National-style resonator
Rosewood and Sitka Spruce 00
Rosewood / Sitka Dreadnought
Barbarossa Guitars
Fine Hand-made Guitars
My acoustic guitars are all handmade from the finest solid woods. I concentrate on steel string guitars, designed for fingerstyle playing and classical guitars. I am happy to build you a custom designed guitar, based on your own pattern, size or combination of woods. I can work with you to define the design of your special instrument.
Contact me at: Jim Blilie, 651-766-8757
jwblilieno-spam@barbarossa-guitars.com
(please remove the obvious "no-spam" part of my address above)
Check out my SPECIALS:
NEW! Click HERE for sound clips of my guitars!
Me enjoying a B00 cutaway (Sitka spruce and Pacific Madrone, Arbutus menziesii) on the shore of Lake Superior
Me at the MBOTMA Kickoff Festival, June 2011
Comments from happy owners:
My article, The Guitar As a Structure, was published in January in American Lutherie #100,
the journal of the Guild of American Luthiers.
Review of a B00 in European spruce and flamed bigleaf maple (on Acoustic Guitar Forum):
"... and more importantly it has the most beautiful and clear tone…clearest sound of any guitar I have put my hands on."
Please click on the link for the full review:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2514563
"The only other guitars I have played that compare are Northwoods. I also played a Rockbrige at local Luthier's shop...he is doing some mod's and set ups for me. Your guitars are amazing. The tone, balance, playability, quality of woods, fit and finish....and they record incredibly well. Actually...and you can quote...'the best recording guitar I have used'."
AB near Boston, Mass., March 2010
"Jim, I have been playing acoustic for over 40 years and have owned over 20 guitars including vintage Gibsons, a top of the line Takamine, and many other makes: Ovation, Epiphone, Yamaha, Seagull and so forth .I've played a few Martins as well. The 00 cedar/rosewood is a phenomenal instrument. It responds to a very light touch, yet projects like anything when asked to. Now, I play fingerstyle, and the wood combination along with the wide fingerboard and the 12 fret configuration is a fingerstyle equation for fun. Wish I had spent what I put into my spruce topped parlor to get a spruce topped 00 from you...maybe another year, if I can sell my parlor. My commendations on the best sounding guitar I have played. You do have a talent for your work and I am happy to let anyone play the 00 to hear for themselves. This guitar is balanced across the strings and up and down the fingerboard. It has the best intonation of any guitar I've played. I guess the compenstated bone saddle has something to do with it. Honestly, the guitar is louder and sounds better with light guage strings than my custom shop all solid wood Takamine model ( EF417s) does with medium strings, and the Takamine is a great sounding guitar. Hats off!"
RH in Statesboro, Georgia, November 2008
Read more comments from satisfied customers
And:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/product/Barbarossa/00/10/1
My violins:
(click on photo)
Check out my SPECIALS:
Click on a photo
NEW! Click HERE for sound clips of my guitars!
Seattle Luthiers Group Booth at 2001 Northwest Folklife at Seattle Center. My guitars are on the fifth panel from the left and the flamenco at far left (click on the photo for a larger picture). Being in Minnesota now, I can't participate in NW Folklife anymore.:
See a recent steel string guitar under construction:
(click on photo)
My article, The Guitar As a Structure, was published in January in American Lutherie #100,
the journal of the Guild of American Luthiers.
I am a GAL Member:
This page was last updated: 11-Feb-2012