About my guitars

I am passionate about tone. great tone. FAT tone. Squeezing every last molecule of tone out of my instruments. I have also been a player for over 40 years. So perfect feel, set-up, buttery-smooth playability and road-worthy stability are what my instruments are all about.

Each Greenfield Guitar is crafted and constructed by me, Michael Greenfield, in my Montreal shop. They incorporate many of the latest techniques and proprietary design features while still being handcrafted in the time honoured tradition of the master guitarmakers of generations past. It is my philosophy that a truly extraordinary instrument is the result of the meticulous selection of the finest woods, materials and careful construction; along with a clear vision of the end result and a consistency of skills and techniques throughout.

When I describe my instruments as being 'handcrafted', I mean this whereby the process of building non-cookie-cutter, individually tailored instruments, demands and emphasizes the skilful use of traditional hand tools. Braces are shaped and plates voiced using knives, gouges and chisels. Fingerboards are levelled with hand planes. Necks are individually carved using spoke shaves, rasps, files, scrapers and lots of hand sanding. Archtop plates are carved and graduated using palm and then finger planes, etc. While these methods take longer, I chose to limit my yearly production and concentrate on making each instrument the best one I am capable of.

I assemble my instruments with hot, animal hide glue. This natural glue has been used for centuries by makers of the finest musical instruments, for its superior acoustic properties and resistance to "creep".

This old world approach and many of my design and bracing ideas takes time - lots of time. Because of this, the number of instruments I craft each year is limited to 15 guitars.


Below is a short video interview by LaGuitare.com.  It is a glimpse into my thoughts on guitarmaking, my process and love of the instrument.  It  was filmed (in French) in my workshop during the summer of 2008.