Our hand-selected luthiers for the Summer 2026 High Desert Luthiery Invitational at Rio Bravo Brewing in Albuquerque
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Unga Guitars
Perry Vasquez
Albuquerque, New Mexico
I have been a luthier for over 25 years. I design and build guitars, basses, and other unique stringed instruments. I like to take the wants and needs of the player and use my experience as a luthier to create a tool that works specifically for them.
I have a preference for thin, almost bare-wood finishes. I feel this approach lets the player connect with the instrument with more grace and ease. I want to build an instrument the player doesn’t want to put down.
I also teach luthiery!
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Felix Violins
Julia Felix
Santa Fe, New Mexico
My interest in lutherie began in college when I began to make a connection between my love of music and my love of woodworking. After graduating with a degree in Studio Art, I attended North Bennet Street School's Violin Making and Repair program in Boston, Massachusetts, where I learned how to build violins and violas in the traditional Cremonese style.
In 2019, I returned to my hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and now focus primarily on making new instruments out of my home workshop for violinists and violists around the country.
In addition to being a violin maker, I have a 5-year-old son, a 10-year-old pomeranian, play classical guitar, organize socials for the Women in Lutherie Facebook Group, and volunteer at my local makerspace, MAKE Santa Fe.
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Otto Guitars
Doug Otto
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Bespoke, hand-crafted guitars and pickups.
Being a maker, for me, is a way to express my engineering side while embracing the art of guitar and pickup construction.
I have my own style, that is still evolving, but I gravitate toward lovely woods and Italian acetates. It might be binding, a pickguard, headplace, or something new, but often a cool piece of acetate inspires the artistic direction of the guitar.
I approach pickup building focused on great sound, but with extra attention on the aesthetic as well. I make all of my own pickup flatwork and bobbins to make sure they fit my specs as well and my style.
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LEF Custom Guitars
Luis Fernandez
Corrales, New Mexico
All of my guitars are handmade with attention to detail, using the skills I’ve developed over the past 18 years. With over 200 guitars made, I feel I’ve reached the master-built level.
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Anaya Custom Guitars
Patrick Anaya
Belen, New Mexico
Anaya Custom Guitars
I’ve been a bass player as long as I’ve been a woodworker. After 30 years of working with timber, Anaya Custom Guitars was born out of a personal mission: I wanted a 4-string bass that looked and played a specific way, without having to spend endless hours searching through music store racks.
As a native New Mexican, I build these instruments in Veguita, with a deep respect for the material. My background in high-end furniture allows me to approach lutherie with a unique perspective—I understand how different wood species behave, how they age, and how no two grains are ever truly the same.
There is nothing like the feeling of watching a player see their instrument take shape for the first time; it’s not just a build, it’s a soul coming to life.
The Wood Barn: Heirloom Craftsmanship
Two years ago, I established The Wood Barn to give a home to my passion for custom furniture and boutique woodworking. Whether it’s a dining table or a one-of-a-kind built-in, my philosophy remains the same: let the wood speak for itself. I also sell premium hard woods to the public.
While Anaya Custom Guitars focuses on the "tone," The Wood Barn focuses on the "texture" of home life. Every project is a study in the organic beauty of nature, crafted with the precision that three decades in the shop provides. From Veguita to your living room, I bring the desert’s rugged elegance into every piece I create.
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Goateed Skull Guitars
Patrick Hepburn
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Guitar-builder and artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Zara Custom Basses
Zara
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Local luthier making custom basses.
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Longbow Guitars
John Longbow
Albuquerque, New Mexico
We specialize in arch-top, solid bodies and flat-top hollow body electrics and basses.
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Müller Guitars
Gary Müller
Hermosa, Colorado
I wanted to create something beautiful with my hands - something that would allow me to pursue my love of music and woodworking. I chose luthiery - the construction and repair of fine stringed instruments. I am working in a 120-year-old barn, armed with chisels, saws and an old, hand-me-down work apron.
I truly love this ancient craft. I handmake these intricate instruments out of varied and beautiful tonewoods. I am grateful everyday to be fashioning these precious materials into acoustic guitars, ukuleles and cigar box guitars, that are a pleasure to hold, play and study.
Thoughtfully designed and passionately crafted, no two instruments are exactly alike, but each is a functional work of art.
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Quantars
Quanah Lee
Santa Fe, New Mexico
A one-man-shop building custom, handmade electric guitars and basses in the little hills of New Mexico.