Ithaca Stringed Instruments (ISI) sells custom guitars made by Eric and Jordan Aceto, including the Oneida line of acoustic-electrics used by Martin Simpson and David Torn. Eric Aceto co-owned for Ithaca Guitar Works from 1981 until he left in 1995 (alongside Dan Hoffman) to form ISI. Hoffman himself left ISI in 2000 to pursue guitar & violin making in Spain. Eric was joined in ISI by his son Jordan and they currently make violins, violas, cellos, mandolins and custom guitars

Source: Ithaca Stringed Instruments website

Source: Ithaca Guitar works website

The Ithaca Guitar Works music store was opened by John Ellis in 1968 originally under the name The Guitar Work Shop, in Ithaca by Cornell University. In 1972 John relocated the store downtown into the Dewitt mall. Paul Meisenzahl Purchased the Store from John Ellis in 1978 and changed the name to Ithaca Guitar Works. In 1981 Chris Broadwell and Eric Aceto bought the store from Paul. In 1989 instrument builder Dan Hoffman joined the team at the Guitar Works and a separate instrument building and repair facility was established in Trumansburg, NY. This is where collaboration began on the Oneida guitar and Mandolect as well as many unique custom instruments. The  Aceto Violect violin and other acoustic and acoustic/electric instruments of Aceto/Hoffman design are made there today.

Stephen Holst began making and selling guitars in 1984. He started working full time in 1994 and circa 2015 was making between 8 and 10 guitars and mandolins per year in his shop in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Holst makes archtop, flat top, classical and semi-hollow guitars as well as mandolins.

Source: Holst Custom Instruments website
 

Höfner was established in 1887 by Karl Höfner (1864 - 1955) - Höfner was a violin maker with a workshop in Schönbach at the center of Eriuopean violin making. His sons joined him in the company which quickly expanded into export markets and started making cellos, violas and double basses. The 1930s saw the addition of guitars to the Höfner product range withthe steel stringed “Schlaggitarren”, forerunners of the modern day archtop. At this point the company employed 30 staff at the Höfner factory but an additional 300 outworkers who worked in their own homes and workshops.

Kenny Hill started making guitars in the mid 1970's in California and went on to become one of the world's most versatile and accomplished classical guitar makers. In the late 1970s he taught guitar at the University of California, Santa Cruz for 3 years. He has also helped establish workshops in Paracho, Mexico (in 1996) and China (in 2005) to produce lower cost, high quality instruments (New World Guitars) for players who couldn't afford his US made Signature, and Performance model guitars. The Chinese factory now employs over 200 people and makes over 50,000 guitars per year.  Kenny Hill has written many articles for various guitar publications.

Source: Hill Guitar Company website (21 September 2017)

Heritage Guitar Inc. was founded as a result of Gibson's decision to decided to close their historic 225 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo factory in 1984. Soon after some of the senior Gibson ex-employees decided to carry on the tradition of electric guitar manufacture in Kalamazoo. In 1985, they bought space at the former factory as well as a lot of the old guitar-making equipment. The original owners of Heritage were Jim Deurloo, Marv Lamb, and JP Moats. Later Bill Paige and Mike Korpak were also added co-owners. The first Heritage guitar was the H-140 solid body single cutaway electric guitar, launched at the 1985 NAMM show in New Orleans. Over the following years, Heritage has made various instruments, including banjos, mandolins, acoustic guitars and basses. Currently, however, Heritage only makes electric guitars.

Source: Heritage Guitar website