These
simple words of description cannot in any way prepare you for the beauty and level
of perfection achieved by this unbelievable guitar. The woods are selected by the builder for
maximum visual effect and equal sonic array.
In this instance, the Ziricote picked is a layered series of what
appears to be Brazilian rosewood flavor coffee colored vertical stripes,
actually numbering 7 on the bass side of the back and 7 on the treble,
separated in the center by a bookmatched, and so nearly symmetrical, center
stripe of sapwood – in crème – that makes the back (and for that matter the
sides which contains no sapwood) appear to be a modern painting that one can
look at for hours and never get tired of looking it. It is nothing less than magnificent.
Its body bindings are black polished ebony and its fingerboard
and headplate are also black ebony, the headplate showing a small amount of
grain. The truss rod cover is an
inverted wedge held in place by two screws, in matte finish ebony. The unbound fingerboard is inlaid with four
small dots at frets 3, 5, 7 and 9 and then at the 12th a double
dot. The soundhole rosette is made up of
three semi-circular panels of bordered wood – highly exotic and full of color,
featuring reds and crèmes – we’ve never seen anything like it and it is
stunning. The top is virtually
perfectly parallel grained spruce, stained to a burnished orange that makes us
think of sunset over Key West. The guitar is 14 5/8” in body width. The nut width is 1 ¾” and the bridge string
spacing 2 ¼” both of which are perfect for the fingerpicking player; the neck
shape is low profile for comfort and effortless feel. The scale length is standard long at 25.4”
and the headstock shape is an elegant, smooth radius that echoes the horizon as
seen from the shore. On the ebony classic
slotted headstock with its uniquely shaped modern slots; tuners are Waverly,
side mount, comprised of brass and nickel-plated steel. The heel cap and the end graft are polished
ebony.
If
one is seeking to own one of the most elegant and beautiful grand concert
12-fret guitars every crafted by a natural man, this would be a candidate for
that lofty position.
This is what the builder wrote, about this instrument: My
Classic Model (14.5" lower bout) is made from the finest redwood top. Ziricote
for the back and sides, it has a Spanish Cedar neck, an ebony fingerboard, bridge,
and binding, an Amboyna burl rosette (from Perth Amboyna, NJ) and it sports a 25.4"
scale length.
Last
summer I got a call from someone who had a stash of redwood that had been cut
at least 50 years ago. The owner had worked at a sawmill and was able to get the
wood in trade. He milled it into thin boards and never got around to putting it
to its intended use. It turns out that, with careful sawing, it was just thick
enough to re-saw into guitar tops. That’s because I am highly re-saws-ful. I milled up well over 100 tops for the owner
and got paid in wood. Extremely nice wood!
Wood that makes the people who see it weep with unexpected emotion.