Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Gallery: 2016 Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration

Showcasing hundreds of drool-worthy, handcrafted instruments, a new U.S. guitar show makes its successful debut.

Alquier Guitares

French luthier Jean-Yves Alquier displayed several guitars from his Ethiq line made entirely of sustainable bamboo. “Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing renewable resources,” states Alquier. “It absorbs CO2 in large quantities and is the ideal alternative to increasingly scare tropical hardwoods.” To craft guitar parts that would traditionally be made of plastic, Alquier uses a milk protein.
alquierguitar.com

The inaugural Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration was held September 29 to October 2 in sunny coastal California. The event brought hundreds of top luthiers and players who displayed their craftsmanship, gave seminars, and held intimate concerts. The Earl Warren Showgrounds served as a fitting venue, as in decades past it hosted concerts from such acts as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Beach Boys, the Doors, Cream, the Grateful Dead, and Janis Joplin.

The show pulled widely from Canada and Europe, with heavy representation from the U.S. West Coast. Also on sale were top-grade woods, inlay materials, and custom bindings. Luthiers were open with their time, and many fans enjoyed hearing builders talk shop. Among the visitors was Santa Barbara resident and guitar pickup guru, Seymour Duncan, who could be seen checking out all the beautiful instruments on display.

Submarine Pickups boss Pete Roe at his workstation.

Single-coils and humbuckers aren’t the only game in town anymore. From hybrid to hexaphonic, Joe Naylor, Pete Roe, and Chris Mills are thinking outside the bobbin to bring guitarists new sonic possibilities.

Electric guitar pickups weren’t necessarily supposed to turn out the way they did. We know the dominant models of single-coils and humbuckers—from P-90s to PAFs—as the natural and correct forms of the technology. But the history of the 6-string pickup tells a different story. They were mostly experiments gone right, executed with whatever materials were cheapest and closest at hand. Wartime embargos had as much influence on the development of the electric guitar pickup as did any ideas of function, tone, or sonic quality—maybe more so.

Read MoreShow less

Pearl Jam announces U.S. tour dates for April and May 2025 in support of their album Dark Matter.

Read MoreShow less

The legendary German hard-rock guitarist deconstructs his expressive playing approach and recounts critical moments from his historic career.

Read MoreShow less

Katana-Mini X is designed to deliver acclaimed Katana tones in a fun and inspiring amp for daily practice and jamming.

Read MoreShow less