|
CLASSICAL GUITARS
1961 Velazquez 'El Clasico', Top of the line model from the New York shop of Manuel Velazquez, out of highest quality quartersawn Brazilian rosewood, in original excellent condition. A top-flight Hauser style concert instrument with Lansdorfer tuners, slim neck, bright, clear, strong tone.
• Cash price, $5675
1953 Velasquez, Brazilian rosewood, more details soon...
• Cash price, $8895
"High" Renaissance RF6 Nylon Hybrid, Cedar top, fancy claro walnut body, All Gloss finish, beautiful colored wood purfling, this guitar is the perfect classical electric, capable of loud volumes with technique as delicate as you like, the best of both worlds.
• The thinline body is built like a fine acoustic guitar, but with an additional mahogany center block to cut feedback.
• Nut width, 1 7/8"; spacing at bridge, 2 5/16"
• A Turner piezo bridge pick-up feeds full-spectrum signals to an 18-volt Turner pre-amp
• Low-noise volume and tone controls
• Designed from scratch to produce premium acoustic tone as an amplifiable, recordable electronic signal.
• Sold
• see http://www.renaissanceguitars.com/renac.html for more detailed info.
recent Godin Multiac Nylon Duet, Thin chambered semi-acoustic mahogany body with solid spruce top, L.R. BaggsTM I-Beam Duet system. Plugged in, the Multiac Duet produces the sort of fidelity that you normally associate with a high-end condenser mic on a full body acoustic guitar. As new condition and hard shell case.
• Cash price, $895
We also have a full selection of high-quality student grade classicals, from $205-$600 by La Patrie (Godin/Seagull), as well as sized guitars for children. We start at 5 years old, which we feel is the youngest age for 6-string learning, with a 1/8 size, then we have 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4.
• Call for more information.
return to top
INDEPENDENT LUTHIER GUITARS
Fabrizio Alberico "Hope", Made in 2003, this has been Fab's personal guitar/demo since. It is in new condition, has never been sold, thus is being sold with full warranty. The back & sides are Brazilian rosewood, top is Sitka spruce, body is a slightly oversize OM at 15.5" wide and 4.75" deep, scale is OM (25.375").
• String spacing: 1 3/4" x 2 1/4"
• Sold
Fabrizio Alberico 00 "Mary Rose", New, made for us, 14 3/8" wide and 4 1/4" deep. The top is German spruce, back and sides are Mahogany with cocobolo accents.
• String spacing: 1 3/4" x 2 1/4"
• OM Scale, 25.375"
• Cash price, $5900
Robert Anderson Model 03 Brazilian, A beautiful new guitar from Victoria, B.C. Back & sides are gorgeous fancy Brazilian rosewood; top is reclaimed Sitka Spruce that was salvaged from pilings and air dried for about 25 years. Robert split the billets from 5 foot long quarters of the actual logs. These particular tops are uncommonly rich in tone and much warmer than other Sitka. The bindings are flame maple with a tastefully thin abalone rosette. Tonally, it is loud and clear with a full frequency range: a true concert solo guitar.
• String spacing is 1.75" x 2.25"
• Scale Length is 25.25"
• Body width, 14.75"
• Cash price, $6895
Baranik Retreux Parlor, We always hear about old Martins, "That's a lot of sound from such a small box". That will describe this guitar very nicely. Mike is one of the most prominent luthiers of the West Coast, and this is his newest project; top flight craftmanship and tone in a parlor/travel guitar
• Honduras rosewood, Italian spruce, both of the highest grade
• Ebony peghead veneer, fingerboard & bridge
• 1 3/4" Nut, 2 1/4" string spacing at bridge, 24.5" scale length
• Ebony Bridge and Pins with Bubinga dots
• Ebony headstock with Bubinga purflings
• Gotoh mini tuners with Black Buttons
• Black bindings with Bubinga purflings
• Toned finish neck
• Side sound port
• "Retreux" is pronounced "Retro"
• Cash price, $4495
2005 Mike Baranik CX model, sn #05198. Euro spruce top, beautiful figured straight grain Brazilian rosewood back and sides, ebony fretboard and bridge, figured lacewood rosette, top trim, headstock back trim. 15 1/4” lower bout, 4 3/8” depth at tail, 25.6” scale, 1 25/32” nut width, 2 1/4” bridge spacing, clear pickguard, Gotoh 510 tuners with lacewood buttons. Mint original condition, new old stock, Cedar Creek case. Replacement cost is currently around $11,500.00
• Cash price, $6995
Laurent Brondel Essential 00, All Koa 14-Fret 00 "recession" model, a chance at a fully hand-made box by a fully established luthier for a lot less than we're used to seeing. Cosmetics are simple, yet this is an extremely beautiful instrument with elegant lines, perfect craftsmanship and a truly wonderful sound, as only the best koa-topped guitars attain. Features include:
- 25.6" (650mm) scale
- 1 3/4" nut width
- 2 3/8" bridge string spacing
- Top, back and sides: Koa
- Neck: Honduran mahogany
- Fretboard & bridge pins: Ebony
- Headplate: Brazilian RW
- Bridge, binding and end graft: Indian RW
- Tuners: Gotoh mini 510
- Nut & saddle: Cattle bone
- Oil varnish finish
- Hide Glue construction
• Cash price, $3780
2009 Laurent Brondel B-4, A Carpathian spruce, Honduras rosewood Single "0", 12-Fret-to-the-Body, oil varnish. Laurent is a very talented Frenchman living in Maine. He worked at Bourgeois Guitars for a while, before that he played professionally for a couple decades, mostly out of Paris. He is an excellent guitarist, and his guitars have the something special that is only found when built by an accomplished guitarist.
