Bedell Avalanche Custom Guitar
Designed by Doug Hebenthal

Bedell Guitars recently completed an extraordinary and noteworthy custom acoustic guitar that is a combination of high art, historical artifact and stunning instrument tied into one. The custom acoustic guitar has been named “Avalanche,” for reasons described below. To give further insight, here’s Tom Bedell’s description of the custom build:

“This was one of the best experiences I have shared in the Bedell Custom Shop.  Doug wanted to design an extraordinary guitar using some of our most unusual Tonewood sets in our collection.

Presenting several unique options for tops, Doug was intrigued with the Ancient Sitka Spruce. Carbon dated to be almost 3,000 years old, this rare Sitka had been buried in an avalanche. Millennia later, it the tree was discovered when a backhoe was excavating the mountainside to make room for a building.  Nature impregnated the log with minerals as the seasons passed,  through frozen winters and spring run-off.  As the log was exposed to a fresh breath of air, the exposed fibers turned to a striking gray-blue. Wanting to pair this treasured top with the finest back wood, Doug selected a magnificent set of Brazilian rosewood we have named, “Milagro” – miracle in Spanish. The Milagro tree was over 450 years old, having rested in damp soil along a riverbed in the province of Bahia in NE Brazil for over 300 years.

Over dinner, Doug and I brainstormed what to name this exceptional instrument. Doug settled on “AVALANCHE” and asked us to design a fret scape of an avalanche tumbling the giant Sitka as it swept down the mountainside.

The guitar turned out to be one of the most incredible looking and sounding instruments we have been privileged to craft from the Bedell Custom Shop.”

If you are interested in designing your own custom Bedell Guitar, please contact on of our Custom Shop Dealers to begin the process!