CRAFTER Philosophy

We hope every guitar we craft becomes a vessel of inspiration and resonance in someone’s life—

Crafter team, we don’t believe guitar making is simply about shaping & carving wood beneath the strings. To us, it’s about building a special bridge that delivers emotional inspiration from the performer to the listener.

Opening that bridge of inspiration—this has been our mission since 1972, when our journey began in a humble basement workshop in Mapo-Gu, Seoul City. That mission still lives on today, as we continue to handcraft each guitar with deep sincerity and an unwavering commitment to quality.

To the Crafter team, a guitar is never just an instrument. Every detail is carefully designed and crafted to achieve harmony between tone and aesthetics. We believe a guitar should be a true ‘work of art’—one that offers new musical experiences, and one that inspires through both sound and craftsmanship.

In Pursuit of the Finest Tonewood

A great guitar starts with great tonewood.
That’s why we travel the world.

From the dense forests of North America and the highlands of the Alps,
to the deep jungles of Africa, the rosewood farms of India,
and the islands of Hawaii in the Pacific—
we source premium tonewoods under strict standards,
and season them over time to ensure long-term stability and tonal integrity.

Our dedication to the fine quality tonewood reflects a core belief:
A great guitar is crafted with great tonewood.
This is the heart of Crafter’s philosophy.

Global Trends, Innovative Craftsmanship

Extensive Research.
Deep Understanding.
A Vision Beyond Tradition.

Crafter team, we don’t stay rooted in tradition—we build upon it. From our VVS (Vintage Voicing System), featuring roasted spruce tops, to the compact yet rich-sounding Mino Series, and our DS-2Pro+ & Stealth Tuner in-body preamp systems—we continuously create forward-looking features for the evolving styles of today’s players.

We’ve never stopped investing in new structures, specs, and tonal innovations designed to resonate with today’s players.

Crafter guitars are born from decades of experience and know-how—refined by the sound of today, and driven by the technology of tomorrow.

Time Builds Craftsmanship, Craftsmanship Builds Trust

Since 1972,
Honing Craftsmanship Through Generations of Know-how

Crafter guitars are the result of over 50 years of accumulated expertise, an extensive tonewood database, and the refined precision of handcrafting.

Over the decades, we’ve worked with countless types of tonewood—developing a deep understanding of how each species responds tonally. We design internal structures and setups that allow every material to perform at its best—going far beyond simply using “good wood.”

Crafter guitars are handcrafted using knowledge gained through decades of research and experience. And even with all this data and know-how behind us, we believe that nothing replaces the final touch of a skilled luthier. Every Crafter guitar is still finished—by hand, with heart.

Sound Design, Starting with Tonewood Selection

Designing the Tone:
How Tonewood Shapes Sound

The species, grade, and processing techniques of each tonewood play a defining role in shaping a guitar’s tonal character, volume, and resonance.

When strings vibrate, their energy travels through the wood, setting the air inside the body into motion. These vibrations create sound waves that become the voice of the guitar.
That’s why selecting and preparing the right tonewood is one of the most important steps in the very first stage of guitar building.

At Crafter, every decision—from the type of wood to its structure and grade—is a conscious act of sound design.

We approach this process with deep sincerity.
Understanding the natural properties of each tonewood and designing a structure that draws out its fullest potential—this is where guitar-making begins for us.

Book Matching: Staring of Tonewood Crafting

Precision Crafting That Marries Acoustics with Aesthetics

Book matching is a tonewood cutting technique where a single piece of wood is sliced and opened like the pages of a book, creating a mirrored, symmetrical pattern. This not only delivers a visually stunning result, but also provides a consistent tonal foundation for the guitar body.

Because both halves come from the same wood, they share identical elasticity and physical properties. This symmetry allows for a more balanced vibration across the top or back plate—making book matching not just a matter of visual beauty, but a key step in establishing a tonal platform on which we can shape and craft our unique sound.

Tonewood Drying

Strength Tempered by Korea’s Four Extreme Seasons

Korea’s climate swings from –15°C with near-zero humidity in the winter to over 35°C with up to 99% humidity in the summer. Our tonewoods are air-dried naturally over long periods through these intense seasonal shifts—gaining structural resilience and tonal maturity.

