Richie Crowder had two things going for him when he decided to try his hand at building guitars. First, he had always worked with his hands and with wood. Second, he and his brother played music together, learning guitar licks from their heroes since childhood. Richie spent time in local luthier shops to learn the skills and strategies he needed for guitar building, and when his first guitar turned out well, he kept building.
Today, Crowder Guitars in Burnsville offers custom-built guitars with local wood and revered sound. Richie has built more than 90 guitars, a few of which have been played on stages at the Grand Ole Opry and on Good Morning America. A notable feature of Crowder Guitars is beautiful wood, much of it from Western North Carolina and surrounding mountains. Richie’s favorite, red spruce—for guitar tops—sourced from nearby mountains. Today, he’s got a waiting list of people who want to own one of these signature guitars.
Visitors to Crowder Guitars will see what it takes to produce excellent acoustic guitars. Richie builds instruments inspired by classic designs, but he’s not afraid to make his own tweaks. Each custom-ordered guitar gets Richie’s full effort to be a unique instrument filled with meaning for the player. Jamming is welcome!
Open by appointment.