Scale length: 25.59" (650mm)
Nut width: 1 13/16"; Bridge string spacing: 2 3/8"
Hot hide glue construction.
• Cash price, $4995
John How XGC, Based on the Stella guitars of the 1920's, this one differs in that it is X-Braced. The idea came from a very nice Stella we had that had been rebraced, with very successful results—it sounds amazing! This Grand Concert from John is 14 5/8" wide, with very enticing flame mahogany—it glistens, some would even say it glows—and Lutz spruce, a mating of Sitka and Engelmann. Other features are bone pins, upgraded colored wood purflings & nitro finish. Must be played to be believed (you could say that about all guitars;) it's a very light guitar with quick response, and a delicate yet full tone. All in all, a delicious guitar to play and hear. 1 3/4" x 2 5/16".
• Cash price, $4800
John How XC, John's X braced Concert model, 13.5" across the lower bout, 12-Fret, slotted head and deep Sunburst Nitro finish. The body is Madagascar rosewood and Adirondack spruce, bindings are ivoroid, purfling is a multi-colored marquetry reminiscent of the early Stella Oscar Scmidt line of guitars. This is a devastatingly sweet looking paean to the past, though improved, since the originals were straight braced, which tended to give them a shallower and sometimes more strident tone.
• Scale, 24.9"; String spacing, 1 3/4" x 2 1/4"
• Cash price, $4200
Howard Klepper 12-Fret 000, 15" lower bout, but not Martin shape, with the long 25.4" scale. The back and sides are quartersawn Cocobolo, with black "ink" lines and some beeswing figure. The top is of western incense cedar (Libocedrus decurrens, also known as Calocedrus decurrens). This is the premier wood for making pencils, hence another common name is pencil cedar. It is rarely available for guitar tops--most of the trees are owned by or committed to the pencil industry--but it has outstanding structural and tonal properties. It is a lot harder, stiffer and stronger than western red cedar, and tends toward a vibrant tone with a quick attack. This guitar's bindings are curly Ceylon satinwood, another rarity in the lutherie world. The fretboard is African blackwood with inset bloodwood purfling, and the bridge is Brazilian rosewood. The top purfling is some of Howard's custom half-herringbone marquetry. The multi-piece neck is of mahogany and Brazilian satinwood, with black and maple veneers.
•1-3/4" nut, 2-1/4" string spacing at the bridge, Gotoh tuners, and a hard shell case.
• Cash price, $6500
2008 Klepper 12-Fret 00, Slightly used, from a multiple Klepper owner and professional recording engineer, and used only in the studio. Out of Brazilian rosewood and cedar, with Howard's usual incredible workmanship, with maple bindings, multiple neck, peghead veneer and backstrap laminations, AAAA grade Brazilian, side soundport, graphite neckblock trusses, laminated sides, hand-poured tortoiseshell-oid pickguard, and more.
• Tone is an amazing combination of warmth, clarity and balance.
• Neck spacing, 1 3/4" x 2 1/4+"
• Price new was $7500
• Cash price, $6250
Kramer Big Skye, Another strikingly beautiful 14 5/8 wide 14-Fret guitar from this wonderful craftsman from Truckee, CA, out of Ziricote and European spruce. As we've come to expect from Sparky, this guitar is a tonal wonder—powerful across the board—and a dream to play. The headplate, back headplate and rosette are matching ziricote, scale length is 25 1/2", nut width is 1 3/4, bridge is 2 1/4", tuners are Gotoh open/butterbean style.
• Sold
Randall Kramer PrairieGrass, Fourteen-Fret, slot head, German Spruce top, Honduran Mahogany, Brazilian Rosewood bindings, head and back plates, rosette, bridge and fingerboard. It has the Kramer Soundport, Gotoh antiqued nickel tuners, bone nut and saddle. The top is tuned and graduated in the Kramer method, braces are out of Adirondack Red Spruce, and owing to the extreme long grain stiffness of the top, has tone bars perpendicular to the centerline. The bridgeplate is light yet hard cherry wood. An exceptionally balanced, fundamental, resonant and projective guitar with broad dynamic range that suits light to aggressive playing styles.
• Cash price, $5995
Kramer Big Skye, Another stunning creation from Randall (Sparky) Kramer. This one is out of more stunning than usual woods: Back & sides of extremely rare "Firestorm" Cocobolo and bearclaw Italian spruce.
• Cash price, $7195
1996 Grit Laskin, Brazilian rosewood 12-Fret 14 5/8" body, 25 1/2" scale, with Grit's built in ebony armrest. One of Grit's more tasteful inlay patterns, though still very ornate, the peghead and fingerboard subtlely depict a natural shore scene, with the sun or moon low on the horizon, light glinting in the water accompanied by shore birds and seals. Based on a classical shape, with elaborate pearl and wood rosette, 1 7/8" x 2 3/16" string spacing Current cost of this instrument today would be approx. $19K.
