About Us
Doug Irwin is a master luthier, renowned as the designer of 5 custom guitars for Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. The guitars he built for Garcia included Eagle, Wolf, Tiger, Wolf Jr. (headless) and Rosebud.
With decades of experience in custom guitar building, Doug also crafted a limited number of other instruments including basses for Pete Sears and Phil Lesh. His portfolio includes the documented Rosewood and a Les Paul type guitar, both featured in the exclusive D. Irwin Guitar Company sales brochure.
Following Jerry Garcia's passing in 1995, Garcia's will stipulated that his Irwin-made guitars be returned to their creator. After resolving legal matters with the remaining Grateful Dead members, Doug received "Wolf" and "Tiger," while GD Productions retained "Rosebud" and "Wolf Jr." These instruments represent significant pieces of music history, with Tiger selling at auction for USD 957,500 and Wolf for USD 789,500—setting records in the guitar auction world at that time.
Eagle, Doug's first signature guitar and Garcia's first Irwin purchase, later sold at Bonhams auction in 2007 for USD 186,000.
What is Irwin Certified?
The guitars created by Doug Irwin are timeless. Many luthiers have their own tribute models. But very few meet the artisanal quality that you expect and deserve in a guitar like these.
Irwin Certified works with vetted, master luthiers to deliver incredibly faithful reproductions of Doug Irwin's creations. Each guitar is inspected by Irwin himself, and will come with a signed Certificate of Authenticity.