Baldacci Guitars

When the lights hit just right… 🔥
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It’s candy apple season!
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See this one and more, headed to our friends over at

We’re interrupting your regularly scheduled Baldacci Guitars programming to wrap up a very personal side project…
The first guitar I ever built—14 years ago—was a replica of Eddie Van Halen’s legendary Frankenstrat. Was it playable? Not even close. But that’s where the spark to build my own guitars began.
Fast forward to last month— and I were talking about Eddie, and Jeff mentioned wanting a Frankenstrat for his studio. I couldn’t resist the chance to revisit the guitar that started it all—this time building one that actually works.
Stepping outside our usual style pushed me to look at my craft in a new light. Sometimes building something totally different is exactly what reminds you why you fell in love with the work in the first place.

14 years ago I tried to build my very first guitar- a replica of Eddie Van Halen’s iconic striped Frankie. Turns out, 8th grade Conner had a LOT to learn about guitar making…
Fast forward to two weeks ago, is telling me how he was looking at buying an Eddie Van Halen replica for his studio. Several beers and a couple margaritas later we put together the plan to create the most precise replica we possibly can…
Simple Plan gets crazy on tour but not enough to put 40 years of play wear on a guitar in just a few weeks, so we have a lot of creative razor-blading to do over the weekend to get this looking like the original..
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If anyone happens to have some good shots of the original from the MET display, send ‘em my way!

Nine years ago this fall, I was just beginning my guitar building journey at .school.of.luthiery , learning to listen to the wood, to trust my hands, and to understand what it means to build something that will outlive you.

This fall marks the school’s 50th anniversary, and to commemorate, ~50 luthiers from around the world were invited to build an instrument in their own voice, using lumber brought back from South America by John Roberts himself over half a century ago.

We’re humbled to be part of this tribute alongside many other builders we admire deeply, paying homage to the foundation laid by John Roberts, Bob Venn, William Eaton, and the legacy of this place that shaped so many of us.

Because we’re building an electric guitar, I asked John Reuter if he could cut me off an end piece- something full of voids, cracks, and imperfections. What he returned with was a bundle so fragile it had to be taped together to keep it from falling apart.

It was perfect.

I held on to that wood for over two years, letting the weight of the build sink in, deciding how to not only showcase what we do, but honor the past that made it possible. The result is this Bighorn Hollowbody L-Mod: rosewood top, back, fretboard, and headcap, Mahogany body and neck, all from the Roberts collection. Turquoise and stone inlays, also from John’s stash — each piece carrying a bit of Arizona’s soul with it.

Though I never had the chance to meet Mr. Roberto or Mr. Venn, this guitar is built in their honor. For the tradition they created, for the people they taught, and for that legacy to carry on over the next 50 years and beyond! 🍻
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A closer look at the two guitars you can see on the upcoming tour! A custom, piezo-only Bighorn Hollowbody (with single F-hole), and aged Bighorn ECO featuring a Fluence bridge pickup and bridge!
Tour starts Saturday and it’s not one to miss 🤘

I’ve gotten into a really bad habit of not taking photos of guitars before they leave the shop.
So enjoy these shots taken last-minute as the owner was on his way over to pick this one up 😁