About Us – Dishaw Guitars

Craft, Precision, and Passion: The Story Behind Dishaw Custom Guitars

For over four decades, Dan Dishaw has dedicated his life to the art of working with wood, sound, and structure. Long before crafting world-class instruments, Dan’s journey began with deep roots in music, precision woodworking, and science.

While studying biochemistry and mathematics in college, Dan was already a multi-instrumentalist with an instinct for tone and mechanics. His early career spanned historic hotel restoration in Buffalo, pattern-making for full-scale industrial wood castings, and custom cabinetry. But a single guitar repair shifted his trajectory forever.

He quickly took over all stringed instrument repairs for three local music stores, earning a reputation that led top brands – including Gibson, Fender, and Martin – to recruit him as their official warranty service center. Restoring vintage and high-end instruments daily gave Dan expert-level mastery over exotic tonewoods, structural acoustics, and fine finishing. When one of the music stores closed, Dan launched his own independent workshop, where he later pioneered the integration of early MIDI technology into traditional instruments.

Dan checking the specifications on a new build before assembly.

A Legacy of World-Class Craftsmanship

Dan’s reputation for relentless precision extended far beyond the music industry. In the 1990s, he applied his woodworking and flight-case manufacturing expertise to found DanBuilt Cue Cases and Dishaw Custom Cues.

His relentless focus on balance, joint integrity, and inlay work quickly made Dishaw Cues some of the most sought-after instruments in the billiard world, trusted by world-class players. Over the decades, Dan served on the Board of Directors for the Billiard Congress of America (BCA), co-founded the American Billiard Manufacturers Association, and served as President of the Academy of American Cue Art.

Returning to Our Roots: Dishaw Custom Guitars

Today, all 40+ years of Dan’s master luthiery, high-precision cue engineering, and tonewood selection have come full circle. Dishaw Custom Guitars represents the absolute pinnacle of custom-built electric instruments. Every Dishaw guitar is hand-built using a neck-through-body construction, delivering unmatched sustain, seamless neck heel playability, and rock-solid tuning stability.

Double-Cutaway Carved Top

Inspired by classic contours, refined for maximum balance and upper-fret access.

Single-Cutaway Carved Top

A rich, resonant body profile with a hand-carved top built for massive tone.

P Jr. Style Flat Top

Raw, stripped-down tone machine designed for pure dynamic response and workhorse reliability.

LP TV Model Flat Top

Vintage-inspired aesthetics paired with modern precision engineering.

THE DISHAW STORY

Handcrafted in History

Whether we are selecting rare, aged tonewoods or fine-tuning a custom neck profile, every instrument that leaves our shop is built one at a time with uncompromising standards

Every guitar we build carries a piece of musical heritage. Our shop workbenches include historic fixtures from iconic local establishments – including the legendary bench built by the late Dave Pasternack of Gerber Music.