Rose Guitars melds the dexterity of a surgical career with artistic vision to make hand-crafted acoustic guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles of native and exotic hardwoods embellished with custom pearl inlay. As a luthier, I specialize in building dreadnought and parlor size guitars in the Martin style with custom pearl inlay – from beginning to end – in my Randolph County workshop. I have made other styles of guitars by request and by design. I make two sizes of ukuleles that are crafted like a tiny guitar would be with x-bracing, pick guards, specialty tuners and pearl inlay detail. Many of my instruments include wood from West Virginia trees, some a century old. Rose Guitars also produces furniture-grade cherry instrument stands in two sizes from my original design. With every build, my goal is to make an instrument that sounds as beautiful as it looks, and I strive to carry on traditional guitar-building with meaningful customization.

Rose Guitars accepts custom orders. www.robertrosegutiars.com

For nearly ten years Rose Guitars has been an annual exhibitor at several major juried West Virginia festivals.

Biography

I am a luthier, a builder of stringed instruments. I have played guitar and flute for many years and always had a fondness for Martin Guitars. About twenty years ago while I was still in practice as a general surgeon, I decided to try making one from a kit on the dining room table. Now many guitars later, our (former) garage is a fully equipped woodworking studio customized for instrument building. I have studied with master artists Wayne Henderson, David Nichols, and Bob Smakula, and am a juried member of Tamarack: the Best of West Virginia.

Other Creative Skills

Musical Instruments