Founded by luthier Preston Thompson in Sisters, Oregon, Thompson Guitars is a small-batch acoustic guitar workshop known for building instruments inspired by the pre-war Golden Era of the 1930s. Thompson trained under Charles Fox at the Guitar Research & Design Center in Vermont — one of the first luthiery schools in North America — and honed his craft during the 1970s at Randy Wood's Old Time Pickin' Parlor in Nashville. In the 1980s, bluegrass guitarist Charles Sawtelle of Hot Rize gave Thompson access to his collection of rare pre-war instruments, and the measurements and study that followed became the foundation for Thompson's building philosophy. He set up shop in Oregon and built an international reputation, producing roughly 100 handmade guitars per year with a small team of craftsmen. His guitars won three consecutive National Flatpicking Championships prizes at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.

The Thompson lineup centers on steel-string flattops in classic body shapes: Dreadnought, Slope Shoulder Dreadnought, OM, 000 (12- and 14-fret), 00, Single 0, 0000, Size 2 Parlor, and the DMC (Deep Modified Classical Hybrid). Premium tonewoods — Adirondack spruce, Brazilian rosewood, Honduran mahogany, sinker mahogany — are standard across the range. Notable signature models include collaborations with Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and Peter Rowan. Special collections such as the Wildlife Series, Timeless Series, and Masterpiece Series showcase the shop's artistry with ornate inlays and rare materials. Following Preston Thompson's passing in 2019, his wife Julie, daughter Piper, and the team of luthiers he trained continue building guitars to his specifications from the workshop in Sisters.