• Cash price, $8495...New Lower Price
AJ Lucas Arbor Eco, I met Adrian at the Stamford, Eng. Guitar Festival, and was quite impressed with his beautiful guitars. This model utilizes local woods, tilt neck, side soundport, cutaway.
Soundboard: 80 year-old reclaimed douglas fir
Back and sides: English yew
Neck: laminate of reclaimed mahogany (Ithink it's African) and English cherry
Fingerboard: English walnut
Bridge: English yew
Scale: 650mm (approx 25.6")
Nut width 45mm (1 3/4")
Body depth at tailblock: 105mm (4 1/8")
Machine heads: Gotoh
Case: Hiscox pro II
• Sold
AJ Lucas Pavilion Wedge, From Lincoln, England, a first-class luthier, one-man shop.
Wedge-shaped body for comfort
Adjustable angle tilt neck
Soundboard: bearclaw sitka spruce
Back and sides: cocobolo - Manzer wedge taper
Neck: reclaimed Honduras mahogany
Fingerboard: ebony
Bridge: caviuna
Scale: 650mm (approx 25.6")
Nut width 45mm (1 3/4")
Body depth at tailblock: 115mm (4 1/2")
Machine heads: Gotoh 510 minis
Case: Hiscox pro II
• Cash price, $4000
Andrew McSpadden Dreadnaught, A modified dreadnought shape, Ind. RW back and sides with a bearclaw Sitka top that was reclaimed from an old Maryland barn. It also has a Highlander 18v. pickup system and gold hardware.
• Cash price, $3250
Merrill OM-18, Amberburst finish, pyramid bridge (with closed saddle slot), our most popular guitar these days. Jim patterns his guitars as close as possible to original vintage Martins, and this guitar reminds me a whole lot of my long gone 1931 OM-18 shaded top that I owned for 15 years, except that it potentially sounds a lot better. Jim builds a lot of bass into his guitarts, which is perfect for a mahogany OM. He also does the nicest amber burst around. This box is gorgeous.
• Sold
Moonstone OM-45 Dlx, Incrediblely beautiful, out of Brazilian rosewood and seasoned Adirondack red spruce, a reproduction of Martin's highest grade and best (I'm biased) model, of which only 15 were made, all in 1930. Features select Paua abalone inlay binding, wood purflings, hand-cut abalone vintage style torch inlay, abalone 45 style snowflake fretboard inlays, abalone 45 style rosette, gold Waverly machines with snakewood buttons, 25 1/2" scale, 1 3/4" nut, 2 1/4" bridge spacing. Built by Steve Helgeson of Arcata, CA, this is one amazing sounding box, on a par with the best hand made acoustics today.
• Cash price, $14,950
This Guitar Is Not Stored On Our Premises! Call for appointment.
James Russell Cascade, This jewel of a guitar made by James Russell, one of our Schoenberg builders, is made of stunning master grade Ziricote back and sides and a master grade Carpathian soundboard. The back and endgraft feature striking sapwood, and the top is highlighted with a three ring rosette and soundboard purfling made of abalone. The neck is carved from thirty-year-old Honduran Mahogany. The binding, bridge, fretboard, heel cap, and headstock headplate and back plate are all made of Ebony. The contrasting purfling on the guitar is Maple. The Cascade has an OM sized 15" lower bout and a very comfortable 1 13/16" nut and 2 3/8" string spacing at the bridge. We're lucky to have this Russell here at the Schoenberg shop since almost all Russell guitars are personally ordered for individuals. We love the sound of this guitar. It has exceptional depth and warmth, and the trebles sparkle. The notes have a largeness to them that's like melted chocolate.
• temorarily unavailable
The Schoenberg Quartet/Stephen Bruton Model, Our brand new model, truly a Grand Piano of guitars; it's been incubating for several years, finally brought to reality by Schoenberg luthier Randall Kramer. We call this the Stephen Bruton model, since it was Stephen's excitement, energy and belief in the idea that actually made this concept happen. It is a 12-fret 0000 with cutaway, out of European spruce and Amazon rosewood. The title of 'Quartet' comes from the 0000 size combined with its intended role as supplier of all frequency ranges, like a string quartet.
• Slot head, custom hand-made German tuners, repro Waverly 3-On-A-Plate
• Multicolored Half-Herringbone with pearl rosette
• Cutaway Flush with heel - Very Snazzy!
• Pyramid bridge
• Sold
The Schoenberg 00C Soloist, a 14-Fret Cutaway, in Indian rosewood and European spruce by Robert has been our most popular model, with the first one quite a few years ago having been chosen by jazz fingerstylist Jamie Findlay as his dream flattop. The last one we had was in for just a couple days. I call this model the 00-OM, after the fact that the greatness of the OM comes more from the scale length than from the 000 size. In fact, the 00 with the longer scale has its own special qualities, such as a more pure balance in which counterpoint lines have equal prominance and a particularly musical treble. Robert's guitars are more reminiscent of the Larson Brothers qualities, with a domed but lightly built top, giving great projection and strength of each individual note, as well as more overall volume and powerful bass.
• Cash price, $7495
• We have just recieved another of the same description from a couple years ago, in excellent condition, selling for $6795. It was traded in for our 13-Fret 00C Cocobolo Soloist. In the shop.
