Burton LeGeyt

LeGeyt Guitars

Since 2005 I have been building custom acoustic guitars out of my basement shop on a quiet side street in Brookline, Massachusetts. After attending art school in New York City and playing music all over the East coast I settled in Boston and became interested in fine woodworking while working in small shops in the city. That experience gave me the courage to begin to experiment with different musical instruments and, after a few simple designs, I began to work seriously on building steel string guitars. I have found that the craft suits my need for intense focus and the enormity of the nuance of the modern guitar suits my curiosity and creativity. I currently build 4-5 instruments a year and enjoy the process of customizing each one to be unique and successful, both aesthetically and musically. I value balance in my guitars above all else and strive to create an instrument that instinctively wants to be played. I want the player of my guitars to feel that the instrument is an active participant in the music making process and not simply the medium by which it is realized. Aesthetically I value an instrument that makes a cohesive statement. I love simple and classic guitar design as much as more intricate detail and marquetry work but however fancy the instrument becomes it must present as a unified whole. This is one part of building a guitar that I enjoy very much, bringing all of the different design elements together.

I have strong feelings about being a maker of things, and especially a maker of things in America and more locally in New England. I have a specific interest in the area's industrial past as a center of precision toolmaking and identify with that spirit as I consider my guitars to be tools. I am proud to be able to offer fine instruments made by hand in Boston. It is also satisfying to me to use machines that were made in the area as much as possible. I enjoy restoring antique machines to once again be beautiful and precise fabrication tools and I have some wonderful examples originally built within a few miles of my shop currently in use.

I feel lucky to have found a pursuit that I enjoy and am passionate about. I very much enjoy being a part of our New England Luthiers Guild and talking to and learning from all of our members. I also love speaking to musicians and learn a great deal every time I have the chance to sit down and discuss their personal relationships to their instruments. I welcome visitors to my shop to play and talk about guitars and to look through my extensive wood inventory to get a sense of what an instrument could be. I can be contacted by phone at 617-415-1677 or by

Thanks,

Burton LeGeyt