Frequently Ask Questions

Q. Where did the name Froggy Bottom come from?

A. It's a Blues reference particularly meaningful to Michael and his lifelong love of the Blues. In the early part of the 20th century in the Mississippi Delta former slaves-turned sharecroppers (the originators of the Blues and juke joints) called their farmland "de froggy bottom" because it would flood and attract mating amphibians.

Q. Do you have any guitars in stock?

A. While virtually everything we build is made-to-order, and we seldom have finished instruments in the shop, sometimes we build something extra special to sell from the shop.  These guitars are our “featured guitars.”

Q. What type of warranty do you offer?

A. Our guitars come with a limited lifetime warranty to the original owner. It covers defects in materials or original workmanship, as well as things like neck resets when they don’t result from obvious extreme neglect. Shipping is the owner’s responsibility, and we strongly recommend insuring the instrument fully and shipping by FedEx. We DO NOT recommend shipping by UPS.

The warranty does NOT cover repairs or service required by normal use or wear, accident, abuse, neglect, exposure to extremes of temperature and/or humidity, lacquer checking, or repair or alterations performed by someone other than personnel of Froggy Bottom Guitars.

Q. I have very large (small) hands, and appreciate a wider (narrower) neck. Is that possible on a Froggy?

A. Variations in nut width and/or string spacing at the bridge can be made at no extra charge on any of our guitars. Similarly, because all of our necks are carved by hand, we can accommodate a wide range of preferences for neck profile on direct order guitars.

Q. What type of strings do you recommend?

A. We consider choice of strings to be a matter of taste more than anything. We also won’t tell you what color of slacks to wear. We use GHS Bright Bronze strings on all of our guitars, and that’s because we really like them. There are literally hundreds of varieties to choose from, and it’s as easy as changing strings to try for yourself and see where your taste lies.

Q. Can I string my Parlor Guitar with medium gauge strings?

A. Please don’t! All of our small-bodied guitars are braced very lightly, with light gauge strings in mind. Use of heavier gauges can damage your guitar. The full sized models and jumbos are all fine with medium or light gauge strings.

Q. I would like to amplify my guitar. What sort of pickup system should I use?

A. Similar to string choice, this one is highly personal, and with so many systems available we can’t make a definitive recommendation in such a generic venue. We can say that we favor systems that require minimum modification of the instrument, and we favor simple systems over more complex ones. On that basis, we mostly install Headway and Fishman pickups, and find that we like both of those systems quite well.

Q. What type of finish do you use?

A. We spray high gloss nitro-cellulose lacquer.

Q. How should I clean my guitar?