Meagen Wells is a prestigious boutique builder based in California, with a unique take on making custom crossover archtop guitars and mandolins.
For many players, choosing a new guitar is easy. They simply walk into a music store and play different models until they find one that suits them best. There are many different types of players with a myriad of differing music styles and preferences, which calls for a diverse array of guitar models. Power players prefer jumbos and dreadnoughts as their go-tos, while others tend to gravitate towards smaller instruments, such as Gibson's L-00 or Martin's 000s.
Despite the plethora of guitar models in the standard market, some players simply can't find what they're looking for. It might not be that they're unhappy with their current guitars or the available options. It's just that something about their preferences has evolved. As their playing has advanced, maybe they've explored alternative tunings and new styles that place different demands on their guitar, or they're looking for a new instrumental voice. This often encourages guitarists to explore the boutique market, which ultimately provides more options and customization. Regardless of the reason, if one is considering an instrument from the boutique guitar market, it requires some rigorous analyzing and research.
The most ideal way to get your hands on some of these top-of-the-line instruments is by visiting boutique guitar shows. These shows are curated so only a handful of premier builders are allowed in the room. This keeps the show minimal, providing the best possible experience for visitors. The promoters rotate builders year-by-year to keep the shows fresh and relevant. In the heyday of custom guitar shows, there were up to five or six shows in a season, but over the years these shows have been consolidated into a few major events: the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, the La Conner Guitar Festival, the Artisan Guitar Show, and the Boutique Guitar Showcase.
If one is considering an instrument from the boutique guitar market, it requires some rigorous analyzing and research.
The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, hosted by Baker Rorick, is ideal for those living on the East Coast. The show is held in that bucolic town's Bearsville Theater and the Utopia Soundstage, both of which are brimming with musical history. The La Conner Guitar Festival, hosted by McElroy Guitars in La Conner, Washington, is great for people living in the Northwest, as it is close to Seattle, Portland, and Tacoma. Both shows are hosted in "cottage country," so securing housing is easy, and bringing the family is a great way to experience these events.
Next, we have the Artisan Guitar Show, which takes place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is hosted in a self-contained complex. Here, showgoers can secure lodging and meals, talk guitars for three solid days, and enjoy the entertainment without having to leave the facility. Each of these showcases include makers from their regions, so attending all of the shows for at least two seasons is a great way to get a solid understanding of what is available.
The final guitar show model is the Boutique Guitar Showcase, hosted by Roberta and Jamie Gale. This is a curated traveling event designed to showcase luthiers and instruments that are cutting edge and to further the art and technology of fretted musical instruments. Jamie and Roberta do a great job assembling this event, as it successfully exhibits premier shops and lutherie styles from across the globe in a one-day display. In recent years, the Boutique Guitar Showcase has teamed up with NAMM to be included in its summer and winter trade shows. This has proven to be an outstanding collaboration.
The Boutique Guitar Showcase's "enTour" offers a unique and intimate experience for players who want to try instruments from a wide variety of luthiers.
Photo by Jamie Gale Music
Maneuvering through this market and successfully finding the instrument of one's dreams is a difficult feat. For most customers, passing through the doors of these guitar shows can be overwhelming. Guitarists will sample instruments made by the best luthiers from around the world, which are significantly more sophisticated than your standard off-the-shelf guitar. These luthiers incorporate many custom features that buyers should carefully consider. An increase in sophistication and customization requires customers to study and analyze their potential purchases more carefully. Otherwise, one might buy an instrument that does not fit one's playing needs.
Buyers might also consider looking for a guitar broker. Guitar brokers represent guitar builders, and they have a unique talent—assisting customers in securing a bespoke guitar that will best fit their musical needs. Brokers typically know the makers personally and thoroughly understand their building styles. If one is new to the boutique market, working with a broker a great way to get started.
The takeaway is this: The custom boutique guitar market is a place for players who want to move to the next level with an instrument. My recommendation is to do research, find brokers, and attend shows to meet the makers in person and play their instruments. Even though we would all love to make you a custom guitar, what we want most is for you to find satisfaction and happiness with the instrument that we've personally crafted for you.
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In the ’80s, Peter Buck’s clean, chime-y arpeggios defined the sound of alt-rock to come. From R.E.M's start, his post-Roger McGuinn 12-string style served as the foundation for the band’s simple, plain-spoken approach, offering a fresh take on what an independent band could be and inspiring generations of artists to come. Buck not only found his sound quickly, he evolved throughout the band’s career. By the ’90s, R.E.M.’s sound had evolved to incorporate organic, acoustic textures, and eventually leaning into a glam- and grunge-inspired, distorted-guitar-focused sound on 1994’s Monster.
This episode is sponsored by Voodoo Lab.
