Sierra Announces it is closing

[Bill McCloskey]

I don't know how many people saw this announcement because it was sort of lost in a different Sierra thread but Ross Shafer announced that he is retiring and Sierra Guitars would officially cease business one year from now so Ross can finish current orders.

Great loss to the steel community.

[Dave Grafe]

I remember visiting the Sierra shop in SE Portland in the mid-1970's and being impressed with the great machine work. That's a long run for a steel builder. Well done!

[J D Sauser]

I must admit I haven't seen that announcement and am a bit surprised that Sierra and Ross wouldn't make a more formal one.

Sierra has been synonymous for innovation throughout it's several owner/operator and designer generations spanning over many Decades.

It's sad to imagine that this legacy is now to come to an end. But before we all dress up in black, we ought to hear it posted officially.

It would be a great loss indeed.


... J-D.

[Dave Grafe]

I believe Ross has told Bill and Jon of his intentions directly in the course of building custom guitars for them, so it's not exactly hearsay.

[Dave Mudgett]

No hearsay involved at all. The announcement from Ross himself is inside the long Sierra Steel Guitars thread - viewtopic.php?t=316783&postdays=0&posto ... &start=468

[Bill McCloskey]

It is also posted on the sierra instagram account.

I figure most hadn't seen either the Sierra thread or the instagram account which is why I started this thread.

[J D Sauser]

Sad news.

All my adult life I’ve suffered from acute work-a-holism…if I was awake, and there was work to do I’ve always been compelled to stay at it….thankfully the vast bulk of the work I’ve done is work that I enjoyed.

About 8-10 months ago, my work-a-holic tendencies didn’t start to fade; they simply went away. A partial cause surely being the extraordinary amount of loss I’ve experienced in the last few years amongst friends and loved ones….old and young and the reflection these losses generated. This reflection is a major influence in my feelings about how I want to live the rest of my life and how much time I want to devote to my family and my own enjoyment. I do like my playtime!

I turn a whoppin’ 69 years old today and for a big birthday present to myself, I’m announcing my retirement one year from now! I’m closing the Sierra order book now in hopes of finishing up my current orders in time. If by some miracle I whip the current orders out in time, I may accept more orders, but that’s being very optimistic, given I just don’t want to work 7 days a week anymore!

Those who know me well don’t believe I can “retire”….but for me, retirement only means NO SCHEDULES! I will be making stuff in my dreamy wood and machine shops until I no longer can. I honestly can barely breathe if I’m not using tools, materials and my hard earned skills to make stuff.

Sierra’s owner has decided to close the company upon my retirement. Sierra’s last official day of business will be August 24, 2025.

I want to thank the entire steel guitar community for their contributions to this project. Once more, I have to acknowledge and thank my dear friend Bobby Lee, for his contribution to all of us. Very special and formative was the close friendship that grew between us based entirely on our mutual love of the instrument and respect for each other. Without Bobby’s forum, I absolutely never would’ve been able to learn all that was needed to build these wacky things.

In closing, I want to thank Sierra’s owner Ed Littlefield for the amazing opportunity he gifted me with. We met at a gig of his. Somehow during our short steel guitar nerd session between sets, he recognized a passion and skillset in me that led him to ask me to design and produce the best steel guitar I was capable of - time and expense be damned! Thanks so much to Ed. This has been the biggest, most satisfying technical challenge of my life and I can’t thank him enough for his belief in me and his support for this project.

Best wishes to all y’all!

[David Wright]

Sad news fosure, had a talk with Ross the other day and understand Ross's reasons for retirement..it was somewhat of a suprise Ed will close up the shop... My Dad created Sierra in 1960... and Wright Custom in 1947. making Wright/Sierra the oldest guitar company out there... Ross did a GREAT job on creating the New Sierra... ..

[Chris Templeton]

I see the closing date has passed. Thanks for everything, Sierra!