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"My new guitar is a beautiful and treasured gift. With each strum I can feel of your dedication and pride in creating such a musical wonder. Thank you for creating such a magnificent jewel that will be enjoyed for many years to come! It truly is an honor to own one of your guitars." Michelle Peterson, Missoula, MT
"The most superb example of musical craftsmanship I have ever held in my arms. With exceeding gratitude", Alex Harvey, Country Hall of Fame songwriter ("Delta Dawn", "Rubin James", etc.) Nashville, TN
"Wow, it's beautiful!!" (D-SP), "I'm getting more and more impressed by the Snail the more I play it. It's SO beautiful, and I THANK YOU again." Walkin' Jim Stoltz, folksinger (8 albums), songwriter, long distance back packer (over 27,000 miles in wilderness), photographer, artist, author. Helena, MT
"I'm very, very impressed with your ability. You've crossed a barrier for that resonate sound." Norva Frank, Thompson Falls, MT
"With my mother of pearl grizzly claws and the small bodied Montana Spruce backing, Rick's custom made guitar allows the essence of 'My Montana' to flow through my fingers creating music each time I play this beautiful piece of art. The best part is, I have the only one that looks like this!" Tim Ryan Rouillier, Warner Recording Artist/ Writer/ Producer, St.Ignatius product, Nashville, TN
"I've had one of Rick's guitars for 12 years. In the beginning I was impressed with the tone and beauty of the guitar and it seems to just get better as the years go by." Timberly Kelly, Paradise, MT
"Known to me as the Paradise guitar man.........He brought music to me." Teresa Wagenius, Paradise, MT
"I love my SNAIL! ......easier playability than my Martin." Bob Super, St. Regis, MT
"The craftsmanship of Rick McCollum's guitars is impeccable; aside from the beauty, the sound is enhanced year after year." Rita Knauff, Seattle, WA
"Rick's guitars are a work of art. His music and his craft are created from a great love in his heart. I am proud to have one of his guitars." Mabel Cook, Plains, MT "Rick! I can't believe this week is almost over already and that I haven't written you yet to tell you how in love I am with the instrument you have created. It is simply amazing Rick. I love every little part of it! It plays so nicely and so easily! The neck is perfect for my hands to fit around and the body for my arms. It is just perfect! I can't wait to meet up with you again and play it for you so you can see the look on my face! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Love, Jaymi "Hi Rick, I got my snail today! And I LOVE it!!!!! This is the best purchase I have made in a long time. Thank you so much!" Chelsea Toone, Logan, Utah "Hey Rick, I have finaly been able to sit down with my new guitar and spend some real time getting familiar with it. What a dream. I simply can't put into words how much I love this guitar. It is without a doubt the best sounding, most beautiful, playable instrument I have ever owned. I can't say enough about the sound. It's hard to believe this is a brand new guitar when you hear how crisp and vibrant the tone is. The attention to detail is impeccable from the headstock to the endpin. I love the way the Koa looks (it even smells good), the binding is totally unique, and the small strip of maple between the fretboard and the neck adds a subtle touch of class that I have not seen on other guitars before. You make such wonderful instruments, I don't know what I'll pick but I'm sure I will be ordering another as soon as I can. Thank you so much for building me such a wonderful guitar, I love it." Kenn Besaw, Thompson Falls, Montana "Rick, you're doing something right! Boy these guitars just sing!" Ken Overcast, radio host for the nationally syndicated program "The Cowboy Show", guitarist, singer/songwriter, poet, author, and.....cowboy; Chinook, Montana "This beautiful guitar is very high quality with very nice sound. I love playing it!" Gerben (age 8) "Because of its exquisite craftsmanship, Gerben will get a lifetime of use out of this beautiful instrument and be able to pass it on to his grandchildren." Kristi (Gerben's mother) "As Gerben's father, I thought the quality was so superb, we purchased 3 others." Richard Celata, Dillon, MT "Dear Rick, I could not be happier with the Snail! I'm very impressed with the sustain that it produces along with perfect intonation. Thank you very much and I will treasure this instrument for a long time. Thanks again, David, Millington, New