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Every guitar from David’s Guitar Loft is professionally set up for optimal playability — 10–46 strings on electrics and 12–53 on acoustics. Want it your way? We’ll customize the setup, strings, and tuning to your exact preference before it ships. *Set up form will pop up after guitar is added to cart!
Founded by luthiers Mike Koontz and John Thurston, Koontz & Thurston was a small boutique guitar builder based in Maryland during the early 1980s. Operating out of the historic Dickeyville Mill near Baltimore, the company earned a reputation for producing meticulously handcrafted electric guitars and basses in very limited numbers. Rather than focusing on large-scale production, each instrument was built with premium tonewoods, quality hardware, and careful attention to detail, resulting in guitars that have become increasingly sought after by collectors and players who appreciate boutique craftsmanship.
Although Koontz & Thurston's time in business was relatively brief, the company remains an important part of Maryland's early guitar-building legacy. The shop existed during the same era that Paul Reed Smith was establishing his own reputation, reflecting the region's emergence as a hub for high-end American luthiery. Today, surviving Koontz & Thurston instruments are exceptionally rare, valued not only for their scarcity but also for their outstanding build quality, distinctive character, and place in the history of boutique guitar making.
The Koontz & Thurston '59 Les Paul Replica is an exceptionally rare boutique instrument handcrafted in Maryland during the company's short but influential run. Built in limited numbers, these guitars have become highly sought after for their outstanding craftsmanship, premium materials, and vintage-inspired design. For collectors and players alike, this is a remarkable example of early American boutique guitar building.
A beautifully figured flame maple top is paired with a curly mahogany body, delivering the classic combination of clarity, warmth, sustain, and rich midrange that has made the '59 Les Paul one of the most revered electric guitars ever built. The curly mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard provide smooth playability, crisp note definition, and a comfortable vintage-style feel, while the traditional 24.75-inch scale length offers effortless bends and familiar response.
A pair of Bill Lawrence Keystone humbuckers delivers exceptional clarity, balance, and dynamic sensitivity, preserving the natural character of the premium tonewoods whether played clean or through an overdriven amplifier. A Tune-O-Matic bridge provides dependable intonation and sustain, completing an instrument that is as inspiring to play as it is difficult to find.
Specs:
*Free Shipping
Every guitar from David’s Guitar Loft is professionally set up for optimal playability — 10–46 strings on electrics and 12–53 on acoustics. Want it your way? We’ll customize the setup, strings, and tuning to your exact preference before it ships. *Set up form will pop up after guitar is added to cart!
Founded by luthiers Mike Koontz and John Thurston, Koontz & Thurston was a small boutique guitar builder based in Maryland during the early 1980s. Operating out of the historic Dickeyville Mill near Baltimore, the company earned a reputation for producing meticulously handcrafted electric guitars and basses in very limited numbers. Rather than focusing on large-scale production, each instrument was built with premium tonewoods, quality hardware, and careful attention to detail, resulting in guitars that have become increasingly sought after by collectors and players who appreciate boutique craftsmanship.
Although Koontz & Thurston's time in business was relatively brief, the company remains an important part of Maryland's early guitar-building legacy. The shop existed during the same era that Paul Reed Smith was establishing his own reputation, reflecting the region's emergence as a hub for high-end American luthiery. Today, surviving Koontz & Thurston instruments are exceptionally rare, valued not only for their scarcity but also for their outstanding build quality, distinctive character, and place in the history of boutique guitar making.
The Koontz & Thurston '59 Les Paul Replica is an exceptionally rare boutique instrument handcrafted in Maryland during the company's short but influential run. Built in limited numbers, these guitars have become highly sought after for their outstanding craftsmanship, premium materials, and vintage-inspired design. For collectors and players alike, this is a remarkable example of early American boutique guitar building.
A beautifully figured flame maple top is paired with a curly mahogany body, delivering the classic combination of clarity, warmth, sustain, and rich midrange that has made the '59 Les Paul one of the most revered electric guitars ever built. The curly mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard provide smooth playability, crisp note definition, and a comfortable vintage-style feel, while the traditional 24.75-inch scale length offers effortless bends and familiar response.
A pair of Bill Lawrence Keystone humbuckers delivers exceptional clarity, balance, and dynamic sensitivity, preserving the natural character of the premium tonewoods whether played clean or through an overdriven amplifier. A Tune-O-Matic bridge provides dependable intonation and sustain, completing an instrument that is as inspiring to play as it is difficult to find.
Specs:
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