The Santa Cruz Guitar Company was established in 1976 in Sant Cruz, California by luthier Richard Hoover and business partners Bruce Ross and William Davis. Hoover had trained with Bruce McGuire and Jim Patterson in the late 1960s and early 1970s  before opening his own guitar workshop in Santa Cruz. Hoover bought out both his partners: first Davis (in 1978) and then Ross (in 1989). By the 1990s they had over 20 standard models with a variety of custom options. Sant Cruz Guitar Co. focuses on building top quality acoustic guitars using traditional methods.

Source: Santa Cruz Guitar Company website (6 July 2020)