http://www.irwin-guitars.com/, http://irwincertified.com/

Irwin Guitars, Ukiah, CA (2026)

03/30/2026

October 29, 1949 – March 27, 2026

Today we remember and honor Douglas Leo Irwin.

Doug was a master craftsman, a visionary, and someone who dedicated his life to his work. His guitars were never just instruments, they were built with intention, precision, and soul, becoming part of the music and the artists who played them.

To his family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him, Doug was more than his work. He was a presence, a character, and someone whose impact reached far beyond words.

His legacy will live on through the instruments he created and the music they helped bring to life.

He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

Rest in peace, Doug.

Friends and family will be sharing more photos in the comments. If you have any photos or memories of Doug, please share them as well.

The Irwin Guitars family

❤️

03/18/2026

The Wolf lineage lives on.

This Irwin Certified Wolf, built for Andy Logan by Leo Elliott of Scarlet Fire Guitars, appeared on stage August 13, 2023 at the legendary Great American Music Hall in San Francisco during a special charity event hosted by the Grateful Guitars Foundation.

In these photos, John Kadlecik is playing the guitar while performing with Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band, carrying forward the unmistakable sound and spirit of Doug Irwin’s original Wolf.

The instrument later found its way to Jeff Mattson of Dark Star Orchestra, continuing a musical lineage inspired by one of the most iconic guitars in Grateful Dead history.

📷 Photos by Bob Minkin Photography

02/14/2026

“When the groove locks in and you know the whole crowd is about to lift off.” ⚡🎸 6/4/78 UCSB
📸Steve Schneider

02/12/2026

Legacy in motion ⚡

Doug at the Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary celebration, treated to the show by Oteil Burbridge

Just a special night. Good people. Good music. A lot of history in the room.

Oteil is a beautiful soul. Doug has been blessed to know a few like that over the years.

Grateful ❤️⚡

01/19/2026

🔥 Stu Allen 🔥
Irwin Certified Tiger 🐅
Leo Elliott –
🎶 Grahame Lesh’s Howling Wolves
🎸 Bob Weir Tribute
ft. members of Dead & Co, Wolf Bros, RatDog & Furthur
📍 at The Warfield
🗓 Sat. 1/17/26
📸
Pure tone. Pure history.
If you know, you know ⚡

10/03/2025

Repost from Night 2 of Fall Tour is in the books, thanks for selling out the Cabot, MA!

⚡️ We make our triumphant return to the Cap tonight, and tickets are running low! Doors at 6:30, with show starting at 8, and a stream will be live over on Nugs - free for subscribers 🎥

📸

09/24/2025

🔥🐾 If you haven’t seen Dogs In A Pile yet, don’t wait. They’re still playing the kind of small, intimate shows that make the experience unforgettable.
At Hopmonk Tavern in Novato, Doug Irwin watched as Jimmy Law took the stage with the 6 of Diamonds from the Irwin Certified Rosebud Diamond Series. The guitar was built by Leo at Scarlet Fire Guitars, featuring the buffer and wiring from Michael Wald (Waldotronics), with Leo also handling the MIDI work.
Doug really had a lot of fun at this show. He was impressed by the band’s talent and performance and wants to thank the entire Dogs In A Pile crew for treating him to such an awesome night. A special thanks to Big Jim for the hospitality. Doug really felt the love. If they come to a town near you, go see them. You won’t be disappointed. 🎶✨
📸 Photos by Susana Millman

08/22/2025

🦅🦅🎸 Unearthed from history
Born in Doug Irwin’s workshop, lost to time, and found again — this double-neck masterpiece was built for Foreigner’s original bassist, Ed Gagliardi.
When the band came to collect it, they revealed a surprise: “Did we forget to mention he plays left-handed?” — oops.
Gagliardi, naturally right-handed, was best known for playing his Fireglo Rickenbacker left-handed out of admiration for Paul McCartney, helping define Foreigner’s early sound.
In 1980, the Irwin went to another player before vanishing into history, only to resurface at Real Guitars in San Francisco in 1995 — a rare sighting of an Irwin in the wild.
Flame maple, signature Irwin electronics… part instrument, part artifact, all Irwin.

08/11/2025

When two Irwin basses sang in the same night.
The 60-year celebration of the Grateful Dead was a night that felt like coming home for Doug Irwin. Doug got to hang out with Oteil Burbridge before the show — good friends, good stories, and the kind of laughter you carry with you. Onstage, Oteil played the Dire Wolf Irwin/Asher bass, its deep, rich tone filling the venue with the unmistakable sound of a master-crafted instrument. Doug also shared some special moments with Trixie Garcia, whose warmth and presence made the night even brighter. Then the lights hit the stage, and Grahame Lesh walked out holding the bass Doug had built for his father decades ago. Phil was one of Doug’s favorite souls in this life, and to see his son breathe new life into that instrument… that’s the kind of magic you can’t put into words.

Photo by Jay Blakesberg

07/05/2025

📸 Old Tiger Hardware Throwback 📸

Before Doug Irwin brought Tiger back to life in the early ‘90s, Jerry’s sweat had absolutely ravaged this hardware. The brass parts were originally gold-plated, but years of constant gigging and Garcia’s sweat eating away at the finish left them pitted, corroded, and downright grody.

The bridge was especially rough — total road dog condition. What most people overlook is the saddle placement and intonation setup. It reflects the higher action Jerry preferred, which helped keep Tiger in tune night after night under those heavy hands and long, wild jams.

Doug handled the full refurbishment at his shop at The Art Farm in Sonoma, CA, carefully restoring Tiger’s hardware while preserving its original character.

Big thanks to Mike Wald and Waldotronics for helping preserve and share so much of this history over the years — a true resource for Deadhead gearheads.

Check out these pics of the old hardware — this is pure Deadhead history right here. 🐅⚡️

📸 Photo credit: David Fontaine

07/02/2025

Repost from I don't think I'll ever be able to explain how this all came about because it's like a dream to me. I don't even remember whose idea it was initially to do a bass version of 's Wolf guitar. I've seen the original and a couple of the replicas live and up close. I got to hold each of them myself.However it happened, it's all actually happening! Wolf has some unique properties. You can hear it on the tapes. Of course a lot of that is Jerry but it's distinct. I'm so curious to see how those unique properties translate two octaves lower!Well we are getting ready to find out because the Dire Wolf is here. The first piece of wood for this guitar was cut from the same batch of wood that Jerry's Wolf was made with. I almost cried when Bill sent me the video of Doug Irwin up out of his wheelchair cutting it himself.I've learned so much from Bill about Doug and all the associated history of the instruments Jerry and played. Doug is one of a kind and you realize how much magic, skill, love and devotion goes into these instruments when you plug them in and let them out of their cages. These things are alive and ready to roam! I can't wait to track this Dire Wolf wherever he wants to take me. I have a feeling it's gonna be an epic journey.Special thanks to for this beautiful gift, and for honoring it with a $5,000 donation to to support arts and music education.We'll officially unveil the Dire Wolf bass at the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration at Red Rocks this weekend! Can't wait to share that moment with all of you.Thanks to my wife for filming and taking photos for me.

Irwin Guitars

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