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This custom Acousteel was built for a friend who wanted a "colorful" inlay on the fingerboard. The back and sides are made from psychedelic curly Koa from Hawaii. The face is made of Adirondack Spruce. The fingerboard is of Ebony. The bridge and the peghead overlay are of Brazilian Rosewood. The tropical theme inlays are made from Paula Abalone, Red Abalone, Gold Pearl, Back Pearl, White Pearl, Koa and Turquoise.

The back and sides of this guitar are Koa, the neck is Mahogany, is fitted to the body with a dovetail joint and has an adjustable truss rod. The fingerboard is Ebony, the peg head overlay and bridge are Brazilian Rosewood. The face, bracing and internal blocks are of Adirondack Spruce. The unkerfed lining is Cypress. The nut and saddle are Ivory, the bridge and strap pins are Horn with Abalone dots. The inlays are of Paua Abalone. This guitar is finished with oil varnish and has a clear acetate pick guard. The guitar is equipped with Schaller tuners and a custom Cedar Creek case.

This testimonial was written by Bob Kidd about #118

Ken Miller has to be one of the pre-eminent custom, small-shop guitar builders of the new millennium. In my opinion, his work can be added to the pantheon of master luthiers widely known among flatpickers: Henderson, Walker, Hoover, Huss, Proulx. There are many good builders, but few can turn such humble materials into the magnificent tonal and aesthetic creations that are Ken’s instruments. Last summer I commissioned my second guitar with Ken and Virginia, based on two words I saw on their web site – “The Tree.”

Ken started building my guitar in 1965, although he did not know it at the time. In 1965 lumber mill scouts in Honduras' Chicibul jungle located a “magnificent mutant,” a mahogany giant, and cut it. Because of the way the cut tree fell and its overwhelming size, it was not until the early 70’s that a company with heavy equipment pulled the tree in sections from the rain forest and sawed it into boards. This was the beginning of the legend of “The Tree” which is described in an article by Mark Berry in the 1985 September/October issue of Fine Woodworking magazine. I had also read about “The Tree” in an article by Bob Taylor some years ago. George Lucas, creator Star Wars, apparently had his office in San Francisco paneled with it.

Ken indicated that he had managed to obtain 3 sets of “The Tree,” an auspicious and fortunate beginning to a great guitar. He called it “Brazilian favored mahogany.” We agreed that he would bring the wood to Kamp for a preview, including a “surprise” top set. So, I first saw my new guitar -- wooden pieces stacked next to the sink between the Kamp doctors’ rooms in Carnegie, the beginning of # 118: thin ribbons of dark Brazilian binding, a chocolate and caramel piece of Brazilian veneer, a long thin strip of black Ebony, two pieces of the dark, hard, glassy “Tree” with big quilt and three-dimensional figure even unfinished. The surprise top was an extremely rare piece of wide-grain Adirondack spruce with bearclaw. I don’t mean red spruce with occasional spots of bearclaw here and there, but top to bottom symmetrical bearclaw carved into the plank-board, wide grain.

Add to the fine collection of stacked wood pieces, stainless steel fret wire, mother of pearl pieces, oil varnish, and a set of hard-to-find “Tony” turners from Stew-Mac. We agreed that he would work to deliver the finished guitar by Christmas.

Two weeks before Christmas I received a note from Ken. “Poor news” the e-mail read. Ken had carved and mounted the neck, and he did not like something he saw in the neck wood. He decided to fashion a second one. This meant no Tree for Christmas. I was disappointed by the timing, but I was also pleased. I took this as another positive indication of Ken’s need to create the perfect neck for the already perfect body, without flaws or doubts.

Ground Hog Day about two months later, I received a note that it will be shipped within the next week. The silence is broken. The wait begins for what my friend Mike calls, “the brown truck of happiness.”

As it sits on my guitar stand now, I see stunning perfection, understated at a short distance, but full of marvelous details when held up close. I’d forgotten about the highly figured, Brazilian bridge mounted with hand carved walrus ivory pins with matching end and strap pins. There is no guitar like it, and probably nothing like it again.

