About marley guitar

Custom & Handcrafted Acoustic Guitars By Jim Marley

“The man who works with his hands is a laborer.

The man who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

The man who works with his hands, his head, and his heart, is an artist.”

– St. Francis of AssisI

Master Luthier

Meet Jim Marley

Hi, there! I’m Jim Marley, owner, and luthier at Marley Guitar Co. in Dacusville, SC. There I build custom steel & nylon-string acoustic guitars, including OOO/OM, Dreadnaught, Archtop, Classical models, and acoustic basses. I also provide repair services. 

Like many luthiers before me, building guitars first started as a hobby that grew into a passion. When I build a guitar, I provide my customer with what will become a part of their legacy, the next generation’s heirloom. I also have the honor of creating a piece of art that will be transformed into the fine art of music in the hands of yet another artist, the musician. How cool is that?

I grew up in rural western Pennsylvania and earned a BA and MA from Kent State University (’85 & ’87, respectively), along with a minor in music (trumpet and voice from 7th grade through college). I served as a US Marine from ’91 to ’95 and earned an MBA from Webster University in ‘94. While stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort (SC), I met my beautiful wife, Ronda. We settled in the Upstate in ’95 and have never regretted the decision . . . it’s a great place to raise a family.

our support for veterans

Founded in 2014, Marley Guitar Co. is a Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business and supports Guitars-4-Vets, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing relief to struggling veterans through the healing power of music and community.

G4V provides Veterans struggling with physical injuries, PTSD, and other emotional distress a unique supportive program, sharing the healing power of music by providing free guitar instruction, a new acoustic guitar, and a guitar accessory kit in a structured program run by volunteers, primarily through Department of Veteran Affairs facilities and community-based medical centers throughout America.

Marley Guitar Co. is committed to donating $200 for every guitar we sell to G4V. $200 is needed to send one Veteran through the G4V program.