Musician Plans a New Santa Cruz Festival Celebrating Local Guitar Makers

Jayme Kelly Curtis thinks guitars can help bring more visitors to Santa Cruz.

The musician and promoter is planning a festival celebrating the instrument and its local makers from Feb.1-March 15 2014.

She put up a website asking for donations for the Santa Cruz County Art of Guitar Exhibit and Festival that she says will promote the city's guitar makers to the world and promote Santa Cruz to guitarists and music fans.

"It's kind of seminal, sounds like it has a lot of potential in town," says Richard Hoover, of the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. "She talked with us about a year ago and told us about the concept. We can't help but throw our support behind it."

Patch recently profiled guitar maker Company and to find rare aged woods, but here are some others Curtis has listed on her website:

• Kenny Hill, Hill Guitar Company
• Rick Turner, Renaissance Guitars
• Rick McKee, Guitar Works
• Jeff Traugott, Jeff Traugott Guitars
• Fred Carlson, Beyond the Trees
• Ed Claxton, Ed Claxton Guitars
• Colin Alder, CruzTone Steel Guitars
• Scott Walker, Scott Walker Guitars
• Matthew Mustapick, Matthew Mustapick Handmade Guitars
• Tony Graziano, Tony Graziano Ukuleles (and coveted guitars)
• Willie Carter and Eric Poulson, Carter/Poulsen Guitars
• James Patterson, James Patterson Guitars
• Gil Carnal, Gil Carnal Guitars
• Paul Hostetter, Paul Hostetter, luthier
• David Morse, David Morse Violins (and coveted guitars)

Hoover says there are even more local luthiers not yet listed.

Nothern California's Healdsburg Guitar Festival has become internationally known since it began in 1995 as a place for guitarists to see, hear and play samples from great guitar makers.

That festival, which will next be held in 2013, has moved to a bigger space Santa Rosa and has been linked with the Montreal Guitar Festival. It will alternate years in each location.