Disruptive Design

"All the experimental things worked; together, they did something amazing! Side ports, asymmetrical neck, unusual top hole, radial bracing on the back, laminated wood, strange peghead, armrest — they were all in service to the sound and the playability, all about my interaction with the instrument."

-- Henry Kaiser, Fretboard Journal

Whether it's a hand-crafted individually cast tail piece, hand-wound pick up, side ports with sliding doors, or multi-scale fan frets, every Beardsell is unique. 

"It's hard to find the words. Yes, it's a work of art. The wood, the detail, the finish, all gorgeous. The asymmetrical neck section is super comfortable; plays like a dream, very comfortable. It's light weight and resonant and the sound is orchestral."

-- Michael Forbes, musician and owner of a custom Beardsell guitar

What gives these guitars their singular tone -- so remarkably, room-slayingly loud; so rich, so complex and tasty -- is actually the same thing that makes them straight up the most comfortable guitars you'll ever play.

It all goes back to Al's original napkin sketch of the signature 4G body style: The lower bout was larger, but the bridge was positioned further back, taking maximum vibrational advantage of the larger surface area, while at the same time effectively moving the neck and headstock closer to the player. 

The end result is a guitar that actually feels more comfortable to play than a small-body, but has more sonic projection and complex tonality than an uncomfortably portly axe. It's Al-chemy, dude! 

A very hep cat once said "Don't play what's there, play what's not there." We're not sure exactly what that means -- something about being original, or possibly a more esoteric suggestion that, like a zen master, one should attempt to express the negative space between the notes. At any rate, we're pretty sure we got the gist when bad-ass genius Tom Robbins opined that an artist has only to imagine what's missing in the world, and that's the art he needs to create. 

Beardsell guitars are built one-at-a-time by the hands of an innovative master luthier -- himself trained by masters -- who's been operating in the upper echelon of the handmade guitar world for years. He's got the street cred to back it up, too: with glowing profiles in Acoustic Guitar Magazine and The Fretboard Journal, and a growing list of satisfied customers that includes folk-punk darlings The Weakerthans, contemporary jazz luminary Henry Kaiser, and the legendary Lou Reed, among others. (He's also a heck of a nice guy.) Click here for a more in-depth look at his creations.

Oopsie Daisy...

Whether it's a pre-war Martin 000 that's perhaps seen one too many battles, a Tele(/disaster), or the guitar you found under your grandma's bed that you thought would never play again, when it comes to repairs, we've got you covered.  

Your beloved guitar /bass/mando/banjo/stringed wonder is in expert hands, for a fret job, a set up, a restoration or a broken headstock. Click here to meet our staff of expert, totally stylin' resto-and-repair commandos.

Custom knobs. Handmade bronze tailpieces. Hand-wound pick ups. Stuff you didn't even know you needed. We have the kung-fu, baby.