A Tour of J Warwick Guitars
Hand-carved pick by Rob
Turns out the Taylor guitar I bought this Spring had a bad part in the electronics. Taylor referred me to a nearby luthier who does warranty work for them. A lifetime warranty is a happy thing! Of course my wife says I spent so much on that guitar that “it’d BETTER have a lifetime warranty!”
Sending me to someone who makes guitars is probably not a good idea financially. It’s kinda like giving my son a credit card and sending him to Gamestop to window shop… but hey– a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. 
Not to be confused with Warwick Basses, J Warwick Guitars is the team of Jim Warwick and Rob Mock, who make custom, handcrafted acoustic guitars. They make a great team. What struck me about their work is the quality, attention to detail, and creativity. Rob’s skill at woodcarving adds an exciting element to Jim’s expert luthery.
I must’ve seemed like a kid on Christmas morning to them, asking a million questions and pulling out my iPhone & snapping photos. But Rob happily obliged with a tour of the shop, showing off their works in progress while Jim patiently zeroed in on the problem with my guitar and fixed it while I waited (I was thrilled to not have to leave it).
These guys are doing some great work! The vine concept guitar is one of the most creative and well-executed guitars I’ve ever seen. They’re also into using indigenous woods, like the unusual Shenandoah Sycamore. Enjoy the eye-candy!
J Warwick Guitars Pictures from my Tour of J Warwick Guitars
Hand-carved pick by Rob
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This is their vine "concept" guitar. Redwood Top, Black Acacia Back and Sides. Check the maple binding and it’s inside the guitar, too.
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Close-up of the soundhole. The maple rosette is like part of its own vine, coming from the fingerboard and flowing down thru the guitar. Beautiful. You can also see that the bracing inside the guitar carries the vine theme.
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Inside the soundhole. The bracing is achieved thru vine-like supports. Yep, that’s a carved and painted ladybug!
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The back of the vine guitar. That maple isn’t an inlay, its a 3-piece back (black acacia & maple).
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The neck of the vine guitar. The maple vine carries thru into the headstock.
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Closeup of the headstock.
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How the vine guitar will look once finished and assembled.
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The neck for another guitar. This is mirrored carving, so one side is a mirror-image of the other. Painstaking detail.
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The bloodwood back of a classical guitar in progress.
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Cedar top of the classical guitar. The rosette on this one is exquisite.
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Another classical, with finish applied and signature inside.
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A quilted sapele back. It really pops when finished.
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A Shenandoah Sycamore back, I’d never seen a guitar with this wood before. Very unusual look.
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A finished Shenandoah Sycamore guitar back. A beautiful and unusual pattern.
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Note the detail work on the bracing inside this spruce-topped guitar.
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I was lucky that this one was in the shop for some work so I could play it. Jim doesn’t keep any guitars around, he’s got a waiting list of about a year.
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The headstock of the guitar I played. The truss rod cover is magnetized and pops off.
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Posted in: Gear, Inspiration.
Tagged: acoustic · j warwick guitars · taylor
I had the very same experience. I´m just a beginner and my guitar teacher mentioned to me, that I should consider to take my Madrigal 98C (my second guitar I´ve ever bought) to a luthier, to have the action lowered.
So I looked up the luthiers around my town (Sterling,VA),and I´ve found Jim Warwick. I was very nervous to take my “Internet-bought” guitar to “a man who builds guitars”. Especially after I´ve seen his craftsmanship and Robs artisan woodwork on their website. But Jim is a very friendly and professional guy. I liked him on the spot. He even said some nice things about my guitar (which I consider galaxies away from his standard). He did a wonderful job on my Madrigal and I took my first selfbought Guitar (Ibanez V 322 12-string), which I own for about 35 years also to him for a look up and it´s very first maintenance. Again the experience was just wonderful I was able to watch Jim do his magic. Needless to say he did an excellent job. If I get my wife to agree I´ll surely order a custom guitar build by him, and maybe also with som eye-candy made by Rob.
Wow, that’s pretty cool! I have been wanting to get back there, especially to see how that vine guitar is going…it was quite stunning. If I need a luthier I will not hesitate to call Jim. As for the custom guitar…hmm, well maybe after I put my kids thru college!