Mark Usherovich, 2025

This 2025 concert guitar from Mark Usherovich of Niagara Falls, Canada represents the continued refinement of one of today’s most distinctive double-top builders. Mark’s instruments are known for their featherlight weight, lush sustain, and intoxicating bass resonance, and this latest example shows why his work has been turning heads among both players and collectors worldwide.

Built with an exceptionally old spruce outer top paired with a nomex-core double-top construction, this guitar achieves a remarkable blend of warmth and clarity. The seven-fan bracing pattern is minimalist and ultra-responsive, giving the instrument an immediate, open feel with a lively bloom and tremendous sensitivity to touch. Despite its power and projection, it retains a natural, traditional warmth that recalls the finest Spanish guitars.

The sound is deeply satisfying, with a main air resonance tuned strikingly low, producing basses that feel almost subsonic in depth yet never muddy. The trebles remain crystalline and pure, rich with overtones that give the tone a cozy, blooming quality. The guitar excels both in standard tuning and in drop D, where the deep resonance feels especially intoxicating. The sustain and sympathetic response are beautifully balanced, creating an immersive tonal experience that feels alive under the fingers.

Mark’s background as a drum maker is evident in the percussive integrity of the attack. Each note has a clean, immediate presence without sacrificing musical warmth. The instrument manages to straddle the line between modern double-top power and the organic sustain of traditional Spanish builds. As Evan notes in the review, the guitar “feels like a Torres or Simplicio in spirit, yet plays and projects like a world-class modern concert guitar.”

• Top: Spruce / Nomex double-top 

• Finish: French polish top, oil-finished bridge

• Neck: Spanish cedar, C-shaped

• Fingerboard: Ebony with 21 frets (extended for improved C-note response)

• Tuners: Barnett tuners with custom engraving

• Rosette: Fine geometric mosaic with linked-square motif

• Special Features: Armrest, low air resonance, custom calligraphy label handwritten by Mark’s wife on every guitar

Mark Usherovich has been building fine, handmade concert classical and romantic guitars since 2004 and is currently based in Ontario, Canada.

Mark began his journey in Jerusalem, Israel, where his background in crafting wooden skin drums and his fascination with bowed instruments shaped his understanding of rhythm, color, and resonance. His tonal ideals draw from the complex character of violins and cellos, which continue to inspire his work today.

He studied extensively with Tom Blackshear of San Antonio, Texas, who shared his fine-tuning techniques and deep understanding of body resonance. With this knowledge, Mark developed his own construction approach that blends the warmth and depth of traditional Spanish guitars with the clarity, power, and dynamic range of modern double-top design.

Inspired by the legendary builders Santos Hernández, Antonio de Torres, and Miguel Rodríguez, Mark creates instruments that are light, responsive, and rich in tonal character. Each guitar is a personal expression of his life and travels, reflecting both artistry and precision.

If you're interested in purchasing, please write to me at evan@guitarcollection.com