D’AQUILA GUITARS
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Goal
An absolute piece of playable art, ornate - with every piece worked in some way - yet elegant, something you could show up at the jazz gig with. Warm, articulate tone with plenty of woody warmth to sit nicely in a mix, and even full single solo notes. A legacy piece as a builder and an heirloom piece for the owner. That was the goal. It took decades to get the eye and skills, and - while I still have them - I offer to a very few the D’AQUILA J-1 from my hands to yours.
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Process
Unusually charactered pieces of wood are selected, paired with complimenting and contrasting others, and shaped and joined over time in many steps to vibrate as one and look elegant. Proprietary pickup recipes and true single craftsman attention to detail bring each instrument’s function to equal its form. There are many fancy guitars one can buy, but none that sounds or looks like a D’AQUILA - it’s its own flavor. If it’s yours, a lifetime’s passion is in each one.
From 5.5K
Garcia had his Doug Irwin guitars, Trey has his Languedocs; jazz greats like Kevin Eubanks and Pat Martino played those amazing works of Abe Rivera. Most are content with the many available and we all know there’s magic in the hands. I build very few for a very few. I don’t make special hands, I make talismans for them; special tools for tone that come with a palette of their own for them to paint the air in their spaces and create with. To sing with. To be their voice. And, to be their visual signature as well.
Entirely hand made in the USA from primarily American and European components
Crafted in my workshop in the northern Adirondacks
Personal delivery is available in the continental USA
Fully hand written description of the materials and their stories for each build
Rustic woodcraft from the cutoffs of the build process made and included
If this sounds like your next instrument and experience, please call me at the workshop. (512) 395-5126. I don’t generally take orders, but I do usually have something started to show you or in the notebook we can talk about and take it from there.
GALLERY of past D’AQUILA guitars, and other builds with ideas to get you dreaming:
Next to fly: A one-off florentine cut of mahogany, rosewood, and spalted Texas pecan. Anticipated to complete over 2025. Please inquire if interested - thanks!
