Froggy Bottom Guitars

In 1970, while the shop foreman at Gurian Guitars, Michael MIllard built his first guitar in his apartment on New York’s Lower East Side. The guitar’s sides were bent on the traditional “hot pipe” – in his kitchen. Froggy Bottom Guitars was born.

As we now celebrate 47 years of Froggy Bottom Guitars, Michael and his partners have built something on the order of 5,000 different guitars, each crafted for a specific client or player. Froggy Bottom Guitars’ talented team of craftsmen now includes Andy Mueller, Eric Goodenough, Larry Sweeney of Squeakswe Finishes, and Chris Bavaria of Bavaria Finishing. Led by Michael, Froggy Bottom Guitars custom builds instruments one at a time in their central Vermont workshop for amateur and professional musicians and a few authorized dealers.

Our instrument making is unique in many ways. Every element of our building methodology is designed to allow us maximum flexibility to vary each and every component of each instrument. In functional terms, this allows us to respond fully to to the needs of our players. There is nothing generic; no stock answers. This approach limits the number of guitars we can produce, but the results are worth it. Guitars are tools for personal artistic expression, and because people and players vary widely, their instruments should vary widely, as well. Disinterested in generic instruments, we take to heart the opportunity to build YOUR guitar – the instrument of your hopes and dreams.

At Froggy Bottom, it is our mission and our privilege to translate musicians’ understandings of what they need and desire in an instrument into the very physical world of wood and strings.

In order to design and build an instrument that meets and exceeds a player’s hopes and expectations, we ask lots of questions. And we listen very carefully. Working directly with a player, we build a guitar that individual may have been envisioning and refining for years and only imagined. Guitars don’t lie. When all is said and done, our guitars – and their owners – speak for themselves. Ask the person who has worked with us to build their guitar. We do not advertise the names of our clients, either world-famous or unknown. Your guitar is about your needs and no one else’s.

Froggy Bottom Guitars are built to order for individual players, OR sold through a very small selection of the world’s finest guitar shops. We are grateful for their work, trust, and support.

Visit us at FroggyBottomGuitars.com.

Froggy Bottom Guitars's Blog

Model R12 DLX | Froggy Bottom Guitars Guitarist Lance Allen demonstrates an all-mahogany 12-fret. Read More

Model K Deluxe | Froggy Bottom Guitars Bill Cooley plays "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on a 2018 Froggy Bottom at Carter Guitars. Read More

D Deluxe Mahogany | Froggy Bottom Guitars Eric Wiggs flatpicks on a Froggy Bottom dreadnought at Wildwood Guitars. Read More

Froggy Bottom F12 Deluxe D-Tuned A new variation of Froggy Bottom’s 0000-size guitar specifically designed for low tunings. Read More

50th Anniversary Model M | Froggy Bottom Guitarist Carl Miner demonstrates one of Froggy Bottom's special 50th anniversary models at The North American Guitar. Read More

Model F Deluxe | Froggy Bottom Guitars Matt Chulka of Eddie's Guitars demonstrates a Froggy Bottom built with Indian rosewood and German spruce. Read More

Open D Tuning | Froggy Bottom Guitars Fingerstyle guitarist Scott Ainslie presents an introduction to Open D tuning. Read More

Froggy Bottom C Deluxe A 12-fret 00 with a contemporary feel. Read More

Froggy Bottom F12 Deluxe A 12-fret 0000 built with beautiful Guatemalan rosewood back and sides. Read More

Froggy Bottom H12 Deluxe A 12-fret 000 built with figured koa back and sides. Read More

Trifolium: “Sanctuary” | Muleskinner Instruments Froggy Bottom luthier and Muleskinner Instruments founder Andy Mueller plays a Muleskinner octave mandolin with his trio. Read More

Froggy Bottom Guitars | 5A Koa Model M Scott Ainslie plays "Coleman's March" in Open C tuning on a beautiful Froggy Bottom. Read More

Froggy Bottom G Deluxe A thunderous sounding maple jumbo. Read More

Froggy Bottom K Deluxe A versatile small jumbo built with Adirondack spruce and figured mahogany. Read More

