Custom Builds

My goal as a builder is to construct an instrument perfectly suited to you.  I take time to help my customers articulate their needs and desires for the instrument that they want me to build.  I’ve learned over the years that the clearer a customers vision for what they want out of their instrument, the easier it will be for me to build it for them.  This process tends to be very interactive and sometimes time-consuming, but necessary if we are going to build an instrument that you’ll love for a lifetime.

I’ve collected a fairly large array of materials with which you can choose to build your instrument, such as:

  • Brazilian rosewood
  • African Blackwood
  • Indonesian Blackwood
  • Curly Maple
  • Quilted Maple
  • Curly Walnut
  • Honduran Rosewood
  • East Indian Rosewood
  • Spanish Cyprus

This is a partial list of available materials.  Please inquire if you have any special requests or are interested in other materials I might have to offer.

Rooted in classic building traditions, Kerry Char crafts a wide variety of beautiful and unusual instruments as well as providing museum quality repair and restoration.

The shop is located at:

Kerry Char
Char Lutheries
5922 N. Willamette
Portland, OR 97203