NYS guitars were made to custom order by Chris Hofschneider of Black Creek Musical Instrument Company. Hofshneider was from upstate New York and had gained experience building instruments with guitar makers in the Woodstock area such as Stuart Spector, Harvey Citron, and Joe Veillette. Hofschneider was also a long time associate of Michael Tobias . NYS guitars cost around $2500 circa 2001. Chris Hofschneider passed away in 2016.

Source: Black Creek Musical NYS Guitar. Lisa Sharken. Vintage Guitar Magazine. January 2001

Tony Nobles is an American luthier, who builds new instruments and also has a reputation for repairing vintage instruments. At the outset of his career Nobles worked for Austin luthier Mark Erlewine, doing warranty work for Martin, Fender, Gibson, and Guild, and also making custom guitars for Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, Joe Walsh, Alejandro Escovedo, Ray Wylie Hubbard and others. In 1993, Nobles established Precision Guitar Works, where he repaired and made guitars of all sorts. Later in his career Nobles’ efforts were focused on building “heirloom-quality” acoustics.

Brad Nickerson went The Berklee College of Music before working as a graphic artist for many years. He built his first guitar in 1982 and received advice and encouragement from New York luthier Carlo Greco as well as Cape Cod violin and bow maker Donald MacKenzie. Nickerson was inspired by the archtop guitars of James D’Aquisto and he specialises in that style of instrument. He taught archtop guitar building at the Leeds Guitarmakers’ School in Northampton, MA from 1996. In 2006 he relocated his workshop to the historic downtown area of Asheville, North Carolina. As well as making archtop and acoustic guitars Nickerson also teaches classes in building flat-top and archtop guitars.

Source: Nickerson Guitars website (22 August 2018)

Luthier Arthur Napolitano started making electric guitars in 1967 in Watchung, New Jersey. Napolitano began building archtop guitars in 1993 and he is best known for these archtops. By 2009 he had scaled back production to a small number of instruments to order only. By 2010 the Napolitanto website was closed down.

Source: Napolitano website (archived 2001)

The Mouradian Guitar Company was established in 1983 by Jim Mouradian and his son Jon in Winchester, Massachusetts. Jim Mouradian first began making and repairing guitars and basses in a space at his father's rug factory in the 1970s in Winchester. Jim Mouradian became well known in Boston’s music scene, repairing guitars out of Cambridge Music Center in Porter Square and worked on or made guitars for the likes of Joe Perry, Chris Squire and Kurt Cobain. Jim Mouradian died in 2017 at the age of 66.

Source: Mouradian Guitar Company website (2 July 2018)

Source: Jim Mouradian obituary. Boston Globe. January 18, 2017.

Gary Mortoro has been making archtop guitars since 1991. Mortoro worked as an oceanographer for 20 years before he made the move into full time guitar making. Mortoro learned archtop construction from master luthier Robert Benedetto.

Source: Mortoro Guitars website (28 June 2018)

Morris Guitars is a Japanese brand established in Nagano by Toshio Moridaira. The company was founded in 1961, but production of acoustic guitars started in 1967 when the company was known as Yoshino Musical Instruments at Yoshino Town, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. In 1972 they changed the company name to Maurice Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. , Ltd. and started mass production of MORRIS brand acoustic guitars. Morris produced high quality copies of dreadnought and small jumbo acoustic guitars based on Martin and Gibson designs. In 1974, Morris introduced their guitars at the NAMM show. In 1978, Morris introduced the Tornado line, thin body acoustic-electric guitars inspired by the Ovation design. Although Morris was active in Japan, the 1980s to 1990s saw a hiatus for Morris imports to the USA. This changed in 2001 when Morris Guitars re-entered the U.S. market.

Steve Helgeson founded Moonstone guitars in 1972 when he set up his first shop in the woods of Moonstone Heights, California. In 1974, he moved to Arcata, California and developed the Earthaxe electric, while also doing repairs for a local music store. In 1976, he moved down the street to a larger shop where he built two large acoustic basses, and continued to produce the Earthaxe line, along with a few acoustic 6 strings. In 1977, he moved into an old church where he increased his production capacity with new machinery and several employees. This enabled him to expand his line of instruments and by the early 1980’s, Moonstone was at its peak of production making over 1000 guitars per year. In the late 1980s, however, the Moonstone factory was destroyed by fire. In 1990, Steve started again as a one man operation in Eureka, California. 

Source: Moonstone Guitars website (11 October 2017)

John Monteleone was born in Manhattan in 1947 and from a young age was already making his own guitars. He graduated with a music teaching degree in 1973, and began professionally restoring and making stringed musical instruments. Monteleone is recognised worldwide for his archtop guitars and mandolins and is responsible for many innovations in their design.

Source: Monteleone web page (11 June 2018)

MJ Guitar Engineering was founded by Mark Johnson. Johnson started his career working for Alembic in the mid 1970s before founding his own company makign custom electric guitars. MJ Guitar Engineering, is best known for the Mirage series (introduced in 1993), a handmade electric guitar with carved top and a unique open headstock design. Mark Johnson's son Ethan has now joined him in the company.

Source: MJ Guitars website (4 June 2018)

Source: MJ Mirage catalog 1997