TODD D'AGOSTINO ~ Luthier

The work at LaRose Guitars isn't about endorsements or dreams of a factory floor churning out carbon copies. Fewer than 50 guitars leave the shop in a given year, and luthier Todd D'Agostino likes it that way.

D'Agostino can see the finished product before he makes the first cut. Each guitar that bears the LaRose logo is matchless, culled to the specifications of a specific player, from handpicked wood, to offer superlative tone. There is no assembly line for these instruments, just the Connecticut-bred luthier in his Tyler, Texas, shop milling, routing, and sanding by hand.

For over a decade, LaRose guitars have been finding their way into the hands of fastidious guitarists. Word of mouth, social networking, the occasional instrument that wound its way onto a music store wall, the work of D'Agostino has cultivated a growing contingent of enthusiasts. With six models that harken back to the classic designs of the last century, and bear his great-grandfather's surname, himself a luthier, LaRose Guitars will continue to delight customers with instruments they can truly call their own.