Tucked away in an inconspicuous building in Harvey West is a workshop that crafts some of the world’s finest acoustic guitars. Marked by immaculate detail, Santa Cruz Guitar Company (SCGC) is led by founder Richard Hoover, an incredible artist and luthier in his own right. Fast approaching its 50th anniversary, Santa Cruz Guitar Company was influenced by the intricacies of violins, which Hoover studied meticulously thanks to library books supplied to him by his mother, well before the internet opened up the world to a wealth of information right at our fingertips.

We had the opportunity to tour the factory with Hoover and even after nearly 50 years, his passion for guitar making poured through him. The shared joy and wonder were present amongst all SCGC employees as we traveled from station to station learning about the precise details of every piece of the guitar build process. It was so inspiring that I almost ordered a guitar on the spot…and I’ve never played guitar in my life.

From first glance, one may assume a guitar is a guitar (I certainly did!), but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Now, while most conventional guitar makers produce about 400 guitars in a day and a half, that’s about how many SCGC produces in a year, with good reason. Each guitar is handmade right here in Santa Cruz to capture every detail its future player is looking for, rather than just most of the details which is the most a conventional guitar can offer.

Most of this starts with the wood selection, of which sustainability is at the core for SCGC, but also to how the internal workings of the guitar are shaped to get the bass and treble, and overall sound, exactly right. Whether it’s a downed tree, a sunken log, old tenements, building beams, or from a master carpenter’s inventory, responsibly sourcing the best sounding wood is key. The benefit of using aged wood is that, like fine wine, it gets better (sounding) with age and the tonal beauty is evident from the first strum.

Of course, you may be wondering what happens to all of the leftover pieces after the guitars are made. SCGC thought about that, too. Through a partnership with Ventana Surfboards, another Santa Cruz founded sustainable brand, takes the leftovers off their hands to make their surfboards. “What we really amplify is that message that you can make the best stuff in the world without compromise to your values or the health of the planet,” says Richard Hoover. “So, that’s good teamwork.”

As it turns out, Santa Cruz, mostly known as a haven for mountain bikers and surfers, is also ideal for guitar making. The temperate climate allows these finely tuned guitars to maintain their musical integrity, no matter where in the world their final destination may be. And speaking of destinations, Santa Cruz Guitar Company is one that aspiring guitar makers seek out to learn this craft from the master himself.

So, not only does SCGC make legendary guitars to contribute to the local economy, but they attract people from all over the country to our city creating jobs and opportunity for luthiers (craftspeople who builds and repairs sting instruments). We think that’s pretty cool.

Learn more about Santa Cruz Guitar Company here.