How does it sound? Right out of the box, it was loud, focused, and commanding -- a guitar for playing lead. The trebles ring clear on all frets. The bass is dry mahogany, but a bit darker and richer than my other mahogany guitars. Ken’s guitars have a light build, the kind that delivers rib rattling bass from the back. The mid’s are really indescribable. They are not bluegrass mid’s but strong and cutting nonetheless. I attribute this special mid-range to the dovetail neck joint, a construction that delivers the open “G” note the entire length of the guitar. The setup of the Les Paul-shaped neck is perfect. A fine red line of wood separates the ebony fretboard and the Brazilian fretboard binding, pearl fretboard dots, and still more visual subtlety to distract me when I look down.

The back and sides are darker than most mahogany and with enough big, 3-D quilt to make a sailor seasick. Most of the expense of the guitar is in the back and sides. The varnish finish delivered all the excitement and beauty I expected.

Doubtless finer and more expensive guitars have been built, but today none finer in sight or sound than #118. Thank you Ken and Virginia.

Bob Kidd
February 9, 2008

The back and sides of this guitar are made of Florida Walnut and the binding is Florida Eucalyptus - both are compliments of Hurricane Kate. The neck is Florida Mahogany from Key Largo, compliments of Hurricane Andrew. The Black Acacia on the back of the peg head and the unkerfed Cypress linings are also Florida woods. The face and internal bracing are of Adirondack (Red) Spruce. The neck is fitted to the body with a dovetail joint and has an adjustable truss rod. The fingerboard is Ebony and bound with Eucalyptus binding. The frets are stainless steel. The scale is 25.6 inches and the width at the nut is 1 3/4 inches. The nut and saddle are of Ivory. The bridge is Brazilian Rosewood. The bridge and strap pins are of Amber Buffalo Horn. The lower bout 15 1/2 inches wide. The inlays are of Abalone, Green Snail and Mother of Pearl. This guitar is finished with oil Varnish. The tuners are Schaller Minis and the instrument comes equipped with a Cedar Creek Custom Case.

The back and sides are of German Curly Maple. The neck is Mahogany with an adjustable truss rod and is fitted to the body with a dovetail joint. The unkerfed internal linings are Cypress. The bridge, head plate and bindings are of Brazilian Rosewood. The lower bout is 13 ¾ inches wide and the guitar has a 5 inch depth at the end pin which contributed to its surprisingly rich sound. The arm rest bevel which allows this deep bodied instrument to be played in comfort is Brazilian rosewood. The fingerboard is Ebony and it is bound with Brazilian Rosewood. The scale length is 25.2 inches and the nut width is 1 ¾ inches. The face and internal bracings are of Adirondack (Red) Spruce. The nut and saddle are of Ivory. The bridge pins and strap pins are of are of Buffalo Horn with Abalone dots. The peg head and 12th fret inlays are Mother of Pearl. The instrument is finished with oil Varnish and has a clear Acetate pick guard. It has Nickel Schaller Tuners and comes with a Cedar Creek Custom Case.

"I've owned many guitars in my musical career: Collings, Martins, Taylors, Gallaghers and now I own a cherrished Ken Miller Guitar. It is the most beautiful of all the guitars I have ever owned. Made of a figured Babinga African tonewood for the back and sides and Red Spruce top and braces. But beauty is only skin deep.
Ken's building skills are among the top few in the world. Coupled with Virginia's ability to create imaginative and intricate inlay patterns. They have crafted my guitar for beauty and to have the most even and balanced tone possible.
It has the punch and volume of an old herringbone and the warmth and grace of a Ramirez classical. Whatever sound, whatever song, whatever tone I need, I can find it in my Ken Miller Guitar."

