Handcrafted in the USA

Since the age of 9, I’ve had a long standing fascination with the guitar. From that age I saved money mostly to buy one thing—stringed instruments. Not that I amassed a huge collection by any means—guitars are an expensive pursuit, at least in the days of my youth. My father and I spent weekends traveling to guitar stores playing different instruments in search of the exceptional sounding guitar. I would hazard a guess, by the age of 16, I had played somewhere on the order of 500 guitars.

Redwood soundboard with Adirondack Spruce bracing. Brazilian Rosewood and Maple bridgeplate.

The broad variety of Morelli instruments reflects my fascination with the guitar’s sound—from classicals to chambered electrics. Most luthiers focus on one particular style of instrument—be it classical, steel string or electric. Some luthiers build two or maybe three models. I’ve had the good fortune to work alongside several outstanding luthiers focused in specific styles, all of whom have honed my sonoral curiosity. As you will see in the Morelli Guitars portfolio these studious collaborations, along with my work in the shop since 2005, enable me to build across several styles of stringed instruments.

Each type of instrument brings invaluable perspective to the other types. My electric guitars are acoustic to me. My classical guitars strive for the left hand ease which comes from a demanding electric guitarist. Built very light and responsive, Morelli steel strings pursue the elusive complex tones and dynamic range classical guitarists demand. If not for the sensitivity and sweetness of high treble notes necessary for a classical guitar to the perfect neck feel required by the most demanding electric guitar player, the confluence of what the musician desires and what the luthier can fathom results in the art of the instrument.

It has been a long journey to understand the guitar; in many ways I feel I’ve just begun.