Our Shop 

“You never change things by

Fighting the existing reality.

To change something, build a

New model that makes the

Existing model obsolete.”

 Buckminster Fuller

Our shop begins right now in the virtual world. The Covid 19 virus has gripped the world with fear and made a physical shop impossible. But, in this pandemic lies an opportunity for change for perhaps the physical shop may be unnecessary. And here is how our shop works:

• Each guitar will have its story told as complete as possible. If a new guitar is added and the story is incomplete one of our archivists will attempt to fill in the gaps as much as possible.
• Each guitar will have an email connected to the Luthier who built the instrument. So when you have a question, the Luthier will be aware of the question and can fact check our response and if they desire respond directly to you
• We don’t charge any commission for sales in order to give the Luthier as much return as possible. What we do instead is ask the Luthier to make a donation to one of our 501 (3)(c) non-profit organizations (more about them later). In this approach the Luthier is in charge the amount of their donation and it can be written off on their taxes. In return the donation helps the non-profit fund their cause.
• We treat each guitar as a work of art and the Luthier as an artist. When we sell a guitar it is at an artists price instead of a manufacturers price. If the guitar comes is to be passed on, the price will not be reduced nor will the guitar be listed as a used car would be listed. A work of art has provenance and that is what we will provide, its story and provenance.
• A lending library will be apart of our shop. We will have guitars that will be lent to talented musicians who might not otherwise be able to afford a custom guitar. In return for this guitar we will ask them to hold a benefit concert(s) that will raise money for our non-profit organizations.
• Healdsburg Guitars will be run as a benefit corporation. There are a lot of rules to officially become one and that will take time. But, operating as one keep us on the right path and removes the profit motivation from all of our operations.

Many consider this to be the beginning of the golden age of guitar builders because, worldwide, there are so many talented and gifted Luthiers that are producing some of the finest and incredibly beautiful guitars that have ever been seen and heard. These guitars are built with passion and intention and each has a life and story that needs to be told. It is unfortunate that the business model that the guitar sector has embraced and modeled itself after is the car industry. New, used, vintage, dents, dings, and pristine condition are the price point and the buy/sell factors that are hosted by dealers.

Healdsburg Guitars has a different perception and our business model is based on art and the Japanese practice of Kintsugi – The Art of Precious Scars or Golden Repair. Broken objects are not something to hide but should be displayed with pride, those scars are its history. We embrace the flawed and imperfect because that is what each of us is.

We choose to rise above being just a dealer that buys and sells, rather we are curators, historians, archivists, and tuners who match the guitar with the perfect musician/collector/someone who needs to heal.

We curate guitars and promote and tell their stories. Our guitars aren’t used and their dents and dings and scratched finishes have a story to tell about the life they lived and the music they played. They have made people laugh, they have helped people heal themselves, and helped heal others. They have bonded with musicians and have been an important part of their life and shared the ups and downs everyone experiences.

If you are a builder and want to know more, please reach out. Healdsburg guitars is a place for Luthiers to rise above the din of commercialism, it is place where your work should not only hold its value, but it should appreciate with age instead of being slapped with a used label. This is a place for healing, acknowledgment, and connections to life.