C.P. THORNTON GUITARS

Chuck Thornton is the founder and luthier of C.P. Thornton Guitars. He built his first bass in 1985 at the age of 29, and built 43 basses into the early 1990s. In 1993, Chuck went to work for Dana Bourgeois Guitars carving necks, leveling fretboards, and performing fret jobs. While working for Bourgeois he built 33 solidbody guitars that sold for around $2,150. In 1996, Chuck met Jon Cooper who is a violin maker. Thornton went to work with Cooper for the next four years, and learned a lot more about building hollowbody instruments. In 2000, Chuck went back to work with Bourgeois (which was now part of Pantheon Guitars) as shop foreman and setup man. In 2002, Chuck met John Hayden who helped him finance C.P. Thornton Guitars. Between 2002 and 2004, Thornton performed a lot of R&D and built a few prototype guitars. In 2004, the doors opened to C.P. Thornton Guitars. In 2006, Chuck was joined by Richard Shapiro and they currently build a line of hollowbody electric archtop and solidbody guitars. Models start around $3,150. For more information, contact C.P. Thornton directly or visit his website.