In Stock: McPherson Guitars

Instantly recognizable by their offset soundholes and elegant curvature, Matt McPherson's guitars are an incredible experience for both players and listeners.

If you don't understand much about the whys and hows of guitar construction, reading up on the design process behind McPherson guitars will get you up to speed really quickly. With their tagline "engineered not to sound engineered", McPhersons have a whole host of features that set them apart from the Martin and Gibson lineage. You may see some of these features on other modern makers' guitars, but McPherson's proprietary combination creates their unique tone and playing experience.

For Matt McPherson, one of the first goals was to maximize the vibrational potential of the top wood. Moving the soundhole and lifting the fretboard off the body with a cantilevered neck creates a continuous, unbroken surface from the bottom to the top to vibrate more freely. Other luthiers like Ben Wilborn employ similar build techniques, and he points out that elevating the fretboard "slightly changes the angle at which the strings meet the bridge, creating more complex overtones and a more “harp-like” timbre", which we hear in both Ben's guitars and in McPhersons. The soundhole placement on the bass side upper bout also functions somewhat as a soundport, giving the player a more immersive experience, too.

Their ever-popular MG model is their original design: a jumbo/dreadnought sized guitar that "enhances the richness and essence of that big, boomy sound to create a true work of auditory art." Large but not unwieldy thanks to the flowing curves and generous Venetian cutaway, the MG has the power to be a driving dread or room-filling jumbo strummer. But it also has the clarity, articulation, and versatility for fingerstyle, alternate tunings, and other more delicate playing styles. There just is no boxing this unique guitar design in.

The MG 4.0 or 4.5 might be the model we have most often in our shop, but their exciting lineup features an array of both classic and innovative guitars that will inspire endless musical creativity. The tone of their indestructible Carbon Series guitars will blow you away, and they offer 9- and 12-string versions of their standard MG, too. To our delight, they sent us an OM-like 15" wide CMG earlier this year, which stands out among other McPhersons for its Florentine cutaway.

While Matt McPherson may be the name and original visionary behind McPherson Guitars, he has a carefully chosen team behind him up in Sparta, Wisconsin, and they don't shy away from using modern tools to control the quality and consistency of their instruments. That's why every McPherson guitar has the refinement and unique character of a custom handmade instrument, plus the perfect set-up, intonation and reliability of a production line guitar. It's the best of both worlds.