Rincon Ridge Guitars, LLC.

Gary Knight

We have known Gary for many years and he does very high quality work. Gary was formally known as "Catalina Guitars" and has a new web site.

Here is a link to his site: Gary Knight

Tucson Guitar Society

The Tucson Guitar Society was setup to help promote awareness, appreciation and learning of guitar. The society sponsors workshops, concerts and classes throughout the year, providing local playing and non-playing guitar enthusiasts with the opportunity to meet, learn and improve awareness of every aspect of the guitar.

View their home page: Tucson Guitar Society

Project Guitar

These folks have just about anything you need, well except our guitars. They have over 200 good tutorials on building and repairing your guitar. They have a good link section to parts suppliers and if you can't find what your looking for, drop us an email and maybe we can help.

Here is a link to their site: Project Guitar

Build Your Guitar

This site has some people that have shared their hand made guitars and also has some resources to help you build your own guitar.

Here is a link to their site: Build Your Guitar

Guitar Rewiring

This is an execlent site where you can experiment in changing the sound of your guitar. This will also show you how the standard guitars are wired and some alternatives. Check them out and do some experiments.

Here is a link to their site: Guitar Rewiring

Prototype ally

We are working on this artical.

The Shop

We are working on this artical.

Bass neck profiles

Back contour is the profile or grip shape of the neck. A necks thickness and back shape plays a big role in a players overall comfort. Check out your favorite basses. Measure them and base your choice accordingly.




*Note: Information and drawings from Warmoth.

Standard Contour The Standard 4 string contour is our time tested back contour and represents a middle of the road thickness. Not too thick and not too thin for most players. Built with our Super Bass Construction for strength and stability. Average Thickness: Thickness at 1st fret = .872" (22.19mm) Thickness at 12th fret = .975" (24.77mm)

Slim Taper The slim taper profile is slimmer than the standard contour and is more in line with early J Bass necks. Built with our Super Bass Construction for strength and stability. Slim taper contour available on P and J bass necks only. Average Thickness: Thickness at 1st fret = .790" (20.07mm) Thickness at 12th fret = .920" (23.37mm)

Deluxe 5 The Deluxe 5 Series bass necks feature an asymmetric contour where the bass side is thicker and the treble side is thinner. The end result is a strong, stable neck that is also fast and easy to play. Built with our Super Bass Construction for strength and stability. Average Thickness: Thickness at 1st fret = .865" (21.97mm) Thickness at 12th fret = .975" (24.77mm)

Gecko The Gecko series bass necks feature an asymmetric back contour where the bass side is thicker and the treble side is thinner. The end result is a strong, stable neck that is also fast and easy to play. Asymetric profile necks are becoming a common feature among boutique bass builders. Average Thickness: Thickness at 1st fret = .875" (22.23mm) Thickness at 12th fret = .975" (24.77mm)

Exotic woods

Padauk Name: African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) Straight to interlocked grain with a moderately coarse texture and large pores. Rich red to purple red heartwood and pale-beige sapwood. Hard, heavy, and strong with exceptional decay resistance and dimensional stability. Not suitable for steam bending. Works well with hand and machine tools. Glues easily and holds nails and screws well. Finishes to a beautiful sheen without the need for stain.

Bloodwood Name: Bloodwood (Brosimum Rubescens) Rich strawberry red to light pink or yellowish red; sometimes with golden yellow stripes. Extraordinarily hard, dense, and tight grained. Bloodwood often holds a lot of tension in the wood, making it unstable and prone to twist or cup. It's best used in small pieces. However, woodworkers like the way it finishes and polishes, and the vivid color is always eye catching.

Bubinga Name: Bubinga (Guibourtia Demeusei) Light red or violet with fairly evenly spaced purple stripes. Fine grained. Hard and heavy. Takes a high lustrous finish. The wood works without difficulty except for gum pockets. Some logs are figured with a wavy, roey grain.

Purpleheart Name: Purpleheart (Peltogyne spp.) Generally straight grained, sometimes interlocked, with a fine even texture. Creamy white sapwood and vibrant purple heartwood that turns to dark-purplish brown with exposure to light. Very heavy, hard, strong, and stiff with good decay resistance and stability in service. Steam-bends moderately well. Sometimes difficult to work due to hardness and a tendency to tear and split. Pre-drilling required for screws and nails. Glues easily and polishes well with no staining required.

Zebrawood Name: Zebrawood (Microberlinia Brazzavillensis) Used primarily for decorative purposes where strength and mechanical properties are unimportant. Works easily with hand and power tools, although its alternating grain structure makes it difficult to achieve a good machine finish. Gluing is satisfactory with care. Finishes well when filled.

Limba Name: Limba (Terminalia superba) Lumber is separated for color and sold as white (without black streaks) or black (with black streaks). The wood is relatively soft and easy to work. Medium coarse texture. Open pores require filling for a smooth surface.

Spanish Cedar Name: Spanish Cedar (Cedrela odorata) Straight-grained, wavy, curly and mottled grain. Soft with a moderately coarse texture. Easy on tools and cutters, but the low density and softness make it prone to splintering. Resembles mahogany at first glance.

Koa Name: Koa (Acacia koa) Light to dark brown with distinct golden luster, sometimes with irregular dark streaks. Often curly figure. Not terribly hard or heavy. Fine texture and takes a high lustrous finish. Works easily, comparable to Teak.

Spalted Maplea Name: Spalted Maple (Acer macrophyllum-Pacific Maple) This wood is actually the product of a dead or decaying tree. The dark lines are created by fungal attack. This wood is soft and punky and is only used as a thin laminate bookmatched top on flat top bodies with binding. Spalt is difficult to finish as it soaks up a lot of finish. Each piece of Spalted maple is quite unique.

From the President

Each of our guitars is crafted with the best materials. Since they are handcrafted, great care is given to give the instruments a beautiful look but also a great sound. We have tested our basses in actual gigs, some of which are professional and some private as a final test we have had luthiers and professional teachers play them. Only after we get their recommendation do we deem the instrument to be ready. We can set the action any way that you wish. Our usual guitar has the strings set as low as possible without buzzing. This allows you to play as fast as you want. Our hope is that this will be an instrument that you will play and value for the rest of your life.

When an instrument is ordered we want you to have the best looking and the best playing instruments available. Doug is working on some very new electric guitars and I am designing some new five string, passive basses. Watch our gallery for some of our new concepts.

All orders begin with a $500 non-refundable deposit. A basic case will be included.

DIY your own guitar

So you want to build a guitar? First off a scratch built guitar is not an easy task. Ask some of the guitar shops and how many people start to build a guitar and then ask them to finish the project. A good craftsman will spend a minimum of 60-100 hours just shaping, routing and finishing the body.

We do not recommend that you scratch build a neck. There are many good products available and it will save you a lot of time and the project will be much more enjoyable.

We have written a paper that may help. We are willing to asisst you with any questions you may have, but please read the paper on building your own guitar firrst.DIY Paper Download