard Hoover to discuss his approach to custom guitar making, from wood choice and building techniques to ensuring that the customer ends up with his or her dream guitar. Richard’s explanations are accompanied by footage from the shop floor, showing guitars at every stage of the building process.
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Santa Cruz OM Grand BrazilianA dream guitar built with stunningly beautiful Brazilian rosewood. Read More |
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1992 Santa Cruz FSA modern classic optimized for fingerstyle playing. Read More |
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2013 Mario DeSio BaritonePeghead Nation’s Teja Gerken demonstrates his personal baritone guitar. Read More |
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2015 Santa Cruz 1929 000 CustomA great all-mahogany 12-fret with custom upgrades. Read More |
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Santa Cruz HT/13A beautiful signature model for folk legend Happy Traum. Read More |
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Sexauer FT-00-CNLuthier Bruce Sexauer shows his “Couch Noodler” flattop. Read More |
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Santa Cruz Legends in Lutherie FSA stunning redwood and mahogany guitar, built in collaboration with Heartbreaker Guitars. Read More |
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Santa Cruz Guitar Company Shop Visit, Part 2Santa Cruz’s Richard Hoover and Carolyn Sills discuss the process of ordering a custom guitar. Read More |
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Santa Cruz OM Grand 12-StringA powerful 12-String from California’s custom guitar specialists. Read More |
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Santa Cruz OM CustomA contemporary OM with a cedar top and walnut back and sides. Read More |
