Mountain Song Guitars

01/31/2026

Gorgeous old growth German Spruce and equally stunning flamed Koa 14-fret Odalisque on the way. I’m not normally big into bling, but this killer Zipflex green and blue paua abalone against the koa is all that! Ken Jones

11/30/2025

Hello friends! It’s that time of year for me to order in some fresh Mountain Song merch, so I thought I’d make some room on the shelves for a new batch of t-shirts. I’m pretty low on XLs, but I’ve got quite a few size large in grey, a few in maroon, and several each in Medium. I’ve also got a few women’s cut in light brown sizes Lg and XL, as well as a couple in red. And lastly I’ve got one regular cut in blue, size small.

The maroon and grey are 100% cotton, and the women’s cut ones are a poly blend.

I’m blowing these out at $10, or two for $15. Shipping to anywhere in the continental US for $5. Get yours today!

09/15/2025

Mando players, what’s your favorite pickup?

06/14/2025

06/06/2025

I had the absolute honor of handing over my latest build to its new owner, Jeremy, a couple of days ago. It’s an Odalisque OD-C 14-fret in Carolina Red Spruce and stunning Bariolé Padauk. Jeremy is a fantastic player and also an amazing documentary filmmaker, and we’ve been working on a short film about yours truly and Mountain Song Guitars. We’ve got some very special guests that were kind enough to demonstrate their talents and the sonic capabilities of a few MS guitars, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Just a little more b-roll footage to shoot and one more very important performance to capture, then it’s up to Jeremy’s editing skills to put it all together and somehow make me not sound like a big dork, lol. Of course, I’ll post a link to it here as soon as it’s completed.

Professional photos to follow…

05/02/2025

12/04/2024

Getting some precious time in the shop today working on a sweet 14-fret Odalisque cutaway in Maggie Valley Red Spruce and Bariole Padauk, grooving on some amazing locally-sourced tunage.

First up is my pal and guitar/songwriting hero, Paul Edelman’s band Jangling Sparrows and their excellent 2019 release, Bootstraps and Other American Fables. It’s raw, yet refined, and tells tightly-knit tales of love, disillusionment, estuaries, and Harriet Tubman.

Next is local legend and gravel-voiced master troubador, Pierce Edens, and his 2012 self-titled release. Pierce puts it out there like few others I’ve heard.

Finishing up the three-fer is another Asheville fave of days gone by, Moses Atwood’s 2012 release, One Bright Boat. All three albums are further evidence of the depth of creative talent that’s come out of the Asheville area for many years, and the gods willing, for many years to come.

Music is life…

11/17/2024

Been too busy to post much lately, but here are a few shots of a build that’s been a long time in the making. It’s the 14-fret Odalisque that’ll be going to the NC division of the USFS, made from red spruce (top and top bracing) from Ruby, the tree selected for the 2022 US Capitol Christmas tree, which came from Haywood Co, WNC. I decided to pair it up with some gorgeous, locally-sourced red oak for the back and sides. I’ve been wanting to try oak as a tonewood for a while, and paired up with my favorite soundboard wood, Picea rubens, I’m happy to report makes a fantastic sounding guitar.

It’s a huge honor for me to build this guitar for an organization dedicated to the care and preservation of our nation’s forests. They’ve been through so very much the last couple of months, I’m thrilled to be delivering this instrument to them shortly. I hope it brings some joy and comfort to the men and women of that great organization for many years to come.

WNC strong… We will rise again!

11/06/2024

Always great to spend a little time with my pal, Steve Karla. He was kind enough to pass on to me the original painting of his “homage to guitar repair” that encapsulates some of his lutherie experiences whilst we worked together. I had a print of this hanging just to the left for many years. It was half the size. Thanks, Steve!

Zoom in!!!

08/29/2024

Getting ready to spray lacquer on Ruby, the 14-fret Odalisque made from Red Spruce from the 2022 US Capitol Christmas tree and locally-sourced Red Oak. Part of me is wanting to give it a burst but another part of me likes the au natural look. I’d love to get some other opinions. What say you?

04/06/2024

Ten years ago I fabricated the first of four purpose-driven workbenches for the repair side of Mountain Song Guitars. Here’s a look at the prototype. I use it and the other three at least six days a week, and there’s very little I’d change about them. They’re taller than a typical bench so less back strain from bending over, and have four shelves sized specifically for guitars, each of slightly different heights and all surfaces covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting to create safe, happy little cubbies for guitars in progress. This one is now used more for in-progress builds while the other three are down in the repair shop. They’ve served me well and will continue to for many years to come.