The back, sides and back of the peghead are of Quilted Bubinga. The binding and arm rest bevel are of Brazilian Rosewood, as is the bridge and front of the peghead. The face and internal bracing is Adirondack (Red) Spruce and the internal lining is unkerfed cypress. The neck is Mahogany with an internal adjustable truss rod. It is fitted to the body with a dovetail joint. The fingerboard is Ebony with a 1 3/4" nut, and a 650 mm (25.6") scale. The nut and saddle are Ivory, as is the back strap and heel cap. The bridge pins and strap buttons are also Ivory, with Green Snail dots and Gold rings. The sound hole rosette is also green snail. The inlays are of Mother of Pearl, Gold Mother of Pearl, Green Snail, Red Abalone and Paua Abalone. The instrument is finished with oil varnish and a clear Acetate pick guard. The tuners are Gold Schallers with Mother of Pearl Buttons. The guitar comes with a Cedar Creek Custom Case.

The back, sides, bridge, head plate and binding on this guitar are all of Brazilian Rosewood. The neck has a graphite reinforcement, the neck and internal linings are of Spanish Cedar. The face and all of the internal bracing are of Red Spruce. The fingerboard is Ebony, the nut, bridge tie plate and saddle are of Fossil Ivory. The sound hole rosette is individually handmade. The tuners are Gold Schallers with Mother-of-Pearl buttons. This guitar comes with a TKL hard shell case.

This Hawaiian style lap guitar has a body of Koa and the resonating chamber is hollow all the way up to the first fret. The peghead is Spanish Cedar and the internal linings are of Florida Cypress. The face and internal bracing are of Red (Adirondack) Spruce. The nut, saddle and bridge pins are of Bone. The binding is Brazilian Rosewood. The fingerboard is Ebony and the bridge is Brazilian Rosewood. The inlays are of Mother of Pearl, Gold Pearl, Paua Abalone and Green Snail. The unusual bridge and internal bracing on this instrument are taken after the research and developments by Dr. Michael Kasha and luthier Richard Schneider, who originally designed this asymmetrical style of bracing for classical guitars. The guitar is finished with a clear plastic pick guard, Gold Schaller Tuners with mother of Pearl buttons, and has a built in "Pick Up The World" sound system and "PowerPlug" preamp. This instrument comes with a hardshell case.

Door Prize at the Kaufman Kamp!

These photos are of the Kamp Bear Guitar. This guitar is an OM style with Koa back and sides. The face is Red Spruce. The binding is Brazilian Rosewood. The peghead inlay is the Kamp bear logo made of Koa with an Abalone suitcase (headed for Kamp with a smile on his face) and the 12th fret inlay is a Mother of Pearl paw print. This guitar will be given away as a door prize at the Kaufman Kamp at the end of week one. Someone is going to get a wonderful clear, sweet sounding guitar - and it is light as a feather!

The back and sides are of Black Brazilian Rosewood. The neck is Mahogany with an adjustable truss rod and is fitted to the body with a dovetail joint. The unkerfed internal linings are Cypress. The bridge, head plate and bindings are of Brazilian Rosewood. The lower bout is 15 ½ inches wide and at the end pin the depth is 4 7/8 inches. The fingerboard is Ebony and is bound with Curly Koa. The scale length is 25.4 inches and the nut width is 1 ¾ inches. The face and internal bracings are of Adirondack (Red) Spruce. The nut and saddle are of Ivory. The bridge pins and strap pins are of Ivory with Abalone dots. The peg head inlay is of Black Mother of Pearl. The instrument is finished with oil Varnish and has a Italian Celluloid pick guard. It has Nickel Schaller tuners and comes with a Cedar Creek Custom Case.

This guitar has back and sides built out of Quilted Mahogany. The face, interior blocks and bracing are of Adirondack Spruce. The interior linings are of Cypress. The neck is Mahogany with graphite reinforcement and an adjustable truss rod. The bridge, peghead overlay and trim work is Brazilian Rosewood. The fingerboard is Ebony. The nut and saddle are of Fossil Ivory, and the guitar is inlayed with Mother of Pearl, Paua and Red Abalone. The strap buttons and bridge pins are of Horn. The pick guard is Italian Celluloid. This guitar comes with Nickel Schaller tuners and a Cedar Creek Custom hardshell case.