“I’m a big fan of old things,” says Danny Worsnop. “From cameras to guitars to microphones to cars, I like the stories they tell and the lives they’ve lived. I think old stuff has more soul.”
Best known as the lead vocalist of rock bands Asking Alexandria and We Are Harlot, British-born Worsnop has also released two solo albums that explore country and blues. He’s currently in the studio working on his third solo release.
With his love of vintage aesthetics and appreciation for instruments that age with character, he’s spent much of his life searching for a guitar that feels like home. “I’m always on the quest to find the perfect thing,” he says.
For years, Taylor’s GS Mini-e Koa Plus has been his go-to songwriting companion. “I don’t need a bunch of things to do the job,” he explains. “This guitar was the first one that did that, and it’s been with me for years. The finish is beat up. It’s got shiny spots from the sweat on my arm. This has been my daily driver and workhorse and life partner since I got it. It’s more than a guitar. It has a life and a personality and a sound. You pick up any other GS Mini-e Koa Plus in the world, it doesn't sound like this one.”
With his love of older things, Worsnop acknowledges the challenges of making a deep connection with an out-of-the-box acoustic. “All the nice, shiny new guitars that anyone has sent me over the years are great—I have fun with them,” he says. “But I've never loved them. I find it hard to love new stuff because it kind of doesn't have a life or personality yet.”
Worsnop’s done his best to infuse them with some of his own personality by tweaking them in different ways–chasing a specific feel and sound that makes a guitar feel more like an extension of himself rather than just another utilitarian tool. But his most recent acoustic arrival was different.
“It’s more than a guitar. It has a life and a personality and a sound.”
Striking Gold
Worsnop recently got his hands on Taylor Guitars’ new Gold Label 814e, designed by Andy Powers, the creative visionary behind many of Taylor’s guitar innovations since 2011. For Taylor’s new Gold Label Collection, Powers drew inspiration from the sound of flattop acoustics from the 1930s and 1940s.
Worsnop was immediately drawn to the Gold Label 814e’s vintage-inspired visual aesthetic—influenced by old banjos and mandolins, early Taylor designs, and Powers’ pre-Taylor archtop guitars. But the true revelation came when he played it.
“When I saw this guitar... I mean, it looks super cool, like an older guitar,” he says. “And the second I picked it up, it was different. It was like, this plays like a guitar that is so old and has stories and songs in it already. I fell in love with it.”
Worsnop says that with other Taylors he has owned, including his GS Mini-e Koa Plus, he would often modify them in some way to give them a more vintage sensibility. But not with the Gold Label.
One of the defining features of the Gold Label 814e is its new Super Auditorium body shape. The non-cutaway body bears a clear family resemblance to Taylor’s popular Grand Auditorium, but the Super Auditorium is slightly longer and wider at the lower bout, with a slightly shallower depth. The new body dimensions, combined with Andy’s version of a long-tenon neck and his new fanned V-Class bracing pattern, are all key ingredients in a new sonic recipe that defines the sound of Taylor’s Gold Label collection. The result is a warm, old-heritage voice that’s unlike anything Taylor has ever produced.
Worsnop says the guitar complements him musically because it supports his dynamic vocals with extraordinary volume and responsiveness to a lighter touch.
“Because I sing loud, having something that’s loud enough, but not so loud that when I do drop down you can’t hear me anymore, is important for me,” he explains.
The Gold Label 814e comes with back and sides of solid Honduran rosewood or solid Hawaiian koa (Worsnop has the Honduran rosewood model) paired with a torrefied Sitka spruce soundboard. Each model is available with a natural or sunburst top.
The Revolutionary Action Control Neck™
One of the standout features of the Gold Label 814e is Taylor’s patented new Action Control Neck™, an innovative neck joint design that allows for quick, easy, and precise neck angle adjustments. It marks another step forward from the patented, micro-adjustable design Bob Taylor introduced back in 1999. Unlike traditional neck resets, this system, like Bob’s, is also glue-less, and in this case enables effortless fine-tuning on the fly without having to remove the neck or even the strings, and without the use of shims. By simply using a 1/4" nut driver (or standard truss rod wrench) on a nut in the neck block (accessible through the soundhole), a player can raise or lower the action to dial in an ideal setup.
“It is a massive deal,” says Worsnop. “When it comes to traveling musicians, it’s absolutely game changing. This allows you to do a micro-adjustment without having to get in the car and drive. When I’m in the studio, I like having that precision to be able to make it just perfect.”
For professional musicians, service techs, and recreational players who want to quickly fine-tune their action, the innovative neck design marks a paradigm shift.
