My particular fave underappreciated luthier is David R. Stubbs, a boatbuilder from Cumbria. I was looking foir a decent acoustic when I came across my Stubbs: second-hand; didn't feel too promiosing when I picked it up (seemed a bit heavy); strummed like a complete bastard & filled the shop I was in with a huge, sweet sound which was exactly what I was after. A couple of hours decision time (and a lot of money) later I was the proud owner. I knew nothing about the luthier, and the instrument itself was some 12 years old, but I eventually managed to trace D. Stubbs. Seems he spent some time building a total of 19 acoustic guitars, but had to give up as the wood-dust was exacerbating his asthma, so he went back to building boats. The most famous 'name' player of Stubbs guitars is John Hammond Jnr. I have yet to see another Stubbs, but if anyone has one, please drop me a line. If you see one, it's well worth trying out. For the record, my Stubbs is no. 15.