We proudly support local artisans and are fortunate to live in Colorado, where many master craftsmen can be found making musical instruments.

• Herb Taylor Instruments - Herb makes fine Mandolins, Bouzoukis, Guitars, and other unique instruments. Herb is an innovative designer; among other nice touches, his pieces often sport adjustable necks and "monitoring ports" that allow the player to hear themselves more clearly whle playing. He likes to say he's "not famous yet", but his instruments are played by professionals near and far!
  
• OME Banjos - OME and its predecessor ODE have been making banjos since 1960; they are perhaps the finest maker of banjos currently in the business. Chuck and his crew create works of art; even their "base" models are stunningly beautiful and wonderfully crafted. Their top-of-the-line Grand Artist series has to be seen to be believed. They make 4, 5, and even 6-string banjos suitable for most playing styles; a variety of scoops, tone rings and resonator/backing options are available, and they do custom designs for those looking for something specific.
  
• Milligan Whistles - Gene Milligan is a relative newcomer to whistle making, but his whistles are some of the best available. He uses precision machining combined with careful hand-crafting to ensure that each whistle is as responsive and fun to play as possible. Milligan whistles come in several exotic woods, as well as Delrin and Dymondwood (a wood/resin composite that's easy to maintain but sounds and looks wonderful). His whistle lineup currently includes both wide and smaller bore whistles; the wide bore whistles take a lot of air, but they're louder than most whistles and more playable outdoors, while the smaller bore whistles are less demanding and a bit softer. Currently his lineup only includes higher whistles, but he is expanding his line, so check his website for updates!
• R-Harps - Rick Rubarth has only one product in his line: the R-Harps Merlin, a 35-string lever harp of his own design, incorporating many modern advances in instrument making. Thanks to the advanced design, the Merlin has a wonderful rich and open sound with great projection. The harp has a stave back that's easy on the player, and the dark mahogany finish is definitely easy on the eyes! Rick also offers a built-in pickup option that requires no pre-amplification and is much easier to manage than most after-market pickups. (You can read more about the Merlin up at this site as well.)
  
• Highland Harps - Harp maker Dan McCrimmon worked together with Rick Rubarth to design the Highland Harps 26-string harp - a wonderfully portable yet rich-sounding lever harp. It is one of only a few harps of its size to have a stave back, with unique sound holes that point off to the sides for better projection - no worry about the softer sound of many smaller harps here! Dan makes the Highland in a variety of woods and finishes. Each harp comes with an easily attached modern-looking stand that comes fitted with removable wheels, making it convenient for harp therapy use and just the right height for playing in a normal chair or stool.
• Forbes Flutes - Rob Forbes is developing a following with his Delrin three-piece Pratten style keyless flutes. These flutes have a great woody sound without all of the maintenance requirements of a wood flute. Visit his site to hear just how good his flutes sound. (And as an aside, you can also hear one of Herb Taylor's bouzoukis along with one of Rob's flutes...)
• Eggen Violins and Orman Bows- Rock Eggen is a regular at local Irish sessions, playing mostly button accordion, but by day he is a master violin maker and repair expert. Evan Orman is one of America's finest bowmakers. Both can be found in downtown Denver in the same building - very convenient!
  

In addition to these fine instrument makers, Colorado has some great instrument and music vendors who can help you with your musical needs. We'd like to mention a few that have been particularly helpful and friendly.

• Kolacny Music - Kolacny offers a wide selection of band and orchestra instruments, including instrument rentals. But they have a thriving side business: harps and whistles for the traditional player. David Kolacny and his family have dedicated a room (and a workshop) to harp sales, rentals, and repairs; they carry Dusty Strings, R-Harps, Highland Harps, Salvi, Lyon & Healy, Harpsicle, and other brands. In addition, they carry a selection of whistles from Gene Milligan, Tony Dixon, Kerry, Generation and others, and they've got a decent selection of sheet music and CDs for harp and other traditional instruments.
  
• Whistle and Drum - Blayne Chastain is a great local whistle, flute, and bodhran player, and his shop at WhistleAndDrum.com is a great place to purchase all of those - especially whistles, of which there is a wide variety (including the locally made Milligan whistles). He also offers online courses!
• Denver Folklore Center - The Folklore Center carries a wide variety of instruments for many folk traditions, concentrating on American folk instruments, but also including things like whistles. Among their wide selection they carry locally crafted OME banjos. The store also has a good selection of folk music.
  
• ITM Goodies - ITMGoodies.com isn't a store where you buy instruments or music - it's an online shop that sells t-shirts and other products related to Irish Traditional Music. Lots of great shirts to be had here, both with instrument-specific designs and more general ITM topics. The store is run by local ITM banjo player Pete Strickler.