Resources & Links
A note on this page -- as-of 2024, I have not updated this in some time and I've left it static as a generic resource. Also, under "shops I enjoy" -- I now know a whole ton of interesting shops and their owners and I'm sorry if I haven't listed you. It's not personal -- I just don't have time to keep updating all of this stuff...!
SUPPLIERS
- Allied Lutherie
for: tonewood, parts, etc. - StewMac
for: Waverly tuners, invaluable bizarre tools, materials - Smakula Fretted Instruments
for: banjo heads of all sizes, Gotoh banjo pegs, etc. - Just Strings
for: bulk strings and huge selection - Strings and Beyond
for: good prices, fast shipping, wide selection - Gollihur Music
for: double bass supplies - Guitar Parts Resource
for: inexpensive acoustic guitar bridges, wiring, hardware - Guitar Fetish
for: cheap, interesting, excellent import electric pickups - Blue Star Music
for: source for acoustic pickups (K&K in particular) - Antique Electronic Supply
for: amp hardware, tubes, old-style radio knobs - International Violin
for: those hard-to-find brass-plate cello tuning machines - Elderly Instruments
for: strings, odd parts, banjo heads, instruments, you name it - LMII
for: instrument-grade wood [now closed, RIP!]
- Ben & Bucky's
- Collar City Guitars
- Elderly Instruments
- Folkway Music
- Telluride Music Co
- Stay Gold Guitars
- Thunder Road Guitars
- Retrofret
- Bernunzio
- Gryphon Stringed Instruments
- Players Vintage Instruments
- Intermountain Guitar & Banjo
- Guitar Sam [now closed, RIP!]
- Harmony Guitars Database (excellent site)
- Harmony Guitars Alternate Brands @ AmateurLuthier
- Kay Guitars Alternate Brands @ AmateurLuthier
- Museum of Making Music Flickr Stream
- American Fretted Musical Instrument Makers List
- Early Romantic Guitars (late 1700s/mid 1800s info)
- Vintage Guitars Reference Site (v. useful for dating)
- Vintage National/Dobro Site (lots of photos!)
- Framus Vintage (good ref. for the German co.)
- Bay State model/serial number info
- Weymann Banjo Dating
- AcousticMusic.org maker catalog archives
- Vintage Martin Guitars site (super!)
- Old Gibson Guitars site (same guy, great!)
- Bill's Banjos (great reference for late 1800s makers)
- FRETS.com Musem (photos of various instruments)
- Music Trade Review Magazine Archive
- SS Stewart's Banjo & Guitar Journal Archive
- Ken Lelen's Blog (often interesting obscure guitar maker info)