Michael Greenfield

Greenfield Acoustic Guitars — Acoustic Intent, Montreal Craft

Michael Greenfield began his journey in lutherie in the 1970s, tuning, repairing, and restoring vintage and antique instruments before dedicating himself fully to building his own. Five decades of relentless study of the history, mechanics, dynamics, and physics of the acoustic guitar have produced a body of work that places him among the top living luthiers in the world, building fourteen to sixteen instruments per year from his state-of-the-art workshop in Montreal, each one a fully bespoke commission built to a standard he describes simply as acoustic intent.

The philosophy behind every Greenfield guitar is total commitment to tone. Not adequate tone. Not good tone. Fat tone, in his own words, with every last molecule of acoustic potential squeezed from the materials and construction. That commitment drives a continuous research process that never ends, an ongoing inquiry into what makes a guitar work and how it can be made to work better, informed by decades of hands-on experience that no amount of reading or theory can replace.

His instruments have been played by Andy McKee, whose fifteen-year collaboration with Greenfield has produced some of the most technically ambitious acoustic instruments ever built, including a fully custom harp guitar with six bass strings and six fanned-fret guitar strings. Keith Richards, Paul Stanley, Pierre Bensusan, Charlie Hunter, Tony McManus, and Pipo Romero have all made Greenfield guitars central to their sound. Brazilian rosewood examples routinely command between $20,000 and $30,000 on the collector and professional market.

Acoustic Intent: The Technical Foundation

Every Greenfield guitar is assembled with hide glue, built on a radially braced back plate with his proprietary Tone Halo design that distributes vibrational energy across the entire back surface rather than concentrating it along conventional brace lines. Billet-split bracing with zero runout is standard throughout, maximizing the stiffness-to-weight ratio of the internal structure and improving the consistency and predictability of the acoustic response. Laskin-style arm and rib bevels are available across the lineup for players who want the most ergonomically comfortable playing experience available in a boutique acoustic guitar. Fanned fret fingerboard options, ranging from 25.0 to 27.0 inches on the G2 and G4 platforms, improve intonation and string tension consistency across tunings from standard pitch down to severely altered and drop voicings. Ebony fingerboards and bridges, Gotoh 510 Delta Series tuners with ebony buttons, and Calton cases are standard across the lineup.

The Models

G1 — Greenfield's OM-style flagship, with a focused, open voice, tight responsive bass, transparent midrange, and thick, clear, ringing trebles. The G1 is primarily a fingerstyle instrument and one of the most responsive guitars in the entire lineup to even the lightest touch. Available in a 12-fret G1-TF configuration for players who want maximum acoustic resonance and the warm, woody character of the 12-fret neck join.

G2 — A grand auditorium body with a focused, open voice and enough power to fill an auditorium while remaining extraordinarily sensitive to the lightest touch. Available with fanned fret fingerboard for players who tune to DADGAD, drop tunings, and other altered voicings, making the G2FF one of the most technically sophisticated production options in the boutique acoustic world.

G3 — A concert-size instrument with a classically inspired body shape that makes it more versatile than a traditional parlor guitar while retaining the small body warmth and intimacy of the format. Beautiful clear trebles with a surprisingly present bass response for a guitar of its dimensions. Thirteen frets clear of the body, not available with cutaway.

G4 — Greenfield's jumbo model and the instrument most associated with Andy McKee's playing. A punchy bottom end and exceptional definition across the full tonal spectrum make it the natural choice for percussive fingerstyle players and those who need maximum acoustic presence. Available in G4.2 configuration with twin arm and rib bevels, Florentine cutaway, fanned fret fingerboard, and the full suite of ergonomic and acoustic options that make it the most fully featured instrument in the lineup.

Andy McKee Signature and Rylynn Models — Co-designed with Andy McKee and introduced at NAMM 2020, the Signature model is a cutaway jumbo based on the G4 with Macassar ebony back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, Laskin-style arm and rib bevels, Florentine cutaway, fanned fret fingerboard, and the Greenfield Tone Halo. The Rylynn brings the same tonal architecture and playability to a more accessible price point with wenge back and sides and Adirondack spruce top. Both come with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity signed by both Andy McKee and Michael Greenfield.

Browse our available Greenfield inventory. These instruments are among the most sought-after in boutique lutherie and do not remain available for long. Reach out to discuss a custom commission directly.