morgan kelsey guitars

EST. 2017 | usa

Acoustic Guitars

morgan kelsey | Luthier

“A guitar should feel like it’s always been yours, even the first time you play it.”

Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar, highlighting the sound hole and strings against a black background.

Nestled in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, Morgan Kelsey Guitars is a one-man workshop dedicated to the meticulous creation of unique, custom stringed instruments. Each guitar is handcrafted using the finest hand-selected tonewoods, exquisite inlays, and carefully chosen materials to achieve an ideal balance of beauty, sound, and playability.

Drawing on over 30 years of combined musicianship and woodworking expertise, Morgan approaches guitar building with a dual perspective—one that unites the technical mastery of a craftsman with the sensitivity of a lifelong musician. His process is patient, deliberate, and uncompromising, ensuring that every instrument is as inspiring to play as it is to behold.

boutique guitar showcase en tour | 2025

  • A Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar with a modern design, featuring a light-colored wood top, contrasting darker sides and neck, set against a black background with a reflection below.

  • Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar with a focus on the soundhole and fretboard, featuring a wooden body and black and white tuning pegs.

  • Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar made of light-colored wood with dark wood accents, against a black background.

  • A Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar with a modern design, featuring a cutout body with a soundhole, a wooden fretboard, and a unique bridge, set against a black background.

  • Back view of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar on a black background.

  • A close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar with a modern design, showcasing a wooden body, sound hole, bridge, and strings against a black background.

  • Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar body against a black background.

  • Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey kalimba with metal tines against a black background.

  • Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar side with sound hole, against a black background.

  • Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey guitar headstock with tuning pegs against a black background.

  • Close-up of the Morgan Kelsey headstock of an acoustic guitar with tuning pegs and gears, viewed against a black background.

Morgan Kelsey with glasses and a beard wearing a cap and a black shirt, looking at the camera.

“Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re the path to mastery.”

morgan kelsey, Luthier

  • Born in Cleveland in 1974, Morgan grew up surrounded by music and fine craftsmanship. His father, a woodworker and the founding editor of Fine Woodworking magazine, introduced him to tools and technique at an early age, while Morgan’s own musical journey began at the piano at age five and expanded to guitar by eleven. He studied jazz guitar at the New School for Social Research in New York City, training with masters like Arnie Lawrence and Jaki Byard before tendonitis shifted his main instrument back to piano.

    Morgan’s path to luthiery took shape after a transformative encounter with flamenco guitar in Barcelona in 2010. Acquiring a hand-built Rafael Moreno Rodriguez instrument ignited his passion for building, leading him to craft his first guitar—a dreadnought—using skills honed since childhood.

    Today, Morgan’s instruments are celebrated for their tone, playability, and craftsmanship. Guided by a belief that mastery comes from embracing and learning from mistakes, he approaches each guitar as a unique artistic statement, designed to inspire musicians for a lifetime.

gallery | Morgan Kelsey guitars

Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar with a wooden case containing other guitar parts inside.
Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar's fretboard, strings, and body.
Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar's body with a decorative geometric inlay on the side, showing wood grain and craftsmanship.
Close-up of the side of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar showing the wooden body, pickguard, and tuning pegs.
Close-up of the side and neck of a Morgan Kelsey electric guitar with intricate wood grain patterns and a smooth, polished finish.
Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey guitar with a decorative inlay on the fretboard featuring a geisha design with flowing hair and floral patterns, against a plain gray background.
Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey guitar headstock with tuning pegs and white tuning keys.
Acoustic Morgan Kelsey guitar with a unique body shape, light wood top, dark neck and headstock, and decorative inlay around the sound hole, standing against a gray background.
Close-up of a Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar highlighting its wooden body and fretboard.
A Morgan Kelsey acoustic guitar lying on its side against a plain gray background, with detailed inlays on the fretboard and decorative elements on the headstock.