Max Cuker, 2026

We're excited to add this 2026 cedar and satinwood doubletop from Lithuania based luthier Max Cuker to our collection. This is the first cedar top of his we have had the pleasure of trying, following an earlier spruce double top, and it is one of the most impressive doubletops we've had in the shop, holding its own against some of our favorite examples of the genre.

It is a hard guitar to put down. Those first notes ring out in an almost angelic way, and the instrument invites you to keep playing. It manages to be both contemporary and grounded in classical tradition, and it announces itself the moment you pick it up.

Specifications

Luthier: Max Cuker
Year: 2026
Top: Cedar
Back & Sides: Satinwood (laminated)
Construction: Doubletop (routed channel, no separate core)
Scale Length: 650 mm
Nut Width: 52 mm
Tuners: Barnett
Features: Integrated armrest, side sound port with removable cover, raised fingerboard
Strings: Full carbon set, D'Addario XTC45
https://ddar.io/guitar-collection
Condition: New, unplayed

Sound & Playability

There is a lot of volume here, but not in the overly bright, hyper quick way some doubletops chase. The response is a touch slower in the best sense, and the result is a guitar that feels deeply supportive under the hands. It is rich in overtones and rewards exploration all over the fingerboard.

The first string is bright and singing even when you are nowhere near the bridge, and it passes the test of playing over the fingerboard with the flesh beautifully, creating a lush landscape of sound with the whole guitar vibrating. The third string can be crystal clear or, when you want it, big and bulbous, and it responds wonderfully to vibrato. The fourth string simply screams authority, with secure, powerful octaves. One of the most remarkable things about this guitar is its even sustain: notes that on other instruments might behave like wolf tones, loud but quick to die, here punch equally and hold. The fifth string matches the fourth with a little more thickness, and the sixth takes a genuinely hard rest stroke to push, a sign of just how well judged the setup is.

The neck is, in a word, perfect. Built on a 650 mm scale with a 52 mm nut, it is thin and C-shaped, with a smooth satin, almost oiled finish and nice tall frets. Bar chords feel effortless and you find yourself simply relaxing into the guitar. A raised fingerboard and a small heel make the upper positions easy to reach.

Construction & Design

Cuker builds his doubletops without a separate core material. Rather than sandwiching balsa or Nomex between two skins, he routes channels directly into the cedar top itself, creating a chevron pattern, which is then enclosed by another layer of wood with no interior core. The approach lets the guitar keep the warmth and natural voice of a traditional concert instrument while delivering the power and quick response of a modern doubletop, and it means there is no synthetic or balsa coloration in the sound at all, just great tone. In concept it is a distant cousin of a routed groove top, though Cuker's use of a second top sets his design apart.

The cedar top has lovely color, deeper than the pale cedar you sometimes see, and is framed by a very minimal rosette, small and understated, with a bright green and black central motif and gold inner and outer rings that tie directly to the guitar's bindings. The rosewood bridge has subtly flared, winged ends, a detail intended to reduce the risk of pressure cracks in the top. A seamlessly integrated armrest flows from side to top with no lip or crevice at all, which to our mind is the only armrest idea that truly makes sense.

Turn the guitar over and the satinwood back and sides are a showpiece, with a wavy, symmetric wedge running down the center that catches every eye in the room. The back and sides are laminated, as is common among modern doubletop makers. A side sound port adds projection toward the player and comes with a removable cover in a contrasting wood that matches the bindings. The neck carries a distinctive, compact headstock with subtle ebony accents, fitted with excellent Barnett tuning machines with plain base plates, ebony buttons, and black rollers.

About the Luthier

Maxim Cuker is a professional guitarist and luthier based in Vilnius, Lithuania. He built his first guitar at age eighteen under the guidance of Yuri Zirin, later refining his craft through independent study and close examination of the work of Ukrainian luthier Nikolay Rudenko. His experience with instruments by Masaru Kohno, Jose Ramirez, Manuel Contreras, Dieter Hopf, and John Price has informed his tonal goals and design sensibilities.

In 2014 one of his guitars received first prize at the Guitar Virtuosos luthiers competition in Saint Petersburg. Today his instruments are played worldwide, and his work continues to gain recognition for its blend of musicality, craftsmanship, and modern design.

New and unplayed, arriving to us directly from Cuker's workshop. It made the trip from Lithuania to Austin, Texas in just three days.