Santa Cruz Guitar Company Experience
Heirloom Acoustic Guitars, Handcrafted Since 1976
For nearly five decades, Santa Cruz Guitar Company has set the benchmark for boutique acoustic guitars. Founded in 1976 by master luthier Richard A. Hoover in Santa Cruz, California, the company was built on a singular idea: guitars should be composed, not assembled.
At Haggerty’s Music, we’re proud to represent Santa Cruz Guitars — instruments that blend Old World violin-lutherie traditions with modern acoustic science to deliver unmatched tone, balance, and longevity. These are guitars built not just to be played, but to be passed down.
SCGC Collection
An Artistic Spirit That Shapes Every Guitar
Santa Cruz has long been a haven for artists, writers, and unconventional thinkers. That creative DNA runs directly through every Santa Cruz Guitar. Richard Hoover’s journey into guitar making wasn’t about chasing trends or mass production, it was about creating something meaningful, something with substance.
A guitar, after all, can change lives. A song can cross borders, form lifelong bonds, and carry deep emotional power. Santa Cruz Guitar Company builds instruments with that reverence in mind. Tools for expression that honor both the player and the music they create.
A True Custom Shop, Not a Factory
Santa Cruz Guitar Company is neither a factory nor a single-builder workshop. It is a true custom shop, producing fewer guitars in an entire year than many large manufacturers produce in a single day.
Every instrument is crafted by luthiers, not assemblers, with over a century of combined experience on the bench. This small-batch approach allows for extraordinary attention to detail and the ability to tailor guitars to the tonal, ergonomic, and aesthetic needs of each player.
At Haggerty’s Music, we work closely with Santa Cruz to help players find or design the guitar that fits their voice.
Climate-Controlled Craftsmanship for a Global Stage
Every Santa Cruz guitar is built in a carefully controlled environment: the “middle of the world” for temperature and humidity. This ensures stability whether the instrument ends up in the dry winters of Stockholm or the intense humidity of Singapore.
Wood naturally expands and contracts as it travels. Santa Cruz builds for this reality, dramatically reducing the risk of cracks and structural issues while ensuring consistent performance across climates. It’s one of the many unseen details that separate heirloom instruments from ordinary guitars.
Intelligent Bracing & Lightweight Strength
Santa Cruz guitars are built light but never fragile. Through parabolic and radiused bracing designs, each instrument achieves remarkable power, resonance, and durability without unnecessary mass.
This intelligent engineering allows the top to move freely and efficiently, producing a more responsive and dynamic sound while standing the test of time.
Built for Musicians, Not Just Collectors
While Santa Cruz guitars are played by world-class artists, the greatest satisfaction comes from seeing these instruments used to teach, to worship, to heal, and to bring people together.
These guitars don’t exist to sit behind glass. They’re meant to live full lives on stages, in studios, and in homes - shaping music that matters.
Lifetime Support & Peace of Mind
When you invest in a Santa Cruz Guitar, you’re investing in a lifetime relationship. Their small-shop structure allows for personal, responsive support from expert repair services to direct communication with the people who built your instrument.
That same philosophy carries through Haggerty’s Music, where our team provides guidance before, during, and long after your purchase. Our goal is simple: peace of mind, quality of life, and the right guitar in your hands.
Discover Santa Cruz Guitars at Haggerty’s Music
At Haggerty’s Music, we believe a great acoustic guitar should inspire you every time you pick it up. Santa Cruz Guitars embody that belief at the highest level blending artistry, science, sustainability, and soul.
Whether you’re searching for a world-class fingerstyle guitar, a powerful bluegrass instrument, or a custom-voiced heirloom acoustic, we’re here to help you find the Santa Cruz guitar that feels like it was made just for you.
Explore Santa Cruz Guitars at Haggerty’s Music and experience what handcrafted excellence truly sounds like.
FAQs
What makes Santa Cruz Guitars different from other acoustic guitar brands?
Santa Cruz Guitars are hand-built in small numbers using violin-lutherie techniques such as hand voicing and tap tuning. Each guitar is tuned to specific frequencies rather than fixed dimensions, resulting in superior balance, sustain, and tonal complexity. They are true custom-shop instruments, not factory-built guitars.
Are Santa Cruz Guitars handmade?
Yes. Every Santa Cruz Guitar is handcrafted by experienced luthiers in Santa Cruz, California. While modern CNC machines assist with rough shaping, all critical tone-shaping work — including top voicing, bracing, and neck fitting — is done by hand to ensure optimal sound and playability.
Why are Santa Cruz Guitars so expensive?
Santa Cruz Guitars are premium instruments due to their small-batch production, hand-voiced construction, responsibly sourced tonewoods, and extensive luthier labor. Each guitar is built for lifetime use, repairability, and tonal improvement over decades, making them true heirloom-quality instruments.
Do Santa Cruz Guitars sound better as they age?
Yes. Santa Cruz Guitars are designed to improve with age. As the wood’s natural resins crystallize over time, the guitar becomes more resonant, responsive, and harmonically complex — similar to a vintage instrument.
What is hand voicing and tap tuning?
Hand voicing and tap tuning involve shaping the guitar top and bracing based on how the wood vibrates and responds to sound frequencies. Instead of building to fixed measurements, Santa Cruz luthiers tune each piece of wood to achieve ideal balance, sustain, and tonal clarity.
Are Santa Cruz Guitars good for fingerstyle playing?
Absolutely. Santa Cruz Guitars are highly regarded among fingerstyle players for their clarity, balance, dynamic response, and note separation. Many models can also be custom-voiced for fingerstyle, bluegrass, jazz, or modern acoustic styles.
What kind of neck joint do Santa Cruz Guitars use?
Santa Cruz Guitars use a traditional dovetail neck joint. This joint provides superior energy transfer from strings to body, improving resonance, sustain, and tonal depth compared to bolt-on neck designs.
Are Santa Cruz Guitars sustainably made?
Yes. Santa Cruz Guitar Company is a leader in responsible wood sourcing. They use reclaimed woods, sustainable-yield mahogany, downed Hawaiian koa, and carefully selected tonewoods harvested with long-term environmental responsibility in mind.
Where are Santa Cruz Guitars made?
All Santa Cruz Guitars are built in Santa Cruz, California, in a climate-controlled workshop designed to produce instruments stable enough for travel anywhere in the world.
Is Haggerty’s Music an authorized Santa Cruz Guitar dealer?
Yes. Haggerty’s Music is an authorized Santa Cruz Guitar Company dealer, offering expert guidance, model selection, and support before and after purchase.
Can I order a custom Santa Cruz Guitar through Haggerty’s Music?
Yes. Haggerty’s Music can assist with Santa Cruz custom orders, including tonewood selection, neck dimensions, voicing preferences, and aesthetic details to match your playing style and musical goals.
Do Santa Cruz Guitars hold their value?
Santa Cruz Guitars are known for strong long-term value due to their limited production, craftsmanship, reputation, and tonal longevity. Many players consider them both musical instruments and generational investments.
Are Santa Cruz Guitars good for touring musicians?
Yes. Santa Cruz Guitars are built in a controlled environment to ensure stability across changing climates. Their lightweight yet durable construction makes them reliable instruments for professional and touring musicians worldwide.