In 1974, I opened a guitar shop on Oak Place in Montclair, NJ. That was almost 35 years ago -- how time flies! The last herringbone Martins were only about 30 years old and very few great acoustic guitars were being made at that time. The pioneers of the vintage instrument business were busy. Their stores were full of fantastic guitars, banjos, and mandolins. Vintage instruments were found at flea markets, antique stores, and commonly for sale as used instruments in local music stores.

Today vintage acoustic guitars are almost unobtainable. Those of us that own them are rarely willing to let them go. Often, like posted trout streams, they sit essentially unplayed for years.

The good news is that some of the best guitars ever are being made right now. Those with the talent and skill to craft them certainly know more about the art than the great makers of the 1930s ever knew. Some like my friend Ivon Schmukler learned instrument voicing directly from the old guys while they were still at Martin. The conversions of the Martin archtops in the late 1960s used German spruce which makes a wonderful soundboard and is clearly superior to the sitka used by Martin and other manufacturers at the time. Today, there is a good amount of European spruce available as well as Adirondack spruce which is available again. Brazilian rosewood is obtainable -- if you can afford the high price. Mahogany is still a great sounding material, as are many of the other hardwoods that modern luthiers are using.

I am enjoying watching these modern day masterpieces being made and helping that to happen whenever possible. The ultimate goal of the Hudson River Guitar Company is to get performance quality instruments into the hands of players who can truly appreciate them. Every time someone chooses one of these "golden age of luthiers" instruments, chances are another will be made and begin its journey into old age, and that makes us happy.

Bill Frankel