Guitar #1. Yes, this was my first guitar! But it came out great. It has served as my demo, of sorts, so it has made the rounds a bit. It has a sitka spruce top, highly figured movingui back and sides, granadillo fretboard, bridge, and armrest (picture coming soon). It also has a leopardwood rosette, heel cap, and end wedge, plus a dramatically figured padauk headplate, Tuners are Gotoh, binding is fugured koa, finish is Tru-Oil, and it comes with a Crossrock hardshell case. Sound-wise, it is a dynamic guitar, which can speak quietly, yet also really speak up when you dig into it. 2200.00 + shipping, if necessary.
Guitar #2. For this guitar, I went with an adirondack spruce top, and chechen back and sides. Binding is black walnut, and the headplate, heel cap, and bridge are bocote (as is the now-matching armrest). Rosette is abalone, fingerboard is ebony, and the tuners are Gotoh. This guitar has a rather deep voice, although that does not mean that it is quiet. I have heard it played with two other acoustic guitars, one electric, a banjo and stand-up bass, at a jam, and I could hear it easily. Comes with an Ameritage silver series case, has a Tru-Oil finish, and is 2450.00 + shipping, if necessary.
Guitar #3. For this one, I went with an Italian spruce top with higuerilla back and sides and figured maple binding. Headplate, fingerboard, bridge and armrest are ziricote. I picked up some beautiful spalted ambrosia maple years ago, and so this is what I chose for the headplate center strip, end wedge, heelcap, and custom-designed radial rosette that I made especially for this one. Tuners by Gotoh, and it has a Tru-Oil finish. As for sound characteristics, this one is loud but balanced. The Italian top means that it is capable of distinct flatpicking, while it also sounds great for fingerstyle. Comes in an Ameritage silver series hardshell case, and is 2600.00 + shipping if necessary.
Guitar #4 is a concert classical based upon the plan drawn from one of Robert Bouchet's 1963 instruments. In the spirit of the pre-rosewood days of Torres, this one has cypress back and sides which I imported from Turkey. The top is Italian spruce, while the bindings, headplate, and bridge are Amazonian rosewood. The back strapping on the head and the heel cap are matching Madagascar rosewood. Armrest and fingerboard are ebony, and the rosette is closely inspired by the 1963 rosette. Tuning machines are from the Rubner custom shop, and have ebony buttons. Neck is Spanish cedar. I studied classical guitar, and have also taken this instrument to a professional to be evaluated, and it got a thumbs-up. Sound is clear but with a nice warmth to the edges of the notes. Basses are deep yet balanced, and it plays in tune all the way up the neck thanks to my employing Greg Byers' principles on intonation at the nut and the saddle per his paper presented to the Guild of American Luthiers in 1995. Comes with a Guardian "Vintage" model hardshell case, and is 2800.00 + shipping if necessary.
Guitar #5 is my new Gestalt model. Someone said to me: "I want you to make me a guitar with a cutaway," but then I've never been pleased with a traditional venetian or florentine cutaway design, because to my ears, the reduced vibrating soundboard area as well as reduced inside air volume of the body has meant a reduction in sound quality of guitars with these types of design. Here is my answer to that issue! It has a sitka spruce top, red mulberry back and sides, koa binding, granadillo bridge, santos rosewood armrest, with curly black walnut headplate, end wedge, and heel cap. Fretboard is ebony, and the frets are gold evo, which are slightly harder than traditional nickel/silver frets. I'm absolutely thrilled with how it turned out, and will be getting some sound clips up here very soon. This one is spoken for, but guitar #6 is in the process of receiving its finish at the moment, and will also be available shortly. It also has this sound hole/cutaway design, with a slightly modified bracing pattern compared to this one, in an effort to move it toward even more overtones for either flatpicking or fingerstyle techniques. *Sold* with custom Ameritage case, as shown.
Enjoy your new guitar, John!
Guitar #6 is the second of my new Gestalt model. This one has a sitka spruce top with some nice bear claw figuring, red mulberry back and sides, koa binding, granadillo bridge and armrest, with curly black walnut headplate and end wedge, Maylasian blackwood fretboard and heel cap. Frets are gold evo, which are slightly harder than traditional nickel/silver frets. I'm also absolutely thrilled with how this one turned out, and will be getting some sound clips up here very soon. This one is available now! It also has this sound hole/cutaway design, with a modified bracing pattern compared to #5, in an effort to move it toward even more overtones for either flatpicking or fingerstyle techniques. 3800.00 with custom Ameritage case, as shown, plus shipping, if necessary.
#7 is a traditionally-braced concert classical guitar with the Gestalt cutaway design for much easier access to those higher frets. For this one I used a thirty-year-old piece of cedar atop figured cherry back and sides, and the result is a guitar with a deep voice and a Spanish soul. Rosewood binding, bridge, and armrest complement the figured t'zalam headplate and back-matching cherry back strapping of the head. It plays very easily, and just gives and gives in the color of sound and projection department. 4400.00 plus shipping, if necessary.
My latest guitars continue to employ my custom-designed side port for allowing ample airflow so that the power and complete character of the instrument's notes may freely and easily project from the instrument, while treating the player to a better idea of the sound of his or her performance in real-time while playing.
