About Urlacher Guitars

Urlacher Guitars shop in Eugene, Oregon

The art of building guitars can best be described by luthier, William Cumpiano in his article A Pedagog's Lament, "It rewards only the pure in heart, the ones that give themselves completely to it, and ask nothing from it, except the privilege to be allowed to continue." I do feel privileged to have the opportunity to make instruments and with the completion of each new guitar, I gain a great sense of pride. Building guitars for me is where my passion to create and my great interest in music come together. Throughout the building process I strive to make guitars of the highest quality, both aesthetically and tonally. I believe when people see, feel and hear an Urlacher Guitar, the love for what I do shines through.

Northwest Guitar Building

I am fortunate to be living in the Northwest, a part of the country that is saturated with many great luthiers. Eugene, Oregon has been my home since 1990. The climate is moderate, making Oregon a fine place to build instruments. I currently build approximately four guitars per year, focusing on custom build quality rather than producing a large number of guitars.

Getting Started as a Luthier

Being intrigued by the guitar and having a growing interest in working with wood, my curiosity peaked to the point that I had to take action. In 2002 I started the unthinkable task of building a steel-string guitar. I use the word "unthinkable" because I had never played the guitar (or any instrument for that matter), and I had zero wood working experience. One year later I had the unmatched pleasure of stringing up my first guitar. I consider myself to be self-taught, although I have gained a lot of information and guidance from several fine luthiers.

Artist Links

Music that inspires me to build guitars! Check out some very talented artists currently on my play list.

Other Luthier Related Links