Huss & Dalton 30th Anniversary OM

A stunning koa OM to celebrate a major milestone.

February 5, 2025

Jeff Huss and Mark Dalton founded the Huss & Dalton Guitar Company in 1995, quickly establishing the brand as a major force in the world of small-shop, high-end steel-string guitars. When Jeff retired in 2021, the company brought on long-time employee Brian Dickel as a partner, and Huss & Dalton have continued to thrive in their home base of Staunton, Virginia. To celebrate its 30-year milestone, Huss & Dalton is building a set of ten special anniversary guitars. I had a chance to preview the first guitar in the series while visiting Huss & Dalton dealer Organic Sound Select Guitars in Santa Ana, California, on my way to attend the 2025 NAMM show (where the guitar was officially introduced). Thanks to Organic Sound’s Larry Sogolow, I was able to shoot a spontaneous demo of the guitar.

Hanging on a wall surrounded by other gorgeous Huss & Daltons, the 30th Anniversary OM immediately stood out. One look at the guitar’s elaborate fingerboard inlay made it clear that this is a special instrument. Paying homage to Huss & Dalton’s home, the design is centered around Virginia’s state flower, the dogwood, and covers the length of the fingerboard, extending into the peghead and rosette. The inlay includes elements of pearl as well as brass, which is also used for the guitar’s rosette and purfling. Although the ten anniversary guitars will be split between OMs and dreadnoughts, half built using koa back and sides and the other half using Brazilian rosewood, the inlay is the common factor among the instruments.

The guitar I played was built with koa and matched with a master-grade Italian bear-claw spruce top. Both woods looked stunning. The koa had a rich color and great figure, and the spruce had some of the best book-matched, bear-claw patterns I’ve ever seen. The guitar’s craftsmanship was top-notch, and the guitar became more impressive the closer I looked.

I’ve had a chance to play several Huss & Dalton OMs over the years, and I’ve always been impressed by their tone and playability. The 30th Anniversary version was no exception, offering the tonal balance and versatile character that this kind of instrument is known for. Koa instruments often have great clarity, and the Huss & Dalton had excellent tonal definition and a fabulous dynamic range. Although I didn’t get to spend as much time with the guitar as I usually do with the instruments I demo, I quickly bonded with its friendly demeanor and enjoyed coaxing complex tones from it playing fingerstyle in dropped-D and standard tunings.

Huss & Dalton should be very proud of its accomplishments, and the 30th Anniversary OM is a fantastic example of what the company is capable of. I hope I’ll have a chance to play the rosewood and dreadnought versions of the model as well, as they’re bound to be very special guitars.

Huss & Dalton 30th Anniversary OM