Welcome to the website of James Lister Classical Guitars. Each guitar is hand made in the Spanish tradition, and to the highest standards, in my workshop in Sheffield, England.

See Gallery 2 for images of a new Bird's Eye maple Hauser model classical guitar currently available from stock. This guitar was built for the 2007 GFA exhibition in Los Angeles. Send me an e‑mail for price details.

My principal aim as a classical guitar maker is to build instruments that are sensitive to the touch, allowing the player to express their own musicality, and not be dominated by the character of the guitar itself. My guitars are light and responsive, with excellent clarity and separation. Built mainly in the tradition of Torres, most of my guitars are made to a consistent design based on a 1938 Hauser, but incorporating a slightly modified strutting pattern.

Each guitar is handbuilt to meet the customer's requirements, using top quality tonewoods throughout. European Spruce is normally used for the top and Indian rosewood for the back and sides of the guitar. Alternative tonewoods are available, for example the birds-eye maple guitar shown in Gallery 2. Gallery 1 shows the Hauser model with rosewood back and sides, and Danish oil finish, and Gallery 3 the Hauser guitar in rosewood, with traditional style herringbone rosette, V-joint and French polish finish. Gallery 6 shows the Hauser model guitar currently available at Trilogy Guitars, Playa del Rey, California. It features Indian rosewood back and sides,V-joint, French polish finish, 12-hole tie-block and Torres/Hauser style head. Visit Gallery 4 for images of a recently completed cedar top classical guitar, with Brazilian rosewood back and sides.

  In addition to classical guitars, I also make handbuilt flamenco guitars. Spanish cypress is normally used for the back and sides of the guitar, although rosewood is an option. Traditional wooden peg tuners can be fitted (ebony or rosewood) as an alternative to machine heads. This instrument is made to a design based on the great flamenco guitars of Santos Hernandez. Visit Gallery 5 for images of a cypress flamenco guitar, with ebony peg tuners and Danish oil finish.

The Samples page contains audio files of two classical guitars and one flamenco. Visit the Ordering page for pricing and details of any currently available guitars. If you would like to know more about my guitars, please contact me by e-mail or phone, details on the Contact page.

Click here for my new pictorial guide to tying 12-hole tie-blocks.

Last updated on: 23/04/08