It's All About the Wood

Ron Sharp is a master guitar builder living in Ft. Defiance, Virginia where he makes New Hope Guitars. His ancestral roots go back to the small town of Clover Lick, West Virginia where he harvests prized red spruce for his guitar tops from West Virginia's tallest peak. Sharp says that red spruce is the strongest wood in the world as far as its weight-to-strength ratio. It is also perfect for guitars because the wood helps the sound resonate more strongly. Sharp learned his craft from renowned guitar builder Wayne Henderson. New Hope guitars are made with the same standards and materials as the famous guitars produced by C.F. Martin and Company in the 1930s. This film shows Ron Sharp harvesting red spruce above Cass, West Virginia and how he sought to determine the "world's best guitar."