The name Abe Wechter may or may not be known by many but he certainly had a lot to do w/guitar innovation over the last 40 years. He is an American luthier who has been making custom guitars since the 1970s. He is known for building 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars and acoustic bass guitars. He was a student of luthier Richard Schneider, and for ten years he worked for the Gibson guitar company. After leaving Gibson, he started Wechter Guitars in Paw Paw Michigan. In 2008 he moved his shop to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Wechter builds many guitars w/his main Pathmaker design, a well known model acoustic guitar w/a sharp double cutaway body. Some of his guitars have drone strings and scalloped fingerboards. Back in 1976, he collaborated with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin to create the Shakti guitar, which was used by McLaughlin in his band Shakti. The Shakti guitar is a customized Gibson J-200 with drone strings transversely across the soundhole. He also made him several guitars with scalloped fingerboards. Now onto this wonderful example we have for your personal consumption.

Now living in China since 2013, Abe Wechter has become a legend amongst guitar makers & chose a quiet life w/his wife & kids to keep his costs down & his quality up. This example was made in Abe’s shop in Paw Paw, Michigan in 2005. Its a combo of everything Abe learned working for Gibson for a decade & on his own afterward. This Sharp Cutaway Elite model # 1380 has many traits from his Shakti guitar he made when working at Gibson including its fabulous Spruce Top w/Abe’s signature inlaid rosette. Its back & sides are made from some beautiful dark Indian Rosewood. Its got laminations of different woods on every edge of its body. What make this particular guitar most interesting is its “Scalloped” ebony fingerboard design something he developed for Mr. McLaughlin pre-dating Yngwie’s Strat by many years. This was originally a classical guitar option for a few players wanting that extra bend-ability to enhance their performances. Not for the faint of heart beginner, its meant for a pro that demands a flat top guitar taking his playing style to the next level. Today Abe said would charge $15K. to make one just like it. Its truly 1 of a few like it & is truly in near mint all original condition & comes in a nice hard case.