This guitar has back, sides and trim work of Hawaiian Koa. The face, interior bracing and blocks are of Adirondack Spruce. The interior linings are of cypress. The neck is Mahogany with graphite reinforcement and an adjustable truss rod. The bridge and peghead overlay are of Brazilian rosewood. The fingerboard is of Ebony. The guitar is extensively inlayed with Paua and Green Abalone. The nut and saddle are of Fossil Ivory and the pick guard is of Italian Celluloid. The strap buttons and bridge pins are of Horn. This guitar comes with Nickel Schaller tuners and a Cedar Creek Custom hardshell case.

The back, sides and back of the peghead on this guitar are made of Koa. The neck is Mahogany and the internal linings are Florida Cypress. The neck has a hidden, adjustable truss rod. The bridge, binding and peghead overlay are Brazilian Rosewood. The fingerboard is Ebony. The face and internal bracings are of Red (Adirondack) Spruce. The inlays are of Black Pearl, Mother of Pearl, Turquoise and Silver. The nut and saddle are of Ivory and the bridge pins are of Buffalo Horn. This guitar comes with Schaller tuners and a custom Cedar Creek case. The pick guard is clear acrylic. A built in "Pick Up The World" pickup and "Power Plug" pre amp allow for amplification.

The back and sides of this mandolin are made of Curly Maple with Curly Koa trim. The neck is Mahogany with a Burl Walnut face plate and Koa back plate on the peg head. The neck has a graphite reinforcement and is fitted to the body with a dovetail joint . The face and bracings are of Adirondack Spruce. The unkerfed internal linings are of Florida Cypress. The fingerboard is Ebony and bound with Curly Koa binding. The bridge is Brazilian Rosewood. The nut width is 1 3/16 inches and the scale length is 13 7/8 inches. The lower bout is 10 inches. The inlays are of Red Abalone. The nut is Ivory and the end pin is Buffalo Horn. The instrument is finished with oil Varnish. This mandolin comes with Schaller Tuners, a Hamlett Tail Piece and a Cedar Creek Custom hardshell case. This mandolin has a bright, woody sound and plenty of volume.

FLORIDA This guitar is made almost entirely of Florida woods. The back, sides and peg head overlay are made of Walnut, the neck is Cuban Mahogany and uses a dove tail joint and an adjustable truss rod. The face and the internal unkerfed lining are Deadhead Cypress, the binding is Eucalyptus. The fingerboard is Ebony and the bridge is Florida Rosewood. The inlays are of Mother-of-Pearl and Green Abalone. The nut and saddle are Ivory, the bridge and strap pins are of Horn with Abalone dots. The guitar is finished with oil varnish and has a clear acetate pick guard. This guitar is equipped with Schaller tuners and a custom Cedar Creek case.

The White Bear Guitar has back and sides made of Block-Mottle figured Mahogany. The face, internal blocks and bracing are of Adirondack Spruce. The neck is Mahogany with graphite re-enforcement and an adjustable truss rod. The fingerboard is Ebony, and the bridge, peghead overlay and trim are of Brazilian Rosewood. The interior linings are of Cypress. The White Bear peghead inlay and Bear Paw inlay at the 12th fret are of White Mother of Pearl. The nut and saddle are of Fossil Ivory. The strap buttons and bridge pins are of Amber Horn. The pick guard is of clear Acetate and this guitar comes equipped with a "Pick-Up-the-World" pickup and a "PowerPlug" pre-amp. This guitar comes with Nickel Schaller tuners and a Cedar Creek custom hardshell case.

This mandolin was built by Ken in 1978. It has Maple back and sides with a Sitka Spruce face. The fingerboard is Ebony and the bridge is Brazilian Rosewood. The peghead overlay is Burl Walnut. The peghead and fingerboard are inlayed with green and red Abalone, and a Mother of Pearl nameplate at the twelfth fret. The instrument is bound in Ivroid. It has new frets and comes with a homemade rectangular case.