Endorsements
Dakota Dave Hull proudly endorses:
Hoffman Guitars
One of my oldest friends and a fabulous guitar maker. He made my piccolo guitar and my baritone flattop. The cutaway dreadnaught I played for years is one of Charlie's. I bought that new nearly 40 years ago, so it qualifies as vintage now, and it certainly sounds like it. Charlie is one of the best luthiers in the country, in my opinion. His repair shop keeps my vintage guitars in tip top shape, too.
National Guitars
What can I say about these guys? Their instruments speak for themselves. They've superseded the original Nationals qualitatively by a huge margin. Wonderful people, too. I have three of their guitars and another one coming. Pictured here is the headstock of the famous "coffee cup guitar." The folks who know me understand.
Fairbanks Guitars
I'd been looking for someone to make a copy of my Gibson Jumbo for years. I've talked to plenty of modern guitar makers but before now but it just hasn't worked out. I spent a few days with my Jumbo and Dale Fairbanks of Fairbanks Guitars awhile back ordered a structural copy of my old Jumbo. This guitar sounds like my Gibson must have sounded when it was new. Since then I've acquired four more of his wonderful instruments. If you're looking for a vintage Gibson Jumbo or J-35 or L-00 style guitar look no further. Dale Fairbanks is your man. He's got that '30s Gibson juju down cold!
GrooveTubes Microphones
I have three of their Model 1a mics in my studio along with two GT 44s and a GT 33 mic. I usually use a GT 44 on stage and I always have the 33 in my guitar case for those gigs I fly to. These guys made some great stuff.
Waverly Tuning Gears
I use Waverlys on all my new guitars. They're simply the best tuning gears available—I wouldn't use anything else. They work.
New Era Guitars
Tony Klassen has been making wonderful Larson Brothers inspired guitars for years. He's doing some Gibson, Epiphone and Martin-style instruments, too. The BigBoy is, as a friend of mine put it, the 9 foot Steinway of guitars! The bass won't quit, but it's not at the expense of the high end. This thing has to be heard to be believed.
Brentrup Guitars
Johann Brentrup is another great guitar (and mandolin) maker from Minneapolis, and an old friend. His guitars draw inspiration from the classic Larson Brothers, Holzapfel, and Stella instruments of the 1920s and '30s. My newest guitar, shown here, is a Grand Concert made of Adirondack spruce with white oak back and sides. It's a cannon! I have the honor of recording some sound samples and videos for Hans; you can see them here.
G7th Capos
A really good capo, easy to use. Expensive and worth it.
Shubb Capos
Another excellent capo. I love their “Fine Tune” capo and use it a lot. I also use their sleeves to dampen string noise above the nut on my guitars.
John Pearse Strings
I've known these folks for years and they continue to go above and beyond the call in providing a great product and amazing service. I use their phosphor bronze strings on my flattops, and nickel wounds on my Nationals and archtops. They don't mind putting together custom sets, either.
Karura Cases
In my opinion the best of the current crop of good flight cases. Incredibly strong and lightweight carbon-fiber guitar cases. Contact me if you need one!