This has been many years coming, and I’m so excited to finally be able to share this with y’all. Years ago, I met a brilliant engineer and guitar builder, who later started MaCo guitars. Many years before thats, my co-founder Mark and I had built a cigar-box guitar together based on the Make magazine cover article. I never forgot how much fun it was, or how much skill goes into even the most basic of guitar builds. I knew, one day I would commission a professional shop to build my dream guitar.

Well dear readers, that day has come. Below, learn all about my new guitar, and how it came together. Please note, this is NOT a paid advertisement. I have received no compensation or discounts for writing this article, I’m just so frikkin amazed and in love with my guitar, I want everyone to know!

I reached out to my friend Mat at MaCo, and he walked me through the whole process. It started with a shared design session, with Mat and I going through the customizations, shape, materials, and wood types. This was easy, and a bit like putting a computer together online, only in this case everything was custom, and changable.

Over the next year, I received a regular stream of updates from MaCo. The wood selection. The resonator build. The composite materials and cuts. They became the highlight of my year, and certainly some of the best and most engaging news I had in 2021.

Then, at the end of 2021 it was ready! I could hardly contain my excitement! I flew out to pick up this one of a kind guitar, and I was not ready for how emotional it would be opening the case for the first time!

The beauty and complete uniqueness of my guitar still amaze me all these months later. I was nearing tears as I was presented with the build certificate.

I had a particular set of (perhaps odd, definitely non-standard) requirements for this build. I wanted a shortened neck, with a semi-hollow body and a player-reflecting resonator.

Look at those tuning pegs! Oooh they are pretty.

My hands were literally shaking as I picked up the guitar for the first time. Lightweight and perfectly balanced, with that custom cut MaCo is known for.

I was giddy as I looked into the resonator and saw the build certificate and born-on date!! That’s my name in there!

MaCo even took some of the leftover premium woods and created a custom set of coasters for me. So thoughtful!

One last shot of my guitar.

Thanks for reading all about my guitar!! I highly recommend anyone interested in top tier professional guitar-builders to check out MaCo guitars! It’s been a life-changing experience for me, the creation of an heirloom I’ll treasure for life!