Sam Evans, designer and builder of Cardinal Instruments creates unique, inspiring, and beautifully hand crafted guitars, basses and lap steels. Using locally harvested woods, locally made custom hardware, eco-friendly finishing processes, and pickups made in-house, Cardinal offers players the tools needed to best express their musical identity.

• Model: Magpie
• Persimmon top on spalted Pecan back
• Pecan neck
• Ziricote fretboard w/inlay
• Dual Lollar SCHB pickups
• Handmade In Austin – Texas

“Cardinal Instruments creates unique, inspiring, and beautifully handcrafted guitars, basses and lap steels. Using locally harvested woods, locally made custom hardware, eco-friendly finishing processes, and pickups made in-house, Cardinal offers players the tools needed to best express their musical identity.

A stringed instrument’s voice starts with the length of the strings. When ideas started to come together for the Bantam, it was imperative that it offers something new and musical. With its 26-3/16″ scale length, the Bantam has a strong, bell-like timbre that works well with clean and overdrive tones. Notes and chords are clear and distinct, with lots of energy. It’s big, bold and vibrant, and though it has a slightly longer scale length than some of the classics, it still feels natural and guitar-like under the fingers.”