No. 032 Skagit Spring
This guitar is the first in the Artist Collaboration Series. It is named for the Skagit Valley in Washington, where it debuted at the La Conner Guitar Festival in May 2025. Northwest Montana artist Marshall Noice painted the interior, making this guitar as much a visual art piece as an instrument.
The soundboard is Lutz Spruce. The back and sides are Oregon Myrtle, sourced from Pacific Rim Tonewoods and Fiddleback Woodshack. The neck is a three-piece laminate build.
It is currently available at Daymaker Music in Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Artist Collaboration Series with Marshall Noice interior painting
Collaboration note: Marshall Noice is a Northwest Montana artist whose work appears in galleries across the region. The interior painting transforms the guitar into a piece that exists at the intersection of lutherie and visual art. Each instrument in the Artist Collaboration Series pairs Jeremy's building with a regional artist's vision.
Location: Daymaker Music, Bainbridge Island, WA
Watch the build
Read what Jeremy says about this build
[Music]
Welcome back to Pappenfüs Guitars. My name is Jeremy and today I have a special treat for you with the introduction of guitar number 32. [Music]
Recently, I had the honor of being able to showcase my guitars at the Laconner Guitar Festival in Laconner, Washington. As a homage to the unique location, I wanted to bring in elements that could speak to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. This guitar also represents the first in what I'm calling my artist collaboration series. The interview for that is in a separate video where I highlight the talent of Marshall Noice.
As the anchor element on this guitar, I wanted to highlight Oregon Myrtle. This wood has beautiful figure, color, and depth. This wood was provided to me by the wood supplier Fiddleback Woodshack. For the soundboard, I chose to use Lutz Spruce, sourced from Pacific Rim Tone Woods. The quality of their material is second to none. and being only a stones throw from Laconner just made sense. The neck is a three-piece laminate with maple and walnut. I also use walnut for the binding around the instrument and some spalted maple for some inlay work. For a touch of elegance, I chose to use paua shell around the rosette as well as for some of the inlays that represent the sails of ships that frequent the Laconner area. And to round out the wood choices for this guitar, for the fingerboard and bridge, I picked out a truly black set of West African ebony. And once again, I have my good friend Tim Torgerson to give us a sound sample of this guitar. This is recorded raw, so make sure you have a good set of speakers or headphones to get the true sound of this instrument. [Music] [Applause]
[Music]
I chose my model four body size. It has a 14-in lower bout, which brings it closest to an orchestral model. However, this guitar does differ in its depth. I pushed the thickness to 4 and 3/4 of an inch to help increase its air volume and its projection. The extra depth of this guitar made it a perfect candidate for my progressive back radius. For more information on that design, check out one of my other videos where I go into a bit more detail in depth. In short, it's a variation of the Manzer wedge, which helps with the ergonomics of this instrument. The scale length of this guitar is 24.9 in. It adjoins the body at the 12th fret. The string spacing at the saddle is 2 and 1/4 of an inch with a nut width of inch and 3/4. This guitar also features a side sound port which acts as a personal monitor for the player as well as a visual portal into the canvas of this guitar which is the artist collaboration feature. As stated earlier, my goal was to honor the beauty of the Pacific Northwest as well as commemorate the opportunity to share my instruments with enthusiasts from around the world gathered in Laconer, Washington. Again, the artwork inside this instrument was part of my artist collaboration series featuring Marshall Noice. This guitar is finished using a traditional French polish shellac, an incredibly thin coat which doesn't interfere with the acoustic sound of the instrument. [Music] So, I hope you found this video inspiring. Please like and subscribe to catch future introduction videos. This guitar is available for purchase, so check out the links in the description below to get in touch. And from Pappenfüs Guitars in Northwest Montana, thanks for watching. [Music]