Home -- Instruments -- Santa Cruz Guitars

Santa Cruz Guitar Company makes some of the world's greatest guitars. Founder Richard Hoover has been accumulating old wood since the 1970s. That & his years of experience as a luthier produces exceptional instruments, lightly built with outstanding clarity & balance. We are proud to be the exclusive dealer for these superlative instruments in San Antonio. In my 40+ years of experience playing, working on & selling guitars, I can truly say that I know of no finers guitars anywhere at any price. One of the most important things that Santa Cruz has that many other "boutique" makers don't is a warmth of tone that invites you in & a graceful neck that feels just right. Many fine guitar builders make guitars that impress you with their power & in-your-face tone, whereas the Santa Cruz, not lacking in power, invites you to keep playing with its extraordinary warmth & subtlety. "Character" is a property that's as elusive among guitars as it is among humans, but in both cases the great ones have it. Every Santa Cruz Guitar has that & so much more. Come in & wrap your arms around one!  

  WIRED.COM has a recent article on Santa Cruz Guitars that I would encourage those interested to seek out. It tells not only of great guitars but also great people. On a personal note: Several years ago I attended a NAMM show in Anaheim & visited the booth of a Texas builder whose guitars at that time I sold. I hung around the booth for awhile with my "Buyer" badge & name prominently displayed only to be completely ignored by the representatives & owner of that company. I came back several times & got the same reception. I wandered over to Santa Cruz booth, for whom I was not yet a dealer, but I had discussed the possibility with Richard Hoover over a brief phone call. As soon as I walked up Richard himself came over & said "Mark, it's good to see you. I was hoping you'd be here", & proceeded to treat me like an old friend. That very act won me over instantly, but it wouldn't have lasted if the guitars weren't all that, but they are. There is a warmth & "broken in" feeling & tone to Santa Cruz Guitars that I find in very few other guitars. I personally own an RS model Santa Cruz as a tribute to my one time teacher Roy Smeck & it gets better each time I play it. The best guitar is the one that you fall in love with, but you haven't made a fair assessment of just how good a guitar can be until you've played a Santa Cruz. 

Santa Cruz makes a total of about 700 guitars a year & 30% of those are sold to dealers overseas, leaving a total of about 450 guitars each year available to the 50 dealers in the US. We try to keep 6 or more Santa Cruz Guitars in stock but the demand sometimes exceeds what we can keep supplied. Many of the guitars we order from Santa Cruz are custom orders for clients who want specific features on their instruments.

Guitars don't get any better than a Santa Cruz. The "best" guitar is strictly in the hands & ears of the beholder, but in terms of guitar building & how good is the guitar, Santa Cruz's quality is unsurpassed.

Custom 1929 OO with spruce top. We love these guitars so much that we decided to order one with a sitka top, instead of all mahogany. The results are no less than superlative. If you've been searching for  the perfect smaller guitar, this could be the one.                          

1929 Model OO. These little beauties are just remarkable guitars that are responsive to any kind of playing & defy the senses with their volume & clarity. Sets on the lap quite nicely & the 12 fret neck makes for an especially comfortable guitar for home or studio. We've been so enamored of this little beauty that we've ordered one with a spruce top that will undoubtedly be a wonder.

Mahogany 00 1929 model with full sunburst. Beautiful.