Jersey Subject: HOW MUCH I LOVE MY SON'S GUITAR.. Mr. Rick I just want to let you know how happy I am with the guitar you built for my son. Its everything I expected and then some, simply one of a kind. Out of all the builders out there I believe you still have what made you start doing it in the first place an I think a lot of the others have lost that. Thank you for being patient and so caring through the whole process. Thank you for the e-mails, pics and phone calls keeping me updated, making sure it was exactly what I wanted. I own an have owned several hand built guitars over the years, all I can say is I wish I would have found you sooner. The sound is AWESOME the quality of the wood and craftsmanship was amazing. I look forward to you building for me in the future, I can't wait to get one of those snails. Even though I had it built for my son I can't put it down. It is hands down the best acoustic I have ever played, better than my master built Yari and that says ALOT! Once again thank you for everything; as soon as my wife uploads the pics I will send them. I would recommend your work to anyone. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, KEEP BUILDING, YOU HAVE A GIFT FROM GOD! Shawn Hurley, Montgomery, AL "Great instrument, there is no finer! From a man who plays a Martin and a Gibson and a Kay." Wally Congdon, Dell, MT (Wally is an attorney, teacher, rancher and a member of 'THE LOST COWBOY BAND') "Just a note to let you know that the Snail arrived today in perfect condition. It's a beautiful instrument, and the wife is very happy with it! It sounds great! Thank you for all of your talents, and we appreciate the great service. God Bless you, Grover", Pavillion, WY "First of all, I want to thank you again for allowing me into your home, especially at the last minute on Wednesday on our way out of town. What a blessing it was for me to be able to spend time with you and play all your wonderful guitars. Even more so, I consider it such a blessing that I was able to bring home my new guitar. I've been able to spend some quality time with her the last couple of days and couldn't be happier. This is the guitar of my life....not only mine but one that I look forward to passing down to my children and grandchildren. What an instrument....I'm looking forward to many years of playing. I do have one small request to ask. Would you be able to provide me with the 'story' of my guitar? What I am looking for is just a brief little write-up of my guitar from the builder's perspective, the woods chosen (especially the story of the (old growth?) Brazilian Rosewood) and any little insights you may have about the building process of this guitar. It's something I'd like to have that I can keep with the guitar for when I pass it on to my kids so they can know the story. Catrina and I were talking about it on the way home, during our visit two years before, you had just received the Brazilian Rosewood and I remember admiring the wood back then. How amazing that two years later I am able to bring home a guitar made from the same wood! I never thought that would be possible. Thanks again Rick. May the Lord continue to bless you. I know He's blessed me with a wonderful guitar. Paul, Enumclaw, WA "I love recording with the snail guitar. It has lots of choices of cool complimentary tones that make great overdubs. When the mic is up close to the sound hole, the presence and clarity are similar to my Sobel cittern, except with the directness of a single rather than double-strung sound. thanks much Rick, David Wilcox " (guitarist / songwriter extraordinare, 17 records to date, Asheville, NC) "AMAZING GUITARS!" Matt Smith (session guitarist, music producer, National Guitar Workshop instructor, Austin, TX) "I love playing my new guitar every day. Listening to the sound and tone is joy every time. The feel and smell of it is wonderful. I'm blessed to have such a fine instrument." Thomas Williams, Phoenix, AZ "Really excited about the Snail. It looks great. I like the feel and sound of it." Alban Calderon, Brooklyn, NY "I've been watching your site for new work from a true craftsman. I love the koa cutaway. Keep up the good work and thank you for my guitar, its really starting to open up. It sounds like it has an amp inside of it. The sound is bold, deep, very clear, its awesome Mr Rick. God Bless. Shawn, Alabama "Rick and the Montana Guitar Shop folks, My dad bought me a Snail travel guitar and I absolutely love it. The sound is beautiful, rich and full. The color/wood