Owen Kelly
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kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Owen Kelly
@kellyguitarco.bsky.social
100 followers 60 following 71 posts
Luthier and owner of the Kelly Guitar Company in Boulder Creek, California. www.kellyguitar.com for more information.
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kellyguitarco.bsky.social
On my bench today a re-fret and action adjustment

#classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #Frets #Action #repair
November 5, 2025 at 7:35 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
On my bench, a Custom Hill guitar 40th Anniversary getting its last French polish session. I will install the bridge and complete the setup before delivery back to Hill. #classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #Shellac
November 5, 2025 at 7:27 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
On my bench today, a custom Kelly Parlor guitar curing after its last lacquer application.

#classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #lacquer
November 5, 2025 at 7:23 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
On my bench today Hill Master series Fleta from 2004. It got a completely re-carved heel, neck, and headstock, a fret job, and French polish repair on the top and body. #classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #Shellac
November 5, 2025 at 7:21 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Kelly Parlor custom order with its first coat of shellac. #classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #Shellac
This is a 3/4 size fan braced classical guitar with a spruce top, black acacia back and sides, ebony fretboard, Spanish cedar neck, ebony armrest, redwood rosette, truss rod, 12 hole rosewood bridge, compensated bone nut and saddle, tapered neck, slightly radiuses finger board, and lacquer finish. I call it a parlor guitar.
October 22, 2025 at 6:54 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Custom Kelly Almagro ready to ship featuring
French polish, cedar top, Indian rosewood b/s, Sloane deco tuners, compensated nut and saddle, ebony fretboard, 640mm scale, tapered Spanish cedar neck, double action truss rod, burl rosette.
#Kellyguitarco #Guitar #classicalguitar #shop #custom #CA
October 2, 2025 at 4:50 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Gibson L1 archtop from 1920 needed work on the tailpiece and saddle. I built a new one out of rosewood and nickel. It blends in well and sounds good. 105 years old and going strong!
#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking #Gibson
September 23, 2025 at 11:33 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Found this old clip of a friend tooling around on one of my guitars and had to share.
#classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #AlexisAlvarez #Almagro
September 5, 2025 at 6:09 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
I just finished French polishing this beautiful flame maple guitar.
#classicalguitar #guitar #frenchpolish #kellyguitarco #luthier #wood #guitarmaker #guitarrepair #California #SantaCruz #Shellac
September 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Very old redwood from the Santa Cruz mountains.
#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking #redwood #tonewood #oldgrowth
This is a closeup shot of a coastal redwood soundboard. I harvested this from an old growth stump that was originally cut over a hundred years ago. It was protected by fire which sealed the wood inside a charcoal skin.
August 14, 2025 at 12:08 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
The line up

#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
August 8, 2025 at 6:31 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
The tuners from a 1936 Santos Hernandez. Tuners were rough and uneven. This was caused by extremely worn gears so I cleaned them up and removed the burs. Working well now with smooth action.

#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
I am unsure if these are the original 98 year old tuners but they certainly could be. You can see the difference between the two gears in the foreground. One is cleaned up and the other is in it original state.
August 4, 2025 at 9:00 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Another ebony armrest cutaway.

#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
July 31, 2025 at 2:24 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Siblings.
Two Kelly Parlor guitars at different moments in the process.

#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
These Parlor guitars are small 3/4 size with short 630mm scales. They are all solid wood with very simple design but with some unexpected features for their low price.
July 29, 2025 at 6:12 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
First wash coats of shellac going on this Kelly Guitars Almagro order.

#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
This has a cedar top with a maple burl rosette, Indian rosewood sides laminated with black acacia, Indian rosewood back, Spanish cedar neck, ebony fretboard, and a 640mm scale. How the back and tail strips line up
July 24, 2025 at 7:01 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
This is fine. #luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
July 14, 2025 at 1:39 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Preview of a little wood harvesting project in the works.
#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodshop
July 5, 2025 at 12:29 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Closing up a prototype. #luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
This guitar has a laminated top of spruce and cedar along with a lattice bracing system. I will also have an ebony cutaway armrest and a hybrid shellac finish.
July 2, 2025 at 6:16 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Hill Signature with a few big problems. Bridge needed to be removed, augmented, and reinstalled. The gash in the top needed repaired.
#luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodshop
A music stand fell and punctured right through the double top. The bridge was rolling and the top bulging which ruined the action and intonation. This is an issue with the fan braced Hill Signature guitars from between 2006 and 2011. Looking all shiny and ready to play.
July 1, 2025 at 7:41 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
About to close up a custom guitar order. #luthier #guitarbuilder #Guitarshop #classicalguitar #music #wood #California #kellyGuitarCo #woodworking
Kelly Almagro model with a cedar soundboard, Indian rosewood back and sides, sides laminated with black acacia, Spanish cedar neck, ebony fretboard, and traditional French polish finish. Clamping some braces on the go-bar deck
July 1, 2025 at 7:36 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
This weekend I am here at the Los Angeles Guitar Fest with some Kelly Guitar examples. Come on by!

#guitar #repair #mods #LAGF #guitar #upgrade #guitarrepair #guitarshop #luthier #wood #woodshop #classicalguitar #kellyguitarco
May 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Great Indivisible event today in Santa Cruz.

No kings No Tyrants.

Immigrants Make America Great.

#America #Democracy #transrights #Roe #supportscience
April 6, 2025 at 12:06 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
I modified this New World guitar with an ebony armrest, sound ports, and a 12 hole bridge. It feels great to play and sounds loud and clear.

#guitar #repair #mods #NewWorldGuitars #armrest #upgrade #guitarrepair #guitarshop #luthier #wood #woodshop #classicalguitar #kellyguitarco
A view of the double sound ports and the ebony armrest. This style of armrest is very comfortable because it allows your shoulder to relax back. The additive armrests stop the corner from cutting into your arm but make you reach even further around the guitar and put more pressure on your shoulder and elbow. The sound ports open up the guitar and give it a better, clearer presence. A view of the bridge with a 12 hole conversion. This gives the strings some more break angle, gives them a more secure purchase on the tie block, and makes tying strings a little easier. The guitar before modification. The bridge before the 12 hole conversion.
March 29, 2025 at 12:43 AM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Bowed neck needed a fretboard replacement. I added a truss rod so the neck will never deform again. I also updated the nut and saddle. It plays beautifully now.

#guitar #repair #trussrod #fretboard#guitarrepair #guitarshop #luthier #wood #woodshop #classicalguitar #kellyguitarco
I removed the old ebony using heat to soften the glue I then cleaned the surfaces and installed a double action truss rod. I made a custom ebony fretboard and installed it using surgical tubing for clamps. This guitar now has a new slightly radiused fretboard with new, level nickel frets, a discreet double action truss rod, and new compensated bone nut and saddle. It plays perfectly with low action and the client doesn’t need to worry about the neck deforming ever again.
March 25, 2025 at 8:44 PM
kellyguitarco.bsky.social
Vela the shop dog decided to climb a tree and pose today on our walk. #dog #shopdog #guitarshop #california #SantaCruz #tinydog #majestic
March 20, 2025 at 4:58 AM