For Arizona guitar maker Mike Baranik, the epiphany that took his steel-string guitars to a higher level came two years ago at the Great Midwest Guitar Show in St. Louis. While exhibiting his guitars, he compared notes and instruments with respected fellow luthier Taku Sakashta, who offered both encouragement and some uncommon advice.

"Taku told me I need to build instruments that look as good as they sound," Baranik recalls. "He knew that good tone alone wouldn't get my guitars noticed, and he inspired me to develop new designs and be creative with my building."

Breaking away from the standard OM, SJ, 00, parlor, and jumbo designs he had built since becoming an independent luthier in 1995, Baranik introduced three new models a year later: the PX, CX, and JX. The success of these fresh designs, with their elegant appointments and sophisticated sound, has caused the young luthier to move to a larger workshop (Baranik Guitars, 1300 E. Eighth St., Suite 102, Tempe, AZ 85281; [480] 894-3448; www.baranikguitars.com).

"The new Baraniks combine clarity and even tone across the fingerboard with musical warmth in the midrange and bass, a blend that's very difficult to achieve," says Steve Swan, whose San FranciscoÐarea shop features instruments by several top luthiers. "Designwise, they have a natural flow and simplicity that highlights the woods and the instrument as a whole."

Baranik's CX model with Adirondack spruce top and koa back and sides.

The PX, CX, and JX modelsÑapproximately the size of the typical parlor/00, concert, and jumbo, respectivelyÑfeature several distinctive elements. All have asymmetrical bodies, with a higher waist on the treble side and a lower bout that's wider on the bass side, for comfort. Novel top and back bracing contribute to tonal clarity and balance. Unusual appointments include a beveled asymmetrical bridge with rounded corners, crescent purfling that encloses the endblock and neck joint, and a graceful rounding of the heelcap. Base prices for the PX, CX, and JX models are $4,200 (including a hard-shell case).

"I think people are more open to new designs than they were five years ago," Baranik says. "They want guitars that sound good, look good, and play easily, and they are confident enough to move beyond the conventional and wait a bit longer for a custom instrument."

Yet for all their distinctiveness, Baranik's guitars reflect his traditional approach to building. "I love the beauty of fine wood," he says, and it shows in his instruments. Body and top woods, from traditional to alternative, come from a treasure trove of superb sets purchased over several years, including one spent working at Woodworkers' Source, an exotic wood supplier. "Adirondack and Italian spruce are two of my favorite topwoods," he says. "I like lots of different woods for backs and sides, including koa, Brazilian rosewood, Macassar ebony, and claro walnut." Wood binding, purfling, rosette, endblock, and heelcap are standard appointments, and a cutaway, slotted headstock, or fingerboard inlay is available by custom order. Because each instrument is handmade, the customer can select the combination of tonewoods, scale length, and nut/string spacing that suits his or her specific playing needs.

Baranik understands players' needs because he started out as a guitar player. He took guitar-building classes at Phoenix's Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in 1993 and then apprenticed with head instructor John Reuter for several months. In 1994 he returned to the school as an assistant instructor, an experience he considers extremely valuable. "I enjoyed the dynamics of teaching," he explains, "and found the students' questions to be a great catalyst in discovering which building techniques worked and which didn't."

In 1995, he joined the fledgling Phoenix Guitar Co., building and repairing acoustic and electric guitars. "I benefited from the experience, because I got to do a lot of repair and finish work and improve my skills in those areas," he notes. The company soon closed, but after a year with Woodworkers' Source and a brief period crafting custom furniture and a handful of electric guitars, Baranik began building acoustic guitars under his own name in 1996.

Baranik notes that the climate of his new shop, like his old one, is carefully controlled. "The desert provides a good environment for guitar building," he says, "because it's a lot easier to add humidity to the air in a shop than to pull humidity out, as builders have to do in many areas." Although the new shop is twice as large as his previous one, Baranik expects to continue producing approximately 20 guitars per year.