High Flyer

This US boutique builder presents an offset beauty that makes us dizzy in more ways than one…

- Dave Burrluck

As the person who has to fill every issue of Guitarist with gear, this writer is constantly getting it in the neck for displaying expensive guitars. Well, here’s another one, this time from the Sacramento-based Kauer Guitars, headed up by Doug Kauer who shipped his first guitar in 2008: “11 years now! Kind of amazing that I haven’t gotten a real job yet,” he laughs.

Generally, it’s a four-man team that creates the instruments, as Doug explains: “I’m primarily responsible for design and programming, the business, some machining and mainly paint. One guy handles the necks start to finish, most of the woodworking, machining and sanding. I have a full-time assembly person; he takes over after paint and does final fretwork and final assembly – wiring, making the pickguards and so on. The fourth [team member] floats between our DRSracks.com line and doing more and more CNC machine work and glue-ups.”

It might surprise some that Kauer uses a CNC, but it’s helped the company produce some 750 guitars since 2008. “There are just over 300 Banshee serial numbers and 300 Daylighter/Arcturus and roughly 150 between the Starliner, Argonaut, Super Chief and some other things that have come and gone,” says Doug. Not only that, Kauer has also introduced a budget line, Titan Guitars, of which the team has produced 215 pieces so far. “We’ve been so busy with Kauer the last few months that we’ve shifted Titan to dealer-order only for a while. We’re in the process of adding more staff to help us keep both lines on time and schedule.”