Graham Alexander

"The question that has been hanging over my workbench for the past 16 years is what draws other luthiers to this solitary trade, beyond earning a living. Is it the process itself, the Path, or some ephemeral goal, to recreate some special sound they hear in their head? I am of the former, the process-minded builder, seeking no particular sound, never repeating my designs or wood combinations in achieving unique visual compositions. The finished “sound quality” is always outstanding as it follows traditional building practices and materials and, in my case, those first plucked strings always produce wild, unexpected results and smiles. The effect of different tonal woods on sound borders on the magical.

My passion to build steel string acoustic guitars began the first time I saw a custom Curly Koa OM with a nitrocellulose finish, and I didn’t even care what it sounded like - it was holographic, something beyond the Natural world. Fortunately Koa guitars have a recognized sound all their own, and even more fortunately, I lived on a Hawaiian island with prime access to the best and rarest of Hawaiian woods. High altitude Curly Koa, Curly Mango, and Kauila were my main performers, with Ebony, Purpleheart and Alaska Yellow Cedar as complimentary colors and textures. The Alaska Yellow Cedar has been a real breakout surprise with it’s unique sound and look, nobody picks up an all-Alaska Yellow Cedar guitar without being astonished by what they hear. My Hawaiian wood stash and I now reside in the old family home of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I hope my designs and their sounds will make you smile as well. Aloha"