Michael Spalt Guitars
EST. 1997 | Los Angeles | Vienna | portugal
Electric Guitars | Basses
michael spalt | Luthier | artist
“The line between art and design is blurry.”
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Known for its Totemguitar and Hybrid series, Spalt Instruments incorporates reclaimed materials, hand-cast resin tops, and found objects—sometimes centuries old—into fully playable, highly responsive instruments. Every guitar is built with sustainability, individuality, and musicality in mind, using responsibly sourced local woods and custom pickups, all crafted in-house.
For nearly 30 years, Spalt Instruments has created over 700 one-of-a-kind guitars, including notable collaborative projects like the Guitar Barrel Project, which repurposed 18th-century Brazilian mahogany wine barrels from Portugal into heirloom-quality instruments.
From the workshop’s origins in Los Angeles to its new home in Portugal, Spalt Instruments continues to shape how art and music come together—one guitar at a time.
spalt Instruments
demo
Michael Spalt “Kalamare” Guitar Demo by Eduardo Mercuri | The Music Emporium.
Experience the sonic and visual artistry of Michael Spalt’s “Kalamare” guitar, played by Eduardo Mercuri at The Music Emporium. Crafted with Honduran mahogany and a resin top embedded with found objects, this one-of-a-kind instrument delivers sparkling highs, warm punch, and unmistakable vibe.
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vienna workshop
michael spalt | vienna, austria
"What interests me about an instrument is if the musical dimension allows the musician new ways of expressing himself—that’s the goal." – Michael Spalt
Inside Michael Spalt’s Workshop: Crafting Guitars with Found Objects & Resin Art.
Take a tour of Michael Spalt’s Vienna workshop, where art and luthiery collide. From antique dolls to local pear wood, Spalt reimagines discarded objects into extraordinary guitars. Watch how resin, bone, coral, and craftsmanship transform stories into sound.
boutique guitar showcase en tour | 2017 - 2018
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![A collage of vintage and artistic objects, on a Spalt guitar with decorative elements, a miniature chess set, and various small figurines.]()
en tour eastern usa 2017
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![A weathered electric guitar with a patchwork, distressed finish featuring red, yellow, green, white, and black colors. The Wheels of Fortune Spotlight by Spalt Instruments]()
en tour eastern usa 2017
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![Colorful guitar displayed with dice and abstract designs, Double Six by Spalt Instruments]()
en tour europe 2017
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![Close-up of a vintage electric guitar body with text overlay reading Player's Choice Spalt Instruments. The guitar is red with a textured wood grain, featuring control knobs, a pickup switch, and strings.]()
en tour Europe 2017
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![Cover of a showcase booklet featuring a vintage electric guitar with decorative details, including miniature game pieces and dolls on the body, Spalt Instruments Pierrot's Nightmare.]()
en Tour 2018
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![Close-up of a guitar with colored plastic picks and a blue ticket fastened on it. Spalt Instruments, Totem on a black background.]()
en tour european 2017
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![Cover of a booklet, close-up of a decorated guitar body and a small metallic figurine of a boy on a square white base. Spalt Instruments Chocolate Boy]()
en tour western usa 2017
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the guitar barrel project
Michael Spalt’s Guitar for The Guitar Barrel Project | History Meets Craftsmanship
“It's about the potential of what could happen.”
michael spalt | Luthier | art
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Michael Spalt is an Austrian-born luthier and artist known for redefining the boundaries of what a guitar can be. His work fuses art and function, blending traditional craft with modern materials to create instruments that are visually distinctive and sonically rich.
His journey began in the 1970s, modifying guitars for himself and friends during a time when custom was cooler than stock. After studying film and fine arts in San Francisco and Vienna, he moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s to work in the film industry. In the mid-1990s, he returned to his early passion, crafting guitars in his garage as a counterbalance to the cerebral solitude of screenwriting. In 1997, he formally founded Spalt Instruments and the LA Guitar Garage, where he repaired and built guitars for some of the industry’s top players.
Spalt’s instruments reflect his belief that the guitar is both tool and symbol—an expressive object that merges sculpture, history, and sound. His iconic Totemguitars feature embedded antique objects, reclaimed materials, and hand-poured resin tops. His Hybrid series celebrates industrial design and modular architecture. His custom BoneTop pickups—developed in collaboration with Lindy Fralin and later Harry Häussel—ensure that each guitar sings with clarity and character.
Over the past three decades, Spalt has built over 700 unique guitars and co-founded the Holy Grail Guitar Show and the European Guitar Builders Association. Now based in Portugal, he continues to work at the intersection of creativity and precision, offering players a deeply personal, expressive instrument that’s built to last—and to inspire.
biography
michael spalt
“I’m sitting squarely between two worlds — the guitar as instrument, the best possible tool for the musician in terms of sound and playability, and the world of art, where the emphasis is on the visual and sculptural. To make a coherent whole out of these two aspects is what I try to do.” — Michael Spalt
In this special biography episode, Michael Spalt shares his journey from art and film to luthiery. Known for his Totemguitars and hybrid designs, Spalt reveals how he merges sculpture, storytelling, and sound to create guitars that exist between art and instrument.
life with strings attached | Ep 8
michael spalt
"The guitar is not just an instrument—it’s a canvas for storytelling, memory, and myth." – Michael Spalt
at the meeting point of lutherie & art
In this episode, Michael Spalt reflects on his move to Portugal, blending art and luthiery, and what’s next for his visionary work in guitar making. From Totem guitars to one-off sculptural pieces, explore how he redefines the boundaries of instrument design.
gallery | spalt guitars
