krusa

With more than 20 years of guitar- building experience now under his belt, Krusa has become a formidable presence in the world of custom acoustics.

Though Kipp Krusa went through a punk-rock phase early on, his love of acoustic artists like Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, John Renbourn, and Jorma Kaukonen ultimately led him to form Krusa Guitars and build acoustic guitars exclusively. With more than 20 years of guitar- building experience now under his belt, Krusa has become a formidable presence in the world of custom acoustics. “Guitar guru” George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars has said, “I have never been so intrigued with the sound of a new guitar design,” and respected artists like Russ Barenberg sing praise for Krusa’s instruments as well.

Given these accolades, it may come as a surprise that Krusa initially honed his woodworking skills at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building. It was there that he had his guitar-maker epiphany when he realized if he could bend boat planks, he could bend guitar sides as well. Soon after, he enrolled at the Timeless Instruments’ School of Luthiery. Krusa would later cut his teeth during a three-year stint at Froggy Bottom Guitars, where he learned how to build a traditional-sounding guitar—bracing more than 500 of them with a traditional, Martin-influenced pattern.

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