THE NEW VINTAGE

Welcome to Alsip Guitars

C.R. Alsip, LLC was founded by Jake Willoughby in January of 2012 with the goal of building the finest guitars on earth, at a reasonable price, and right here in the “Good Ol’ USA”. This is our passion. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a professional musician, you can hear and feel the difference in our guitars. We take the features that every player desires up a level.

You won’t need to upgrade anything on our guitars. And we can build anything your ears desire. From exotic woods to deluxe or even airbrushed finishes, we offer just about any option and combination you can imagine. Alsip Guitars is the new one-stop shop for the ultimate guitarist. Do you like the playability of one guitar but the tone of another? No problem, we can do that!

Get the One Guitar That Has It All: Built by Musicians, for Musicians

Features That Make Alsip Guitars Different From Other Brands:

"Hot Rodded" and "Broken In" is Our Stock

Our guitars need no upgrades, and have that “well worn”, “broken in” feel from day one!    We pay special attention to how we hand-shape our necks and do our fretwork so that every guitar has unparalleled playability.   We want them to play and feel like an old classic.  And we “Hot Rod” them to the max so you don’t have to.

Our guitars are professional grade instruments & leave our shop ready to tour the world.  

Ultra-Low Action = Ultra Playability

Our guitars are set up to have the lowest action possible! This allows players to set it to whatever they desire, extremely low or extremely high and you will get the same sound either way without that annoying rattle.

Neck-Thru Design

Our neck-thru guitars are straight neck-thru design without the common 3-degree tilt which allows straight string pull and allows lower action for unparalleled playability.

Lowered Stop-Tail-Piece Bridge

Our stop tailpiece guitars have the bridge and the tailpiece recessed into the guitar to allow for low action and to also have the same feel of a tremolo guitar. We listened to many guitar players who wanted a stop tailpiece guitar but did not like how high they set up off of the body. With our system, they set the same height as a standard tremolo or a Floyd Rose would.

Drop-Top Build Option

One of the unique aspects that are offered on our guitars is the “Drop-Top”. A lot of manufacturers have carved top or flat maple tops that are glued across the entire front of the guitar, our “Drop Tops” are inlaid tops from various exotic woods. We route out the top of the guitar the same shape as the body with a 12mm lip and drop in the solid top and then they either get our unique wrap around paint job, transparent paint or oil finish. This gives the guitar a unique look and sound.

Copper Shielding in Electronics Cavity

We use copper shielding, not paint. Copper shielding eliminates most pickup noise & makes the guitar quieter through high gain amps.

Sustain Enhancement System (SES)

Sustain is a key element to guitar players liking or disliking a guitar. We dove right in and started working on ideas to increase sustain, but not over increase it, and succeeded with our very own Sustain Enhancement System(SES).

Our SES sets the standard in great guitar tone and we believe we have created one of the best tone and sustain-enhancing systems ever produced. Our SES is Patent Pending and exclusive to C.R. Alsip Guitars and is offered on all guitars.

Clyde Kennedy
Clyde Kennedy
2023-11-26
I bought an Epiphone Dot that had been stripped. No knobs, pots, pickups with cut wires and installed improperly. Basically everything removed and a Bixby half installed. Got it cheap and the guitar itself was excellent. Turned it over to Jake and told him to make it as good as he could. I trusted his judgement and got it back yesterday. Guitar is beautiful. But the big shock was today when I played it. Could not believe the clarity and how bright it sounded. Plays like a breeze. I am a super happy customer and will trust him with all my luthier needs.
JERRY GILMORE
JERRY GILMORE
2023-10-01
Experienced, seasoned with a well-rounded knowledge of guitars. His expertise, attention to details and clarity enhance the trust factor. All work was done in a timely matter with a very good price. My Zager guitar neck now feels like my Martin. Thank you Jake!
Southern Wood Elements
Southern Wood Elements
2023-09-05
Jake at CR Alsip guitars is awesome to work with. Very thorough and detail oriented on every project he has worked for me on. Always keeps me updated as to what is going on and always provides the best service while keeping price in mind for the customer. Whether it’s a general set up, fret board level, polish and crown, or wiring and electronics, he is the guy to go to. No one else will touch my guitars other than Jake and his team at CR Alsip. Thank you for the quality and the service and always providing a good turnaround time.
Derrick Nichols
Derrick Nichols
2023-08-20
My Tacoma Road king needed some work done. Jake was extremely precise and took great care of my guitar. It plays better than it did when I first purchased the guitar.
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor
2023-07-29
I had an old Yamaha guitar that was very special to me. The frets were very thin. Jake gave me a fair estimate of repair to do the job. He sent pics of progress and I could see as he worked the detail he put into each aspect of the job. When he texted to let me know it was ready it was like a new guitar. Jake Willoughby brought my old guitar back to life. I highly recommend if you need any stringed instrument worked on. He has a full shop of tools and knows how to use them.
Andie Tucker
Andie Tucker
2023-07-23
Jake did a great job repairing a few cracks in my acoustic guitar. He was really communicative throughout the repair process, sending me regular photos and updates. When he returned the guitar to me, I thought there was an issue with it (there wasn’t actually an issue, it was 100% user error) but Jake was really responsive and wanted to do everything he could to make sure the guitar was in excellent working order, which I really appreciated.
Paul Whitton
Paul Whitton
2023-05-18
Jake setup and installed a pickup in my new acoustic. It plays great and the install is perfect. Highly recommended
Brandon Slater
Brandon Slater
2023-05-03
I don't know where to begin, Jake has done amazing work on my Peavy Patriot, he walked me through the whole process when he worked on it, updating me with photos, recommending things to improve the guitar, no upselling at all. When I brought this thing in, I was not sure what would happen, the truss rod needed work, the frets were worn, the electronics just there... But once Jake got his hands on it, he knew exactly what to do, what I have in my hands now, going from the first guitar I learned to play on almost 20 years ago, to now, is a night and day difference. I have had a smile on my face since I picked it up! If you need any work done on your instruments, please go to him for your needs. I wish I had the rest of my collection here to have him look at them, and once I get more, they will go straight to him! Thank you again Jake for all of your hard work, it really makes me happy to know there are people out there to make this happen! -Brandon
D J Renfro Jr
D J Renfro Jr
2023-04-08
Could not ask for better service ..Had a very special guitar repaired very helpful and great prices ..I would recommend these fine folks to anyone in the world

Where Did the Name C.R. Alsip Guitars Come From?

Connie Rae Alsip was Jake’s mother’s maiden name. She was a caring and loving person that left a great impact on whomever she met. Connie Rae Alsip-Willoughby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2011. She battled cancer for a little over a year before succumbing to it on February 28th, 2012. In honor and loving memory of his mother, Jake chose to name the company after her so that her name will live on. Even the C.R. Alsip logo is her actual signature taken from Jake’s birth certificate! It’s with that passion and love that every Alsip guitar has heart & soul, blood, sweat & tears built into it.