Scott Nygaard and his Schoenberg 00 Standard
Scott is one of the great guitar-playing musicians on the scene today. His playing is so liquid and smooth it sounds more like fiddle or sax lines. He covers all kinds of music, from trtaditional fiddle tunes to bluegrass to bebop. The interesting issue for us is, he uses a flatpick for all this music. That in itself is not at all unsusual; what is dfferent is that he loves our little 12-fret double-0. Previously wedded to his beautiful beat-up '50s D-28, this little guitar gives him clarity and sustain for his melodic lines, yet plenty of clean bass to back up the band.

One other great flatpick guitarist, Russ Barenburg, is using a 00; he has a '30s 00-40H. Scott likes the tighter string tension of the Schoenberg better. I'll try to get a comment from him next week when he gets back from his trip.
Scott's bio

Scott Nygaard is one of the premier guitarists on the bluegrass/acoustic music scene today. His solos, a seamless amalgam of bluegrass, folk and jazz influences, shift easily from breathtaking virtuosity to soulful melodic musings and his accompaniment is always intriguing, supportive and propulsive. Scott was a member of Tim O'Brien's band. The O'Boys, from 1992 to 1998, a plum position that followed three years with Laurie Lewis’ band. Grant Street. Initially influenced by Doc Watson, Clarence White, Django Reinhardt, and Riley Puckett, Nygaard spent many years wandering the sea of American music that includes bluegrass, jazz, Cajun, western swing, and rock ‘n’ roll. This diverse musical education primarily took place in the Pacific Northwest. Nygaard has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1989 and is a vital member of that diverse acoustic music scene.
He has two solo albums on Rounder, No Hurry and Dreamer's Waltz and has performed on albums by Jerry Douglas. Tim and Mollie O'Brien, David Grisman, John Reischman, Laurie Lewis, Tony Furtado, and many others. In 1997 Nygaard was nominated for a Grammy for his work on True Life Blues, the award-winning tribute to Bill Monroe. That same year his second album. Dreamer's Waltz, an intriguing mix of original and traditional tunes, was nominated for an Indie in the Acoustic Instrumental category. Nygaard is currently the Associate Editor for Acoustic Guitar Magazine and lives in San Francisco with his wife Anne Hamersky and son Josef.
photos: Anne Hamersky