David Berkowitz Acoustic guitars, Anyone had one or tried one?

Bradders · October 2023

I have come across a David Berkowitz hand made acoustic for sale at what looks to be a very reasonable price for a hand made acoustic.

Does anyone have any experience with any his guitars? I would be interested to know how they compare to a Lowden.

I have listened to a couple of examples of Spruce over Cocobolo which sounds lovely, very responsive and articulate.

The guitar for sale is a Cedar over mahogany.

louis_LLM · October 2023

What an unfortunate namesake..

mgaw · October 2023

Looks like some stellar guitar shops rate his work so I would be confident he makes a very good guitar, apart from that no idea

if you contact Stuart Ryan who is on here he used to do demos for TNAG when they were in London and demoed one of his guitars

mgaw · October 2023

@stuartryanmusic ;

stuartryanmusic · October 2023

I don’t remember that one but I must have filmed about 500 guitars for them! At that level they are all generally great so it’s just a matter of preference - ironically after all that it ended up being Martins for me! Hope you’re well @mgaw!

Bradders · October 2023

Thanks for the info. Good to know. It looks like a beautifully built guitar with good specs, too many temptations out there! I really should just stop looking at guitars when I can't afford to buy them:D

Tannin · October 2023

Hi @Bradders, I am not familiar with the make, however it might be useful to remind you of something you probably already know - used hand-made small-shop guitars sell for much, much less than they do new.

For example, if I wanted to sell my Custom Shop Maton I'd get at least $5000 for it, probably more. But if I wanted to sell my Mineur concert guitar I'd be lucky to get much more than $3000. Both guitars are hand-made, both cost around $6500 new, both are delightful things to play in their different ways, but one wears the brand of a well-known major maker, the other is from a single luthier who makes a handful of guitars a year. So the famous brand very nearly doubles the used value of the guitar.

It's the same in every market. In the UK, Gibson and Martin guitars hold their value second-hand (because of the name recognition, and regardless of the merits of any particular instrument) while the products of a small maker go for much less than they did new. The same applies to major makers which happen to have less name recognition. Lakewood, Maton, and Larivee make superb guitars as good or better than the companies I mentioned earlier, but their UK resale value is poor because they are not so well-known there. Expect to pay something like 50% of the new price in the UK for a used Lakewood or Maton (which makes them screaming bargains), but more like 80 to 90% of the new price for a used Martin (which leaves it still very dear for what it is).

Where I'm going with this is that the low price of the David Berkowitz guitar you mention is probably around about right. Chances are, that's just what they go for.

Does that mean it's a bad thing to buy? No! Assuming it is indeed a fine instrument, you'll pick it up for a bargain price, maybe half what you'd pay for a famous-brand instrument of equal quality. If you sell it later you won't get top dollar for it, but that's OK, you didn't pay top dollar for it.

One thing to watch: some small "makers" simply put their names onto instruments actually made in a place like China and try to pass them off as "British hand-made" guitars. They might be perfectly good playable instruments but they are worth a good bit less again. Don't pay overs for one of those!

mgaw · October 2023

stuartryanmusic said:

I don’t remember that one but I must have filmed about 500 guitars for them! At that level they are all generally great so it’s just a matter of preference - ironically after all that it ended up being Martins for me! Hope you’re well @mgaw!

All good Stuart thanks.

stuartryanmusic · October 2023

I found the video I made for TNAG, this is the Berkowitz F6:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9jwZLTxVRjg&pp=ygUcU3R1YXJ0IHJ5YW4gYmVya293aXR6IGd1aXRhcg%3D%3D

WafflesOnHorseback · October 2023

Always good to discover a maker you've never heard of. That guitar sounds lovely and very nicely demonstrated Stuart.

victorludorum · October 2023

louis_LLM said:

What an unfortunate namesake..

Indeed. Just when I was thinking of starting Ted Bundy Guitars!

Bradders · October 2023

Hi @Tannin

Yes, this is rings true indeed.

It would appear they are fine instruments based on @stuartryanmusic demonstration which is stunning btw! I've listened to a bunch of your demos of small shop luthiers and you certainly do them all justice, love the Celtic melodies in your playing. I certainly aspire to play at your level!

I am always intrigued when I stumble upon small shop luthiers. I actually emailed David Berkowitz to find out more info about the guitar. It is an F model which is a small jumbo so it would be the same shape as the one demo'd by Stuart. He is based in Washington DC and his guitars are all hand built by himself.

stuartryanmusic · October 2023

Thank you @Bradders, that's very kind of you to say! Those videos were filmed at home during the pandemic - Ben from North American Guitar would send 15 - 20 guitars over and I'd film them over a day. I only managed to spend about 10 minutes with each guitar typically but they all had their own character as these small shop builds do. If you listen to enough of those videos back to back you can usually get a sense of how they differ. In my experience these guys fall into different camps - there are the Somoygi disciples, the Martin/Gibson copyists and then those who are trying to create their own spin on things. The only caveat with buying these guitars is the resale vaue is extremely low (with a few exceptions) and they can take a very long time to shift so you have to be sure it's something you'll be happy with.

Soupman · October 2023

@Badders just watched that video - that sounds like a great guitar.
What the hell are you waiting for? Buy it before someone else on here does!!

Bradders · October 2023

I am very tempted and probably wouldn't hisitate to take a chance on it had I not already recently acquired a Lowden O10, which is the same wood combo as the Berkowitz for sale. The Lowden O10 has such a resonant, rich airy and distinct tone with such a lively response I fear the Berkowitz will be disappointing in comparison. Though I imagine it is still a beauty in its own right, if it was a cedar over rosewood I think I may be more inclined to it. Also considering the resale propects as mentioned, I wouldn't want to be stuck with it if it doesn't do it for me. Its so hard to pass up these rare guitars that pop up! Who know perhaps I may pull the trigger in a moment of madness/clarity:D If I do I shall share my experience with it!

Soupman · October 2023

Looking forward to the post... Lol.
I have a Lowden 025 cedar over rosewood, incredible instrument.

mgaw · October 2023

Where did you see the guitar in question ?

Bradders · October 2023

It is on eBay on auction

guitarjack66 · October 2023

I am surprised nobody has tried to try to sell one claiming it came from the notorious version of this maker's name. I mean,Charles Manson played and wrote songs so not difficult to get a gullible buyer to believe they are buying notoriety. Especially in the USA.

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David Berkowitz Acoustic guitars, Anyone had one or tried one?

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