Charles Hoffman Concert

Fingerstyle master Tim Sparks demonstrates his 000-size Hoffman guitar.

Minnesota luthier Charles Hoffman has been building guitars since 1971. Specializing in steel-string flattops, he offers a full line of models that are typically customized for each client. Charles works out of his Minneapolis shop, Hoffman Guitars, which is also one of the country’s most respected repair facilities.

Hoffman Guitars’ clients include many illustrious players, including Leo Kottke, Dakota Dave Hull, and Tim Sparks, who demonstrates and discusses his 2004 Hoffman Concert model in this video. Built with a spruce top and koa back and sides, the guitar has a 000-size body with a cutaway and a short-scale neck. Tim also talks about his preference for low-tension John Pearse strings and his K&K pickups and preamp, and demos the guitar (plugged into an AER Compact 60 amp) by playing his original “Reckless Persuasion.”

To see Tim teach his arrangement of “Wayfaring Stranger” and discuss his approach to jazz-style rehamonization, enroll in Peghead Nation’s Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop today. timsparks.com

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