News & Notes
Updates from the bench, the shop, and the woods.
The website is currently being updated and refined. Thanks for your patience as we continue bringing everything up to the standard of the work itself.
A quick look at what’s happening in the shop: I’ve been focusing on new tooling and reorganizing the workspace to create a smoother, more efficient flow. Several builds are moving through the benches at once, and I’ve been finishing up the guitars headed to shows. It’s been a full stretch of work, but things are coming together nicely.
April 2-4, 2027
John O will be returning to the Artisan Guitar Show. I hope to have 3 or 4 guitars that will be available to audition.
2010 Shop Update
I received word this year that I’ve been accepted to exhibit at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, taking place August 12–14, 2011. I’m already at work on a few new designs that I hope to bring to the show — it’s always motivating to build with a deadline and an audience...
2009 Shop Update
The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase was a highlight this year — a fantastic show and an all‑around great time. I’m already planning to head back in 2010. I also returned to the Montreal Guitar Show this summer, as well as the Healdsburg Guitar Festival....
2008 Shop Update
Looking back at 2008, the biggest change was probably the most obvious one: the website got a complete overhaul. The entire engine behind the site was rebuilt from the ground up, and I moved everything to a new hosting company. The goal was simple — make the site more...
Subtle Refinements in Design
I’ve been working on a series of subtle refinements in both design and the build process — small changes that add up to a more responsive, stable, and elegant instrument. These updates are now part of the standard features on every Osthoff guitar. One example is the...