The lush, exotic wood and flawless craftsmanship are the first qualities one notices in a Montrose guitar. It’s the sound, though, that truly brings the instrument to life.

In a remote studio near Libby, Scott Lennard and his business partner, Dave Boulware, are making guitars. And not just any guitars. Their painstaking attention to detail and ability to create an extraordinary sound is putting Montrose Guitars on the map among some well-known musicians.

Troy Gentry of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry has played Montrose guitars. Country music artists Trent Willmon and Cody Johnson took turns playing a Montrose signature model guitar at a club in Nashville. Singer/songwriter Pam Gray has a Montrose Medium Jumbo Brazilian guitar.

The story of the Montrose guitar is a personal journey that began in 1996 when Lennard’s wife, Patti, began learning to play the guitar. A decade later, Lennard said he was “beginning to feel left out watching her play with her new music friends.”

He took up the guitar, too, to some degree, but it was the instrument itself that intrigued the lifelong artist, who already had mastered taxidermy and bronze sculpting.

“Within a year of taking up the instrument I had acquired 10 to 12 guitars, quite a collection for a beginning player,” he said.

As Lennard searched online, he happened upon the website of master luthier Jim Olson.

“A guitar of this caliber stood outside my playing ability, but I had to have one,” he recalled, so he ordered a Brazilian SJ with a Florentine cutaway.

Lennard toured Olson’s studio, and the craftsmanship he saw inspired him to want to try his own hand at making guitars. Acquiring the skills to create his custom acoustic guitars has taken time, and along the way Lennard tapped into the expertise of other master luthiers.

Many of the Montrose guitars are made with Indian rosewood, but black walnut, chocolate mango, cocobolo and curly redwood are other woods Lennard uses. When he began developing allergies to the wood dust, Lennard solved the problem by bringing Boulware into the business as an apprentice and business partner.

“Unfortunately a lot of these exotic woods create sensitivity, but it’s the reason Dave and I are together,” Lennard said.

Now Lennard and Boulware split the guitar-making processes, with Lennard staying away from the wood dust.

The two men have known each other since the 1980s when both of them found their way to Libby, Lennard in 1985 and Boulware in 1987. In fact, Boulware, also a musician, bought a Montrose two years ago and can’t believe his good fortune of now being able to have a hand in making the custom instruments.

“Every one we build I’m saying, ‘I could go for this guitar,’” Boulware said. “It’s hard to part with them. You fall in love.”

Boulware ran a successful construction business for many years in Libby and has been involved with music his entire life. About five years ago he started learning to play the guitar.

“My dad was a carver; he taught me how to carve,” Boulware said. “Then I built cabinets and houses. To be able to add the musical element to woodworking has really been fun.”

It takes a couple of months to craft a Montrose from start to finish. Patti Lennard handles much of the business end of Montrose Guitars and she faithfully plays her Montrose dreadnought when she performs.

“When I had Scott build me a guitar, I had him build a dreadnought shape. It’s my favorite for the way I play,” she said. “He was able to dial in the action absolutely perfect. Anyone who plays my guitar says the action is so perfect.”

Patti said the sound of her Montrose is superior to other guitars she has played.

“I play bluegrass, so I need a guitar that’s going to really boom out there. This guitar seems to do that for me. You can hear it,” she said.

Lennard said each brace on the custom guitars is adjusted for tone.

“We tune each guitar individually by hand,” he said. “It’s being able to hear the sound.”

Boulware said it is Lennard’s tendency to be a perfectionist that is responsible for the company’s success.

“Whatever Scott does, he’s a master at it,” Boulware said. “Every day is so much fun. It’s a privilege to work here.”

Lennard was an award-winning taxidermist earlier in his career, working with some of the top sportsmen in the U.S. His work was featured on the cover of North American Whitetail magazine and in other publications such as Breakthrough, Big Buck and Sporting Classics.

Then he delved into bronze sculpting and added another name to his business: Scott Lennard Bronze Wildlife Sculpture Studio. He was commissioned to create a life-sized memorial sculpture for Lincoln County in 2012. The sculpture features a World War II soldier pulling a modern-day soldier to safety.

Finding a market for Montrose guitars has been a matter of networking. During a Safari Club International show where Lennard displayed his bronze pieces, he connected with several people who expressed interest in his custom guitars.

“Now that Dave’s here, we’re thinking about doing different shows, but we kind of stay away from the typical musical instrument market that’s saturated,” Lennard said. “We don’t have a dream of being a high-production shop. We really spend time on each guitar. Ours are very high end. We’re building family heirlooms.”

For more information about the custom guitars, go to www.montroseguitars.com.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.