After intense competition and some of the most inventive electric guitars we've seen, the winner of the Great Guitar Build Off 2020 is Matt Flaherty and Chris Ernst's Texas Toast Guitars of Arvada, Colorado.
The competition saw eight guitar builders take receipt of a high-end luthier kit from Crimson Guitars, the competition's sponsor, and then go to town on it. Flaherty and Ernst's entry did not disappoint.
The Hater Maker put a triple-necked twist on the T-style and featured such eye-popping details as Metal Flake Greengold sparkly finishes and animal print fretboards. It was put together from a Crimson Guitars Raw Uncut Kit, with a body of ash, a sycamore (x3), and an ebony fingerboard.
The Hater Maker fetched $7,069 on eBay with proceeds going to help cover their friend's medical expenses.
But the Great Guitar Build Off 2020 is not finished yet. Crimson Guitars Master Luthier Ben Crowe is presently in the throes of deliberation as he judges the Unofficial Challengers stream of the competition, which is where you come in.
Crowe will choose his Top 15 builds by the last week of October and feature them on the Crimson Guitars Instagram page so that the public can cast the final votes and decide the Top 5.
The overall winner will be entered into the official Great Guitar Build Off 2021, which means they will receive a high-end luthier kit to build another creation for a charity. In addition, they'll win a Crimson Kit Guitar of their choosing, a Crimson Essential Fret Levelling and Dressing Toolkit (or voucher of similar value), a pair of ISOtunes and a £50 voucher for the Vintage Tool Shop.
Second prize will take home an MF, S or T-style Crimson Kit Guitar, a £40 Crimson Guitars voucher, a pair of ISOtunes PRO 2.0 and a £40 voucher for the Vintage Tool Shop.
Come in third and you win an S or T-type Crimson Kit Guitar, a £30 Crimson Guitars voucher, a pair of ISOtunes PRO 2.0, and a £30 Vintage Tool Shop voucher.
Runners-up will each win a pair of ISOtunes PRO 1.0 and a pair of ISOtunes XTRA.
Follow the Unofficial Challengers stream on YouTube and Instagram using #greatguitarbuildoff and be sure to follow Crimson Guitars on Instagram to cast your vote for the winners.
Over £30,000 has been raised for charity with 100s taking part in the competition.
See Great Guitar Build Off for more information.
“I was shocked. That was the exact sound that I had been chasing for years”: Nirvana tone sleuth Aaron Rash solves his epic tone mystery and finds the guitar that Kurt Cobain used for In Utero
“If you’re all about getting as close as possible to period-correct as you can for this price point, then you won’t be disappointed here”: Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue review
![Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3N4uVp3ezzrrhjCbY8KNfn-840-80.jpg.webp)
![YouTuber Aaron Rash [left] wears grey and an Adidas beanie and checked trousers as he poses with his Veleno-clone aluminium guitar. On the right, Kurt Cobain performs in 1993 with Nirvana at their MTV Live and Loud show in Seattle.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aqcaqZZK7FsRFWvoMPzMF9-840-80.jpg.webp)