Benjamin Scheuer | “Weather the Storm” | Froggy Bottom Guitars Songwriter Benjamin Scheuer plays an original song from his award-winning one-man, six-guitar show, THE LION. Read More

Ethan Setiawan: “Josie-O” | Win a Muleskinner Mandolin The mandolinist from the band Corner House plays a beautiful Muleskinner Instruments A-style mandolin, which you can win in a raffle for the Chandler Center for the Arts. Read More

Froggy Bottom S-12 LTD Koa A 12-fret dreadnought built with stunning koa. Read More

Froggy Bottom Guitars | Model G Jumbo Scott Ainslie plays a Lonnie Johnson tune on a beautiful maple jumbo guitar from Froggy Bottom. Read More

Froggy Bottom Guitars | 2019 Brazilian Featured Model K Scott Ainslie plays a beautiful Froggy Bottom Model K built with Brazilian rosewood and Adirondack spruce. Read More

Froggy Bottom Model K Scott Ainslie demonstrates his Brazilian rosewood small jumbo. Read More

Froggy Bottom Guitars | “Avalon Blues” | Limited Grade H-12 Scott Ainslie plays a Mississippi John Hurt classic on a beautiful 12-fret built with Koa back and sides and a Sitka spruce top. Read More

Froggy Bottom Guitars | Will Ackerman Signature Model Will Ackerman plays “The Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit” on his signature model guitar built by his friend, luthier Michael Millard. Read More

Froggy Bottom SJ A custom slope-shoulder dreadnought built with premium koa and Adirondack spruce. Read More

Froggy Bottom Limited Grade Model C Scott Ainslie plays a beautiful version of “You Don't Know What Love Is” on a custom parlor guitar from Froggy Bottom Guitars. Read More

Froggy Bottom Featured Guitar | D14 Scott Ainslie plays “Midnight on the Water” on a beautiful Froggy Bottom DeLuxe Grade D14 dreadnought with East Indian rosewood and Adirondack spruce. Read More

Froggy Bottom Old-Growth Brazilian Model M Scott Ainslie plays “The One Dime Blues” on a stunning Froggy Bottom Model M with 1920s Brazilian rosewood and Greman spruce harvested in 1876. Read More

Froggy Bottom Model K The custom Froggy Bottom Model K acoustic guitar is a beautiful cutaway small-jumbo built with Indian rosewood and Adirondack spruce. Read More

Benjamin Scheuer | “Golden Castle Town” Songwriter Benjamin Scheuer plays the latest single from his album “Songs From The LION” on his Froggy Bottom H12. Read More

Froggy Bottom Guitars Limited Series | North American Guitar, London An overview of Froggy Bottom Guitars’ Limited series from North American Guitars’ Michael Watts. Read More

Benjamin Scheuer | Froggy Bottom K14 Songwriter Benjamin Scheuer shows the Froggy Bottom K14 he plays in his hit one-man show, THE LION, and on the album “Songs From THE LION” Read More

Benjamin Scheuer | Froggy Bottom H12 Songwriter Benjamin Scheuer shows the Froggy Bottom H12 he plays in his hit one-man show, THE LION. Read More

Froggy Bottom F12 | “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” The guitarist Scott Ainslie plays his arrangement of the popular 1930’s song on a Froggy Bottom 12-fret F model guitar. Read More

Benjamin Scheuer | “Golden Castle Town” Songwriter Benjamin Scheuer plays an original song from his award winning one-man, six-guitar show, THE LION. Read More

Froggy Bottom H-12 | “Hard Times” The guitarist and songwriter Scott Ainslie plays his arrangement of the Stephen Foster hit on a special Froggy Bottom H-12 guitar. Read More

Benjamin Scheuer | “Weather the Storm” Songwriter Benjamin Scheuer plays an original song from his award winning one-man, six-guitar show, THE LION, during a visit with Charlie Rose. Read More

David Surette Live at Froggy Bottom Night Four tunes from David Surette's set during a concert celebrating the artistry of Froggy Bottom Guitars. Read More

Froggy Bottom Will Ackerman Signature Model K Guitarist Will Ackerman sees and plays his Froggy Bottom Signature Model for the first time. Read More