Interview with Luthier John Slobod of Circa Guitars

“One of the reasons I love the Martin voice, even in the different ways I push it, is its versatility. You can do so much with it. And I think having a guitar with a certain amount of mass gives you more versatility.” - John Slobod

John Slobod proves that even building within the parameters of what's known to work (in his case, pre-war Martin style guitars), there's still plenty to discover, and endless ways to adapt and innovate. In the early 90s when his wife suggested he combine his passion for making things with his love of neo-traditional bluegrass, it only made sense. John spent years refining his skills in the production line at Dana Bourgeois' workshop, then later alongside Julius Borges building Schoenberg guitars. By the time he put out his own shingle as the aptly named Circa Guitars, he had nearly two decades and thousands of guitars worth of experience under his belt to inform his own timeless style.

Just as we were about to receive a brand new D-18 in beeswing mahogany, we sat down to chat about his history, his wood hoarding habit, and how he creates some of the best pre-war inspired guitars, while keeping their own unique Circa sound and feel.

“Every little change, like a few thousandths of an inch different in a certain part of a guitar top, can change the character of the instrument. And nobody knows exactly why it all works the way it does, so there’s a lot of mystery to it. Which is a fun pursuit to drive yourself nuts with.”

Learn more about Circa Guitars: http://www.circaguitars.com/
Follow John on Instagram:   / circaguitars  

Circa D-18 Beeswing Mahogany: https://cartervintage.com/shop/circa-...
More Circa guitars at CVE: https://cartervintage.com/shop?keywor...

Featured musicians:
‪@CarlMiner‬, Bill Cooley, ‪@StuartRyanMusic‬​