Schoenberg 000 Soloist, Out of Engelmann spruce and Panama rosewood, a straight OM with rosewood body and fingerboard binding, pyramid bridge, thin abalone rosette, logo of inlaid ivoroid, short pattern diamond & square fingerboard inlay and a slim traditional mild "V" neck shape with 1 13/16" nut and 2 3/8" bridge spacing. The slimness of the neck gives it the feeling of being much narrower, yet there is plenty of room for fingers. The tone has the unusual characteristic of being warm and bright, with clear, strong trebles and rich bottom end—the choice of Engelmann spruce works particularly well with the domed top, adding warmth and depth.
• By Robert Anderson and Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $7265, with Deluxe Hard Shell Case.
Schoenberg 000C Standard, Koa and Adirondack 12-fret 000 cutaway. This is an exemplary guitar, very clean & pristine tone, beautifully crisp, perfect craftmanship with wonderfully curly koa. Pyramid bridge, colored purfling rosette—a very nice and unusual touch, subtle laminated peghead veneer, Brazilian rosewood peghead veneer, binding, heelcap and end plate.
• By Alan Perlman & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $8449
Schoenberg 000 Standard Cutaway, 12-Fret 000 out of European Spruce and pernambuco, built by Bruce Sexauer. Bruce has been having some exciting success with the pernambuco, which is the primary wood for violin family bows. Recently some rare guitar-sized sets have surfaced, with Bruce being possibly the first to use it for guitars. It brings a unique voice—a very clear definition to each note coupled with a thick, solid power and projection. Combining that tonality with the amazing qualities of the 12-fret 000 body gives us one of the most exciting new sounds in acoustic guitars.
• String spacing, 1 13/16" X 2 3/8", perfect 1930 OM neck shape
• All wood binding & purflings, short patter slotted diamonds & squares
• Solid head, inlaid ivoroid peghead logo, pyramid bridge
• Custom leather-covered hard shell case
• Cash price, $12,650
Bruce Sexauer FT-14, Bruce's 14-Fret 00 out of church bell cocobolo and Engelmann spruce. It has a meaty, very satisfying bass and a bright clear treble, with an amazing amount of solid power. The kind of instrument that's very hard to put down.
• Cocobolo veneers, front & back of peghead
• Gorgeous snakewood binding and backstripe
• Flame maple and rosewood purflings
• Varnish finish
• Cash price $9500, Calton case available for $600 extra.
2005 Sexauer FT-15 000, Bruce's version of a12-fret 000 with Adirondack top and Mahogany back & sides. The woods are top class, especially the top, which is as nice as any Adirondack I've seen. The binding is wood, appears to be rosewood, with OM-style Tort-tis teardrop pickguard and short pattern slotted diamonds on the fingerboard, belly bridge, Waverly individual tuners on a solid peghead, very delicate wooden purflings with a beautiful thin zipper backstripe and stylistic three-cornered pearl inlay in the heel plate. There is a repaired (by Bruce) crack in the top from the bridge to the end. Workmanship and quality of the highest order, as we've come to expect from this top class Northern California luthier.
• Cash price, $5500
Yamamoto OMY, Made in Dublin, CA, this Cutaway OM is a fully hand-made, single luthier instrument out of flamed koa and Adirondack spruce. The detailing is beautifully executed, with cocobolo bindings, purflings and rosette, ebony peghead backstripe, beautiful koa headstock veneer and nitro finish. The tone is very alive, sweet, with great clarity and a lyrical fat middle and high end and plenty of bass. The neck is 1 3/4" at the nut, and slim, C-shaped, the workmanship and detail are extremely fine, the lines are exquisite..
• Cash price, $3450
Yamamoto Multi-Scale 25.5-27, Beautifully engineered and carried out. The scale length is 27" on the 6th string, 25.5" on the first, all of which is accomplished by slant frets. The body is wedged to make this large body very comfortable. Woods are East Indian rosewood and Adirondack spruce. It was designed for open tunings with light guage strings; the low-tuned bass strings are gigantic sounding.
• Nut width, 1 7/8"; Bridge spacing, 2 3/8"
• Body width, 17"
• Nitrocellulose Gloss Lacquer
• Sold
return to top
|
|
NEW STEEL STRINGS
Art & Lutherie Ami, Parlor size, by Godin, available in steel and nylon stringed versions, super as travel or student instruments, hopefully always in stock. What an incredible service to humanity that Godin Guitars makes these inexpensive parlor size guitars available!
Art & Lutherie Folk Cedar, Antique Burst finish, a newly reintroduced model; we mourned its passing but happy to have it back. It is the lower (less expensive) line with the important part of the better line, the solid top.
• Hopefully always in stock
Blueridge Guitars, A branch of Saga Musical Instruments. These are phenomenal values, with tone unheard of at these price levels, indicative of the great strides being made by Chinese musical instrument manufacturers. Patterned after true vintage models, these boxes get an amazingly good sound quality. These are the long-awaited (by us) Blueridge 000 size: more comfortable, more healthy for nerves and tendons, and more balanced tone of the smaller bodies. Solid spruce top with forward-shifted, pre-war style scalloped X braces. We carry the ooo size Blueridges since they have plenty of power and volume, so who needs a dreadnought. And being smaller, they are far superior ergonomically, especially for student instruments.
