I think our biggest guitar hero locally is Richard Hoover. I want to tour their factory in Santa Cruz once they open it back up the public.
https://santacruzguitar.com/
It was suggested that I see Walter Strauss a couple of months ago and he was amazing. He was in love with a guitar he just had built in Petaluma, CA with fanned frets. That would be an interesting place! Here is is playing it in Berkeley a couple of months ago:
Here's the shop Walter got his fanned fret guitar:
https://sexauerluthier.com/index.html