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 Please call or email me if you have any questions about how to order a guitar or purchase a guitar that is for sale. I am in the shop almost every afternoon, seven days a week. There are many times when I cannot come to the phone, so if you get the machine, please leave a message including your name, phone number, and a good time to call you back. Be sure to say your phone number slowly and clearly.
My guitars are all unique, and the details of each order will vary. But here is an outline of how it works:
First we will discuss the guitar you want. I will want to know about your playing style and experience, where you will use the guitar, and your wishes for tone and playability. I'll ask you about other instruments you have owned, and what you liked or disliked about them. If you know the scale length, nut width, 12th fret width, and string spacing you prefer, of course I will want to have these. If you have a favorite neck, I'll send you instructions for how to make patterns of its shape that I can use to make a near duplicate of that shape. But don't worry if you aren't sure about any of these things; we will work them out together. And of course we will make choices about woods, body size, and trim. I may email photos to you of some of my available wood sets and purfling patterns.
When we have decided that I will be building for you, I'll send you a contract, and ask you to return it along with a non-refundable $500 deposit. This is non-refundable because it will go to lock in your price (unless there are changes in your choices, and in that case any charges will be according to the prices that were in effect when you sent your deposit), reserve your place in my building schedule, and reserve for you woods and materials. These reservations have the potential for causing me the loss of another order. I also may begin to shop for woods and materials for your guitar if I do not already have them, which will take time and cash outlays. Last, the non-refundable deposit gives me some compensation for the time I will have spent working with you on your order. Of course, the $500 will all count toward the purchase price of your guitar. And you can still change your mind about the details of your guitar at this stage.
I will notify you one month before I begin work on your guitar, and require at that time that you raise the amount deposited to 50% of the total price. We will confirm your choices; you will have your last opportunity to make changes. When I begin your guitar, I will set up a page on the internet where I will post photos of the guitar in progress. The building process takes about 6 weeks, followed by about a 4 week finishing process (nitrocellulose lacquer requires some time to harden before the finish is "rubbed out"), followed by about a week of final assembly and adjustment. Please remember that I work alone, and unexpected things can happen that throw my work schedule off. I like to allow about 3 1/2 months from the start of construction to completion in order to anticipate potential delays. It may take less. In rare cases, it may take more. Currently, waiting time before I begin a guitar is 9 or 10 months.
When your guitar is completed, I must receive the full 50% balance, plus shipping and insurance costs, before I ship it to you, usually by air express service. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. You have three days after receiving the guitar in which to return it for a refund. In this unlikely event, you will pay the return air express shipping and insurance costs. When I receive the guitar in the condition in which I shipped it, I will refund your full purchase price, less shipping costs and the $500 non-refundable deposit. If there is wear or damage, I will deduct what I estimate to be the value of repairing and restoring the instrument to its new condition. If there are unusual aspects of the instrument that may make resale of it at the full price difficult for me, I will discuss this with you when you place your order, and specify in your contract that I may give a lesser refund if you should return it during the three day trial period, or give your refund only upon sale to another buyer.
All guitars have a lifetime guarantee to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship.
PRICES
Every guitar will get a custom price quote. But of course a base price and prices for common options are useful. All the features described below may be varied, and the price will be adjusted accordingly.
Prices for my flattop guitars currently begin at $4500 (U.S. dollars). This includes many features usually found as upgrades: a European spruce or Adirondack red spruce top; Indian rosewood back and sides; multiple line top purfling, back purfling, and rosette; a multipiece neck with carbon fiber rods and adjustable truss rod; front and back headstock veneers with pearl "Klepper" logo on the face; wood bindings; bound fretboard with pearl dot inlay; tuned bracing; and carbon fiber struts supporting the neck block. Acoustically and structurally, my least expensive guitar is built just as well as the most expensive one.
"Signature" package: I offer a bundled price of $1500 for a package of options that together make up what I consider to be my signature instrument. Taken separately these features would add $2150 to a guitar's price. Included are: bound headstock with multiple purfling lines, burl or exotic bookmatched veneer headstock face, multi-layer backstrapping on the rear of the headstock, 3-7 piece laminated neck, elevated and cantilevered fretboard extension with distinctive treble side partial 20th fret, small diamond fretboard inlays, side purfling lines throughout, multi-line back purfling, double sides with bound side sound port, burlwood (or custom exotic wood) rosette, end graft, and heel cap, my own custom made marquetry top purfling (such as unique herringbone or half-herringbone patterns), custom marquetry back center strip, custom inlaid bridge pins, and matching neck side markers, and hand-turned strap buttons.
I am the only luthier I know of to include as standard a AAA or Master grade European spruce or AA grade red spruce top (red spruce in the AA grade is functionally perfect, but is graded down for cosmetic variations in color or grain line spacing that do not affect sound and strength). I always use wood that is acoustically and structurally the best I know to be available. Gold Sperzel tuners are standard, as is a TKL hard case, and a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. A shellac finish is also available, and I prefer it for classical guitars.
Archtop guitars with carved spruce top and carved curly maple back start at $6500. Inquire about options. Classical guitars start at $5000 including Sloan or Gilbert tuners and a Brazilian rosewood bridge.
OPTIONS
These are typical prices for wood and other upgrades. Please remember that every set of wood is unique, and each guitar will receive a custom price quote.
Woods:
| AAA or Master grade Red spruce top $300-600
50-year old German spruce top (AA grade) $350
Carpathian spruce top (AAA or better) $100
Port Orford Cedar or Incense ("Pencil") Cedar top N..C
Western red Cedar top deduct $100
Brazilian rosewood $1500+
fretboard $250
bridge $100
Cocobolo $400-600
fretboard or bridge N.C.
Honduras rosewood $400-500
bridge N.C.
Madagascar rosewood (two species) $500-750
African Blackwood $1500+
fretboard $100
bridge $50
Pernambuco $1000+ (when available)
Ziricote $400-600
Bocote $250
Zebrawood N.C.
Mahogany N.C.
Bloodwood $300
Leopardwood $250
Tasmanian Blackwood (curly) $400-600
Koa (curly) $600-800
Gonçalo Alves $250
Claro or Black Walnut (curly) $300-500
Maple (curly or birdseye) $200-300
Multi-wood combinations Custom quote
Other woods are available. Inquire.
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Construction and Trim Options:
| Cutaway treble side
Venetian (rounded) style $450
Florentine (pointed) style $550
Recurved body shape (both sides--available only with 12-fret neck) $600
Recurved bass side and cutaway treble side (with 12-fret neck) $700
Slotted headstock $250 plus tuner upgrades
Laskin style armrest bevel (varies with binding style) $500-600
7-string $400
12-string $500
Left handed N.C.
Abalone pearl top border $400
Marquetry top border (my original patterns) $150
Bound headstock w/ purfling $150
Abalone pearl headstock purfling $100
Side purfling on all bound edges $350
Burlwood or exotic bookmatch headstock face veneer $100
Burlwood or abalone pearl rosette $150
Backstrapped headstock (multiple rear veneer layers) $300
Elevated and cantilevered fretboard extension (with partial 20th fret) $150
Double sides $300
Side sound port w/ binding $250
"Klepper" style bracing N.C.
Small diamond fretboard inlay $100
Large concave diamond fretboard inlay $250
Bridge pin custom inlay $50
Hand-turned strap buttons on neck and body $100
Other inlay custom quote
Shellac top finish $200
Sunburst top finish $250
Entire guitar shellac finish 500
Ivory nut or saddle (legal 35-year-old African elephant ivory) $50
Others inquire
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