• Our full set-up, custom for each buyer:
• BR-43, 000-size. Solid top, mahogany b & s, $369
• BR-63, 000-size. Solid top, rosewood b & s, Sold
• BR-143, All solid, long scale, the right size (000), mahogany back & sides. Remarkable tone, coming from the unbeatable concept of repeating the traditional styles that work instead of always trying to reinvent the wheel. $565
• BR-143 Custom, Like the 143, this one is all solid mahogany and spruce; the differences are:
Nut width=1 3/4", natural top (no aging toner,) does not have the fancy peghead inlay, just the logo. Sold
• BR-163, All solid, long scale, the right size (000), rosewood back & sides. Dreadnoughts have been foisted on us for years—finally we have great choices in real guitar sizes. $749
• BR-341, At last a small bodied high-quality guitar at an affordable price. Based on a specific Martin 0-18 from 1906, this one, at 14", is between a '0' and a '00' and offers a wider neck and slotted peghead. The tone is surprisingly strong and rich—these have been possibly the most popular model here lately. Sold
• BR-361, Our most popular guitar, same as the 341 except rosewood body, herringbone rosette and ivoroid tuner buttons. Modelled on a 1906 Martin, these guitars offer qualities never before found in this price range. We've been selling them to owners of great vintage instruments, to be used for gigging, travelling etc. The tone is surprisingly strong and rich—these have been possibly the most popular model here lately. Sold
• BR- 140A, This is the Blueridge D-18 style box with an Adirondack spruce top, possibly the least expensive Ad. top guitar in the world! This venerable rare spruce is often credited with being a major factor in the tone production of pre-war Martins, and the difference can easily be heard in this 140A. It has depth and power that one would love to hear in an instrument 10X the value of this one. Back & sides are solid select mahogany. $799
• BR-60T, About a year ago the owner of Saga (Blueridge) bought a very nice early 1950's Martin 0-18T. A few short months later, their copy showed up in the Blueridge catalogue. This one is like an 0-28T. $449
Eastman AC512 CE, A beautiful looking and sounding cutaway OM, handmade and all solid, out of very fancy mahogany and AAA Engelmann spruce top, hand-rubbed nitro-cellulose gloss lacquer finish. The top is individually-voiced with scalloped X-bracing. The neck is hand-fitted to the body with a dovetail joint.
• Fishman Matrix VT pickup system with tone and volume inside the soundhole .
• Scale length is 25 1/2" Nut width is 1 3/4"
• Cash price, $1195 with hard shell case
Eastman AC708S, The new 15" OM type flattop, all solid, rosewood back & sides, Engelmann spruce top, slotted peghead, 1 3/4" nut. This company is coming on strong—this is a great sounding guitar!
• Cash price, $995
Guild GAD M-20, replica of Guild's amazing unsung little M-20 from the '50s and '60s. All solid mahogany, 13 5/8" wide at lower bout, with a sweet, rich, smooth tone that will sooth the soul of the savage beast, and be a top quality student, travel, or professional instrument.
• Sold
Guild GAD F-20, The original F-20s of the '50s and 60's (Hoboken period) were the sleepers of the generation. They were the bottom of Guild's line, yet I knew a number of great players who started on them and never let them go. Now they're quite rare and always an exciting find. All Solid Spruce and Mahogany, natural finish, small body for total comfort.
• List, $1099; MAP, $829, includes hard shell case
Guild GAD-30, Orchestra body, based on the original Guild F-30 (actually based specifically on a 1957 F-30 that Fender purchased from us), solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, mahogany neck, wood binding.
• List, $1099; MAP, $829, includes hard shell case
Guild GAD-30R, Orchestra body, based on the original Guild F-30 (actually based specifically on a 1957 F-30 that Fender purchased from us), solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, mahogany neck, wood binding.
• Sold
New US-Made Guilds:
Guild F-30 Aragon, Natural finish. This is Guild's reincarnation of their best model (in our biased opinion, since it's very close to an OM) from the early days when they were made in Hoboken, NJ. One major difference: Red Spruce top and braces. The quality is exceedingly good, with a warm, full, balanced and open tone.
• List, $2699; MAP, $2099, includes hard shell case
Guild F-40 Valencia, I couldn't not have this Iced Tea Burst in the store, it is so beautiful! The rest of the guitar is not bad either! Adirondack Spruce, Scalloped Adirondack Spruce Braces, Traditional Early Guild 16-inch Body, Solid Mahogany Back and Sides, Dovetail Neck Joint, Bone Bridge Pins, Tortoise Shell Bindings, Bone Nut and Saddle, made in Tacoma, WA. This is one high class instrument!
• List, $2749; MAP, $2249, includes hard shell case
Guild F-412 Bld, A beautiful rebirth of the great Guild 12-Strings. Under their new auspices, Guild is coming on strong as one of the great reincarnations of a legendary guitar line. There is much talent and knowledge infused into the line. This is an arched maple back.
• List, $3299; MAP, $2599
The Loar LH-200, Inspired by the great guitars of the Golden Age, the Loar LH-200 has a classic 14 1/2" pre-war body style with classy appointments by veteran designer Greg Rich, 1930's bracing patterns, a lightweight body and a strong, full tone.
