Gauche, Audrey, Goose and Branches (among other things)

April 24, 2021 9:03 AM

Jersey Girl Homemade Guitars have been making hand-crafted guitars for thirty years and are based in Hokkaido in Japan. A collaboration between the luthier Kaz Goto, his wife Eiko and Akiko Oda, each guitar is unique, with elaborate and beautiful wood inlays, and comes with a matching strap and (often) a matching pedal, each designed along with the guitar. Here is an interview with Kaz Goto. Here is a direct link to a gallery of JGHG's archive of guitars.

I worry that the above-the-line text reads too much like bad ad copy, but I wasn't sure what else to write. I think they're the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen, think other people would like to see them too, and wish I was in the market for one. The main thing is to look at the extensive gallery of pictures.

posted by Grangousier (7 comments total)

Thank you! These are gorgeous. There's a local tech group that meets at Alembic Guitars that also does very pretty guitars, but even though they're both showcasing the wood they've got very different aesthetics.

I've only helped a teen build a solid body electric, though I'd love to build a hollow or even an acoustic, but I both love the spectacular wood and the cool instruments.
posted by straw at 9:28 AM on April 24, 2021 [2 favorites]

Those images are stunning!

I happened to play this guitar yesterday, and it the Jersey Girl guitar designs remind me of it.

Thank you for sharing! These are wonderful!
posted by dfm500 at 10:29 AM on April 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

I am scared to inquire about the prices...
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:04 AM on April 24, 2021 [3 favorites]

In the article he says they cost between seven and ten thousand dollars, which doesn't seem unreasonable, considering. Not that I could afford one, I just admire them as art.
posted by Grangousier at 11:41 AM on April 24, 2021

I totally did like a Tex Avery wolf when I saw that gallery - those are some GORGEOUS guitars!
posted by The Vice Admiral of the Narrow Seas at 12:48 PM on April 24, 2021

Here's their Flickr page for some more pics.

Very "guitar as modern art."

The overall vibe isn't really my thing, but I will say that the colored staining of the figured wood - like the blue or red flame maple - is astounding. It's a look that I generally think looks OK at best even on relatively expensive production guitars, but Jersey Girl gets it right.
posted by soundguy99 at 3:17 PM on April 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

Amazing wood work! Thanks for giving my eyeballs joy.
posted by Jesse the K at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2021