Willie Carter and Eric Poulsen founded Carter/Poulsen Guitars in 2009 in Santa Cruz, California. Eric Poulsen and Willie Carter were not only the faces of the business, but also the actual builders. Willie Carter was a recording engineer for over 20 years prior to discovering his love of acoustic guitar making while studying with Sergei DeJonge in 2000. Willie’s work has been shown at the Healdsburg and Newport Guitar Festivals. Eric Poulsen started as a professional woodworker in 1986, and has been building steel string acoustic guitars since 1994 and opened his own shop in 2002. Eric’s work has been showcased at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival. Their guitars had previously been used by pro musicians like Richard Julian (Norah Jones and the Little Willies), Justin Young and Lance Konnert, guitarists for Colbie Callait. They launched the Carter/Poulsen brand by announcing three acoustic models at winter NAMM 2010: the G-Model, T-Model & J-Model.

According to Carter: “Our tag line, Modern/Classic speaks to our approach. The use of cutting edge technology is typically reserved for the large production shops, and classic techniques are often reserved for very small production shops.One of our goals was to mate the two, and create an instrument that has the advantages of modern manufacturing, with the characteristics that attract players to vintage instruments. It’s truly the best of both worlds."