• Sold
Martin LXM, LXME, LX!, LX1E and LXM2 the LXMB (Black) Has Fishman Mini Q pick-up, the LXM2 is faux koa. Martin's brand new travel guitar, out of HPL and Stratabond, sounds great; the best travel guitar on the made today for the $, as well as a great 3/4 size steel string for kids.
• Includes nice gig bag
• Our full set-up, custom for each buyer
• MAP Price: LXM, LXK2 & LXMB, $279; LX1, $299; LXME, $339; LX1E, $359
Martin OM-1, Martin's newest line, a recession buster all solid wood guitar (body) with the strastabond neck—Martin at its best-for-least. Sitka spruce top, sapele back & sides, scalloped braces.
• List price, $1199; MAP, $899
Martin OMC-1E, Martin's newest line, a recession buster all solid wood guitar (body) with the strastabond neck—Martin at its best-for-least. Spruce top, mahogany back & sides, with Cutaway and Fishman pickup and onboard digital chromatic tuner.
• List price, $1499, MAP, $1099, includes hard shell case
Martin J12-16GT, Mahogany back and sides, spruce top, all solid woods. This model features emminent playability: 12 strings need low action, and this one's got it. Our favorite 12-string.
• List price, $1749; Map, $1299, includes hard shell case
Martin OMC-160GTE, A brand new cutaway model representing a great combination of bargain price and new Roland's AP-1 pick-up technology. The back is three-pieces, Indian rosewood in the center, ovankol on the two outer pieces. The nut width is 1 3/4", with Martin's low oval neck shape, and white binding around the body and fingerboard.
• List, $2199, MAP is $1649.00
Martin OM-21, How wonderful it is that the Martin company has created this model and kept it as a standard catalogued item. As you may know, we're maniacs for OMs, and remember very well when they were an exclusive item, only available as a rare vintage guitar. This model helped make the OM a people's fingerpicking guitar!
• List, $2699; MAP, $1999
Martin 00-28VS, As an outgrowth of the success of the 000-28VS, and a resurgence in the popularity of the smaller body guitars, Martin has just come out with this smaller version of the 000-28VS. "V" stands for vintage, meaning appointments from the old days, and "S" stands for Standard, which in Martin parlance stands for 12 frets to the body: a longer body shape with a gutsier, fuller tone than the 14-fretters. This is a very sweet guitar, and very much welcome back into the line-up—it's been about 70 years!
• East Indian rosewood, Sitka spruce.
• 1 7/8" nut, 2 5/16" at the bridge
• List price, $4699; MAP $3599, includes hard shell case
Martin D-12-28, One of the great unsung 12-strings, a workhorse with all the tone in the world for a mucho-affordable price. Essentially a Martin D-28 adopted to 12-strings. Once upon a time, players would take a D-28 and replace the neck and bridge for a special 12-String. No need now, just buy this guitar!
• List price, $3149; MAP, $2399
Martin 00-18 Tim O'Brien, Possibly the best 00-18 to come out of Martin in ages, it is an Adirondack top, mahogany, long-scale, vintage-braced powerhouse of a guitar. With the long scale, it is more suitable for flatpicking, while being a superlative fingerstyle guitar.
• Abalone rosette, Delrin pickguard
• Individual Waverly tuners
• List price, $5499; MAP, $4399
Martin D-18 GE, Not a common stock item for us because of our focus on the smaller models, but the clamor for this model has been so great that we couldn't resist. A number of our most respected professionals, such as Scott Nygaard and Julian Lage, have chosen the D-18GE over all other models. Somehow the combination of its numerous virtues seems to have created a monster guitar: Adirondack top combined with the mahogany back & sides, the Golden Era bracing, the high X, plus the wider neck, fossilized ivory and various 1934 stylings. As in the original 1934 era Ds, the earlier style bracing seems to be most effective with the mahogany body, in that the open, bassy effect of lighter bracing and high-X does amazingly well with the contrasting happiness, clarity and definition of the mahogany.
• List price, $4349; MAP, $3299, includes hard shell case.
Martin OMC 18LJ Custom, A new run of the mahogany Juber model, an open-ended Custom Edition, this new edition includes the volute, two-way truss rod, headplate of Madagascar rosewood, and a much improved modified V neck. Other features include Adirondack top, 1/4" scalloped braces, tortoise binding, 1 3/4" x 2 1/4", extra-light construction, and no external signature. These have been 'killer' and this one is no exception, with a much improved neck shape and big, rich, powerful, clear and bassy tone. The recent Martins we've been recieving have been well above the norm, and offer startlingly remarkable tone.
• List price, $4799; MAP, $3799, includes hard shell case
Martin M-38 Koa Special, Wow, this is one great guitar! Playing it right out of the box was exciting; fantastic neck shape (a much improved modified V with 1 3/4" nut, 2 1/4" bridge spacing), beautiful tone, scalloped braces with the high X and first rate fancy koa. Other attributes include abalone logo, rosette and '45' style snowflake fingerboard inlay, grained ivoroid, and the Martin script logo out of abalone on the peghead. The M models stem from a vintage F-9 ƒ-hole with a flot top replaced by Marc Silber in the 1960's, made famous by Dave Bromberg. The lower bout is 16" with the narrow depth of the 00 & 000, bringing a big sound with lots of definition and clarity.