At Crafter, we believe that wood exposed to such varied and repeated cycles of temperature and humidity gradually optimizes its responsiveness and durability.

Before being crafted into guitars, each tonewood undergoes a final seasoning process—Crafter’s signature, confidential technique that completes the natural drying journey and prepares the wood for its role in a finely crafted instrument.

247: Constant Temperature, Constant Humidity

A Climate-Controlled Room
Imprints Memory Into Tonewood

At Crafter, our climate-controlled room maintains ideal conditions all year round—even on weekends, holidays, and after hours. [Temperature: 20–25°C / Humidity: 45–55%]

Within this stable environment, each tonewood is given time to stabilize and adapt before the building process begins. For about two weeks, the wood undergoes its final phase of shrinkage, expansion, or subtle warping. Once shaped and trimmed in this setting, the tonewood ‘remembers’ these conditions—locked in at its most balanced state.

That’s why, when guitars are later stored in a similar environment, they tend to return to their original shape and tonal balance. We recommend maintaining consistent temperature and humidity—so your guitar can hold onto the memory of the moment it was born and stay in the condition where it sounds its very best.

Longer Sustain, Deeper Resonance

Crafter Signature Neck Joint:
Dovetail Extension

Crafter’s signature Dovetail Extension Joint extends the neck joint slot deeper and wider into the body, increasing the contact surface between neck and body. This expanded joint maximizes vibration transfer—resulting in richer resonance and longer sustain.

It also strengthens the guitar’s overall structure, allowing for a setup that stays stable over time—even through long sessions or changing environments.

The Formula of Acoustic Sound, Built on Experience

Acoustic Engine:
Bracing Pattern Beneath the Top

When the strings vibrate, energy is transferred through the bridge to the top plate, setting the air inside the body into motion. What shapes this vibration into tone and character is the bracing pattern hidden beneath the top—the true acoustic engine of the guitar.

Since 1972, Crafter has designed and refined its own bracing patterns based on decades of decades of experience, tonewood data, and acoustic analysis. Each pattern is carefully tailored to match the properties of specific woods and body shapes—producing balanced resonance and the signature Crafter tone.

Roasted for Richness, Aged for Tone

VVS : Vintage Voicing System

VVS stands for ‘Vintage Voicing System’—a technique in which spruce and other tonewoods are carefully roasted at a controlled mid-high temperature over time. This process removes residual moisture, strengthens the cellular structure of the wood, and brings out a more seasoned vintage tone with enhanced sustain, deeper lows, and improved overall volume.

When combined with Crafter’s signature bracing system, this specially roasted tonewood unlocks its full acoustic potential—resulting in a guitar that is not only structurally refined but also rich in character and tonal maturity.

Dual Source Preamp System

DS-2 Pro⁺ In-Body Preamp System

Crafter DS-2 Pro⁺ is our signature In-Body Preamp System that combines an undersaddle piezo pickup and a condenser microphone. The result: rich, three-dimensional sound.

The piezo delivers clear, articulate tones, while the condenser mic adds warmth, depth, and natural ambience.

With the Clarity Sound Filter, players can easily shape the mids to suit various playing styles, and the Phase button helps suppress feedback during live performance.

Installed discreetly inside the guitar body, the DS-2 Pro+ preserves both the instrument’s natural resonance and visual elegance without cutting any tonewood.

Invisible to Others, Effortless for You

Stealth Tuner

The Crafter Stealth Tuner is an integrated tuner hidden inside the guitar body—visible only to the player. With a bright, wide LCD screen, tuning is quick, precise, and convenient without affecting the guitar’s exterior aesthetics.

Powered by the same battery as the preamp, it features an internal sensor that detects string vibration directly. No additional setup required—just pick up your guitar and tune with ease, anytime.

Signature Parts

Crafter Signature 7Bar Saddle

The Crafter Signature 7Bar Saddle is crafted from high-density synthetic resin and engineered to optimize vibration transfer from string to soundboard (top).

Its surface features seven embossed bars that deliver string vibration with minimal loss, resulting in a clear, well-balanced tone.

Even when paired with an undersaddle pickup, the saddle enhances signal clarity and consistency—giving your performance a more precise and reliable voice.