photo credit:  Mark Vormittag

I was introduced to Moriah Guitars’ founder, master builder and luthier, John Mark Hampton, by a fellow musician when I needed one of my acoustic guitars repaired. Over the years John Mark has provided excellent work on many of my guitars including set-up, repair, improvements and modifications. Eventually, John Mark and I started discussing the idea of building a brand new custom guitar for me. A Moriah Tabor with spalted maple top and Spanish cedar back caught my attention. Together with a mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard it turned out to be a winning combination. John Mark took the time during every step of the build to share his knowledge, showing a genuine interest and dedication in creating the best possible musical instrument for me. We reviewed and discussed hardware- and pick-up selection, neck shape, and color of tint in detail before making the final decisions. The end result is an amazing instrument. I now have a guitar that is a pure joy to play; I can reach the highest frets without effort, it has perfect intonation, it is lightweight and well balanced. It is also beautiful to look at. However, the Moriah Tabor really exceeded my expectations when I plugged it in to my amp, and quickly realized that although I use the same pick-ups in other guitars, the Tabor provides a much more musically pleasing sound. I believe the reason the Tabor is sounding better is because of the careful selection of tone wood, general design, and extraordinary craftsmanship.

In summary I would say the final confirmation of the quality of the guitar is the compliments I have been given after the shows when I play it. Thank you, John Mark Hampton and Moriah Guitars!