selection and appearance is so unique. Thank you for taking the time and creating this instrument- it truly is brilliant. I plan to visit my old farm I worked on - Garden City Nursery - in Hamilton, Montana this September so maybe I'll pay a visit to your shop if I can find a way there. Peace and carrots, Emily Nicholas (from Rochester, NY) "I am the proud and grateful owner of two guitars from Rick McCollum's Montana Guitar Shop. The first an early model of the wonderful little 'Snail', the other is one of the 'Montana Paint' guitars, a OOO-SP model, both are beautifully made and have remarkable sound and playability. They have both given me much pleasure and enjoyment and will continue to do so for years to come." Cliff Stephens, Paradise, MT "I stopped by a little pawn shop yesterday that I ran into in Culver City, CA. While in the shop I looked up at the guitars as I always do and saw something out of the ordinary and quite beautiful I might add. There was a ticket on it for $175.00 and before I got too excited I asked the owner of the shop if I could see it. The guy handed me this little hand made jewel, a OOO-SP Montana Guitar Shop custom built by Rick McCollum in 2008! I had never heard of this guitar company but it was obviously a very special instrument because of the craftsmanship, woods used, and last but not least the fantastic tone! I immediately gave the man his money and got out of there before he could change his mind! I looked up Montana Guitar Shop online and called their number from the website. I was fortunate enough to actually speak to Rick McCollum himself. When I told him this story of how I acquired the guitar he laughed and told me that my new guitar sold for $3,000.00! Thanks to Rick, the little pawn shop in Culver City, and my keen eye for great guitars I consider myself one of the lucky ones!" Shawn Jones (guitarist, singer, songwriter) www.shawnjonesmusic.com "Wow, I'm so thrilled with this guitar. I finally had the chance to see it a few days ago for the first time. I love playing it. Thank you for making such an amazing instrument." Brenda Harp (singer, multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire), Southern California, www.brendaharp.com "This guitar is a beauty to behold, lovely craftsmanship, and it's built to last. The sound is big and beefy in the bottom with a bright upper register...it makes you just want to play it...Thanks Rick. I've been really enjoying this guitar." Cathy Caballero, Polson, Montana "Thanks so much! The guitar arrived intact late last week. What a gem! I love how it sounds and how it plays. The action is perfect and it has a BIG sound for such a small guitar. I'm looking forward to making her my full time traveling companion!" Paul Swanson, Carnation, Washington "Dear Rick San, Thank you very much for everything you shared with us yesterday. We could play many music together. That was a wonderful time for us. You are the good guitar maker and a good musician. I have played the guitar you made all day long today. Your tone is clear and especially the high tone is good. I will play your guitar until the last time of my life. I will visit to Montana many times for being eager to play the guitar. Thank you for the delicious dinner, too. Please say much thanks to your wife. I will upload my music playing the guitar that you made on YouTube in the near future. I will contact you forever. See you. Love, Ricky" (Ricky Honda, Kumamoto, Japan; Ricky purchased a OOO-N nylon string and is a guitarist extraordinaire) "Rick McCollum's guitars are masterpieces of craftsmanship and sound. We have greatly appreciated his generous support of the Guitar Foundation. He has made for us to be auctioned, an OM style cut-away Crown Guitar Foundation acoustic guitar made with old growth straight grain Brazilian Rosewood and Engelmann Spruce. It is a truly spectacular, one-of-a-kind instrument which has created considerable excitement. It will be auctioned during our 2013 Workshop and Festival August 25 - September 1, 2013. Artists participating in our workshop and festival ranging from Joe Bonamassa to David Wilcox have been impressed with the guitars that Rick has created." David A. Feffer, Chairman, Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation. www.cocguitarfoundation.org "I just received the Snail that you made as a gift from my parents and I absolutely love it. I'd like to give you a call some time to talk about that guitar as well as a possible custom build. Thanks much," David Murphy, Chicago, IL |