In Studio and Onstage
In his Tennessee home, Worsnop has an upstairs studio where he records most of his music. It’s where he’s tested countless guitars, searching for the right fit. Though his trusty songwriting guitar has been the aforementioned GS Mini-e Koa Plus—perfect for capturing spontaneous new ideas—when it comes to recording, the Gold Label 814e has taken center stage.
“I’m working on the new album right now,” he shares. “If I’m at home and I’m just wandering around downstairs, which is usually where and how writing happens, [the GS Mini] is the guitar I’m walking around with. And then as soon as there’s an idea, I’ll go upstairs, and it’s the Gold Label. Honestly, I don’t play anything else up there now. I put the album recording on hold for this guitar. It’s the only guitar on the album.”
And it won’t just live in the studio. Worsnop plans to bring the Gold Label 814e on tour, making it his primary acoustic guitar for live performances.
Performance Highlight: "Ain't No Use"
In a recently recorded performance of his song “Ain’t No Use”, Worsnop showcases why the Gold Label 814e is such a great fit for him. The song, rich with storytelling and emotional depth, aligns well with the guitar’s vintage aesthetic and warm tonal character. It explores the universal tension between who we are and who we want to be, while emphasizing the transformative power of acceptance despite imperfections. The guitar’s deep, open sound and full-bodied, muscular tone are a perfect complement to Worsnop’s soaring, soulful vocals, amplifying the expressiveness of his performance and highlighting a symbiosis between player and instrument. A video of the performance is featured at the top of this article.
For Worsnop, the Gold Label 814e represents the culmination of years of searching, experimenting and refining his sound. It’s an instrument that feels like it has lived a life, carrying with it the soul and character he always craved in an acoustic.
“I have played music since I was 6 years old, and I’ve spent my entire life looking for my instrument,” he reflects. “At 34, I’ve found it.”
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Strymon Zuma
Strymon Zuma is the quietest and most powerful pedal power supply of its kind, capable of powering a huge number of guitar pedals silently and reliably with a staggering 500 mA.
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Mission Engineering 529i
This powerful power supply offers eight 9V isolated outputs and an internal rechargeable battery. It powers your pedalboard for four hours on a single charge via USB port or 12V input. It also includes a doubler cable that allows two 18V outputs.
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Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 3 PLUS
From standard battery-operated stompboxes to high-current DSP effects, the expandable 12-output Pedal Power 3 PLUS combines cutting-edge technology and time-tested analog engineering to ensure any pedal will sound its best.
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D’Addario XPND Pedal Power Battery Kit
If you need portable, wireless power, this unit offers 10,000 mAh that can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. It also includes a USB-C power supply and a patent-pending Gateway hub for ultra-quiet operation.
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Introduced on Smith’s birthday, February 18, the Charcoal Phoenix Limited Edition is part of the PRS Guitars 40th Anniversary celebration. Only 150 of these instruments will be available worldwide, with each including a 40th Anniversary certificate hand signed by Paul Reed Smith himself.
"When we released the Private Stock John McLaughlin Limited Edition in 2023, I was inspired by its exceptional sound and playability. For the Charcoal Phoenix, I wanted to create something equally remarkable but with a stoptail bridge," said PRS Guitars Founder & Managing General Partner, Paul Reed Smith. "Using chaltecoco for the neck and ziricote for the fingerboard, I achieved an instrument that sustains beautifully and rings with clarity. The deep crimson back and the charcoal microburst top inspired the name ‘Charcoal Phoenix,’ evoking the imagery of a phoenix rising from fire and ashes.”
Over the past year, Smith has road-tested this guitar, refining its design and tone. Most recently, he played this model on stage at the late-January 2025 PRS Guitars 40th Anniversary concert at the House of Blues in Anaheim. A deep crimson back contrasts with the Private Stock-grade figured maple top in a charcoal microburst finish. The ripple abalone “Old School” bird inlays on the ziricote fingerboard add a vintage touch.
The Charcoal Phoenix also features the PRS TCI pickups, newly updated for 2025, and EQ mini-toggle switches. The TCI pickups are crafted with American Alnico magnets and slightly modified winding, wiring and electronics specifications. Based on Smith’s experience playing this guitar live and in the studio for more than a year, these pickups offer clear tones from spanky single coils to full soapbars. The EQ mini-toggles act as tuned high-pass filters when engaged, removing shelved low end and allowing the high frequencies through for more clarity and musical highs.
Rounding out the details are the PRS Stoptail bridge and PRS Phase III Non-Locking Tuners. The bridge is engineered with curved string slots, brass inserts and steel studs. It is designed to maximize the transfer of the strings’ vibrations through the guitar. The lightweight tuners promote tone transfer for a louder, more resonant instrument.
PRS Guitars is planning a year full of new product introductions. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year at www.prsguitars.com/40 and by following @prsguitars on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, X, and YouTube.