• List price, $6299; MAP, $4699
Martin Ditson lll, 12-Fret Dreadnought, Adirondack/mahogany, absolutely incredible! A couple years ago, we had what I felt was one of the rarest and finest of vintage Martins, a 1929 Ditson lll dreadnought. I'm not a dreadnought person, but I've always had a weakness for the 12-fret ones; to me, they're more like 12-fret 000s on steroids. The first D, it has 12 frets to the body and is as light as a feather. Martin has been very wise to build a replica, and this one is perfect. Adirondack top, mahogany b & s, pyramid bridge (the originals had flat wings), great old-style neck shape, with nut width of 1 7/8", unbelievable tone. This one is a total winner.
• List price, $6599; Our price, $3895
Martin 00-21 Custom Cutaway, There was only one 14-fret 00-21 made in the 30s, and here it is again. Adirondack spruce, IE rosewood, OM neck spacing, 21 appointments such as herringbone rosette and tortoiseshell binding. An OM pickguard is a perfect touch for this smaller body. We had a used Custom with these features a couple years ago, and it was so successful we decided to order another one.
• Nut: 1 3/4", Bridge: 2 5/16", Scale: 25.4"
• Binding: Tortoiseshell
• Neck Shape: Modified Low Profile
• Bridge: Small 1920's rectangular bridge with Drop-In Saddle
• Tuners: Vintage Gotoh
• On Order
Martin 00-28 Cutaway Custom, 12-Fret Cutaway, slot-head, Adirondack/Indian, herringbone purfling, pyramid bridge, Low Oval neck. We love to order customs from Martin which combine our favorite qualities. The idea of a Cutaway 12-Fret is intriquing in that it offers full access (better than a 14-Fretter) with the very appealing tone of a 12-Fret body. The 00 size has been grossly under-represented in the catalogues of modern guitar manufactures, unfortunately so, since they seem to offer a perfect balanced tone and ultimate comfort of playing. The recent Martins we've been recieving have been well above the norm, and offer startlingly remarkable tone.
• Nut: 1 13/16", Bridge: 2 3/8", Scale: 25.4"
• Inlay: Diamond & Squares, Short Pattern
• Binding: Grained Ivoroid
• Neck Shape: Low Profile
• Bridge: Pyramid with Drop-In Saddle
• Tuners: Waverly Individul Nickel
• Cash price, $4885
Martin 000-28 Cutaway Custom, 12-Fret Cutaway, slot-head, Adirondack/Indian, herringbone purfling, long scale, pyramid bridge, Low Oval neck. We love to order customs from Martin which combine our favorite qualities. The idea of a Cutaway 12-Fret is intriguing in that it offers full access (better than a 14-Fretter) with the very appealing tone of a 12-Fret body. The recent Martins we've been recieving have been well above the norm, and offer startlingly remarkable tone.
• Nut: 1 13/16", Bridge: 2 3/8"
• Inlay: Diamond & Squares, Short Pattern
• Binding: Grained Ivoroid
• Neck Shape: Low Profile
• Bridge: Pyramid with Drop-In Saddle
• Tuners: Waverly Nickel
• Sold, replacement on order
Martin OM-30DB Pat Donohue, Absolutely gorgeous 000 14-Fret with Style 30 apointments: colored purfling around the top and abalone soundhole rosette, wide neck with the slotted headstock, designed by fabulous fingerstyle player Pat Donohue, of "Prairie Home Companion." The one real departure from OM specs is the deeper body, giving the guitar a fuller, airier tone.
• Scalloped Adirondack braces, ivoroid binding, style 30 multicolored wood top trim, 45-style abalone rosette, Delmar tortoise pickguard, pyramid bridge. Modified V neck, 25.4" OM scale, bound slotted peghead with torch inlay, style 30 inlays, bone nut, fossil ivory drop-in saddle, bone bridge pins with abalone dots. String spacing at bridge is 2-5/16", 1-13/16" nut, Waverly 3-on-plate gears with ivoroid buttons. Inside label signed by Pat Donohue and numbered in sequence without total.
• List price, $6799; Map, $5399, includes hard shell case
Martin 1833 Custom 00 12-Fret, Very beautiful, unusual Martin with amber-stained birdseye maple back & sides, Adirondack spruce top, maple neck(!) with a rosewood lamination running down its center, rosewood binding and fingerboard. Golden Era bracing, 1 7/8" modified V neck, long scale(!), 42-style fingerboard inlays and the early torch inlay on the peghead. The maple neck is the most unusual aspect for Martin; the denser material can pull a lot of extra sound out of the box, as does the long scale—it'll be a lot of fun experiencing this instrument as it breaks in!
• Cash price, $4995
Potomac Standard, OM style, all solid Engelmann spruce and mahogany, made in China by Eastman, 1 3/4" nut width. A startlingly good sounding and playing instrument, comparable to the Recording King RO-26.
• Sold
Potomac Deluxe, OM style, all solid Engelmann spruce and rosewood, made in China by the former Johnson/Recording King factory, 1 3/4" nut width, abalone soundhole rosette. A startlingly good sounding and playing instrument.
• Cash price, $449
Recording King RO-26 & 27, 000 size,e, all solid, African mahogany (RO-26) & Indian rosewood (RO-27) and Engelmann spruce, with classy vintage features and a big, full sound. The nut is 1 3/4" wide, a great advantage especially for learners.
