W.R.Rhoton

My name is Billy and I build guitars. I have a wife, a son, and 2 dogs. I like to wear hats. Sometimes I have a beard and sometimes I don’t. My favorite colors are orange and brown, and I will eat just about anything if you put it in a taco. In the spring and summer I root for the Atlanta Braves, and in the fall and winter I root for the Georgia Bulldogs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Every 4 years I watch the World Cup. But mostly I build guitars.

Before I built guitars I worked as a cabinetmaker and played in bluegrass, Americana, and rock & roll bands that toured all over the Southeast and Midwest. Before that I just played in bands. And before that I held jobs such as landscaper, line cook, whitewater river guide, gas station attendant, shoe salesman, liquor store clerk, swim teacher, soccer coach, bicycle repairman, and summer camp counselor.

I built my first guitar in 2006 under the tutelage of Ivon Schmukler at the Leeds Guitarmakers School in Northampton, Massachusetts. Upon moving to Atlanta in 2007, I set up shop and began making guitars in earnest.

I believe in the acoustic guitar. I think about guitars when I fall asleep. I dream about how they’re made. The guitar is my passion, and I feel honored to be a steward of its heritage.