D'Aquisto Guitars Photo

D’Aquisto Guitars Photo

These beautiful guitar photos on canvas are perfect for any guitar enthusiast or collector of musical instruments. Photographed by Joshua McClure, these vintage guitars were created by master guitar builder James D’Aquisto toward the end of his career during 1993 and 1994.  Considered to be the “Stradivarius of guitar building”, D’Aquisto was known for his beautiful and musically precise custom built instruments.  He had a long list of famous guitarists as clients and an even longer list willing to wait a decade for a D’Aquisto original. Some of his renowned clients include Stephen Stills, Pete Townsend, Janis Ian, George Benson, Paul Simon, and Steve Miller who became a dear friend.  Beautiful examples of his work can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Joshua McClure met D’Aquisto early in his commercial photography career while promoting his newly formed Island Color Studios on Long Island, New York. He was D’Aquisto’s personal photographer for over 10 years until the gifted guitar maker’s tragic death in 1995 attributed to his long struggle with epilepsy. This remarkable craftsman built a total of 371 guitars from 1965 until his death. His legend lives on as he produced some of the finest instruments in the world.

D'Aquisto Guitar Photo

D’Aquisto Centura Guitar Photo

Known as the finest builder of archtop guitars ever, his guitars are without peer. They are still sought after by collectors and originals are currently selling for $75-100K. It is speculated that if the first guitar that D’Aquisto ever built is sold, it could bring over $1 million which is the highest price ever paid for a guitar.

Joshua’s insight into the talent of James D’Aquisto over the years enabled him to capture many m