• Cash price, RO-26, $395; RO-27, $516
Recording King Century Studio 000 12-Fret, Recording King Century Series guitars feature 000 12-fret style bodies for a robust sound and comfortable playability, and a hand-buffed nitrocellulose finish. This model has the deep, authentic tone and warm projection found on original guitars from the early 20th century. Other features include AAA solid Sitka spruce top, solid figured mahogany back and sides for the model 626, solid Indian rosewood for the model ROS-627, one-piece mahogany neck with a vintage ‘V’ profile, slotted headstock and pyramid bridge. The 647 is rosewood b&s with pearl border and vintage abalone fingerboard inlays.
• ROS-16: Cash price, $385
• ROS-626: Cash price, $759
• ROS-627: Cash price, $899
• ROS-647: Cash price, $1035
Recording King Century Jubilee ROJ-26, The best yet, in that this model represents Recording King's top features, and has the most universal neck shape and string spacing.
• Hand-Rubbed Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish, Gibson-style Sunburst
• Hand-Shaped Scalloped Spruce X-Bracing
• Solid Sitka Spruce Sunburst Top, Solid African Mahogany B&S
• Gibson Nick Lucas style fingerboard inlays
• Hand-fitted Dovetail Neck Joint
• Attention to the neck profile
• Vintage-Style Grover Tuners
• Bone Nut and Saddle
• 1-3/4” X 2 5/16"
• Lifetime Warranty
• Cash price, $699
Recording King RNJ-25, A recreation of the Gibson Nick Lucas of the mid-1930s, out of solid figured maple and Sitka spruce, sunburst finish. The Nick Lucas is an L-00 (14 3/4"") shaped body with extra depth, which compliments the maple very nicely. This Century Jubilee series has the nicest neck shapes
• Hand-Rubbed Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish
• Hand-Shaped Scalloped Spruce X-Bracing
• Dovetail Neck Joint
• Rosewood Fretboard and Bridge
• Vintage-Style Grover Tuners
• Bone Nut and Saddle
• 1-3/4” Nut Width
• Scale Length: 24.75"
• Cash price, $749
Seagul Coastline Grand, A modern parlor guitar, solid cedar top, mahogany back & sides, with a wonderful sound and a small size that will have you feeling warm and comfortable instead of trying to fit yourself around a house-sized instrument! What an incredible service to humanity that Godin Guitars makes these inexpensive parlor size guitars available!
• Hopefully Always In Stock
Simon and Patrick Parlor, by Godin, an absolutely wonderful small-bodied inexpensive guitar that sounds as good as many bigger, more expensive guitars. Solid spruce top, mahogany sides and back. What an incredible service to humanity that Godin Guitars makes these inexpensive parlor size guitars available!
• Always in stock
Simon and Patrick Songsmith Folk, Finally, a narrower body in the Folk model! I first asked for this about fifteen years ago, and here it is. Solid spruce top, classical size, a comfortable size and as good a tone as can be found in this price range.
• Always in stock
Simon & Partrick Pro Parlor High Gloss, We've loved the Simon & Patrick Parlors since they first came out, now there's this new model, not bigger, but better. Featuring all solid mahogany and spruce (looks like Engelmann) and high gloss finish, definitely a large step up from the already high quality S&P Parlors of the past.
• Cash price, $499
• Other Simon and Patrick models available.
Trinity College TG-122, All solid cedar and mahogany make a smooth, rich toned instrument, and of course we like the wider spacing and cutaway. It is 14 frets to the body, 25 3/4" scale, 1 3/4" at the nut. These TC models have a lighter construction, influenced by Schoenberg Guitars, and as a result have a fuller, more responsive and very pleasing tone.
• Cash price, $869
Trinity College TG-222, The 14-fret model of this part Schoenberg Soloist clone by Saga. It's all solid rosewood and spruce with rosewood/maple binding and scalloped braces. The Schoenberg cutaway is, in my view (obviously) ideal. Body is 15 5/16" wide, depth is 4 1/8", neck width is 1 3/4 x 2 3/8", copied off of a Schoenberg Soloist. These TC models have a lighter construction, influenced by Schoenberg Guitars, and as a result have a fuller, more responsive and very pleasing tone.
• Cash price, $995
Voyage-air OM1C, The ultimate travel guitar, a professional quality, full 000 size yet the neck folds without retuning—ask for a demonstration—and a backpack case that will go onto any airplane.
• Cash price, $1295
Voyage-Air OM2C, The ultimate travel guitar, a professional quality, full 000 size yet the neck folds without retuning—ask for a demonstration—and a backpack case that will go onto any airplane.
• Cash price, $1665
Voyage-Air OM SongWriter, The budget line: no cutaway and non-solid mahogany back & sides, still wonderful quality and equally portable as the OM1C and OM2C. Includes a backpack case that will go onto any airplane.
• Cash price, $729
return to top
MANDOLINS
1897 Luigi Salsedo, A well known Napolitan builder of Violins and mandolins, this is one of his plainer instruments, though beautifully made. Twenty-one Brazilian rosewood ribs that are light as paper, rosewood curved fingerboard, delicate wood bindings and trim, pearl inlays around the soundhole.
• Excellent original condition, very low action.
• Includes beautiful hand-tooled black leather case.
• Cash price, $569
1903 Washburn Roundback Model 122, excellent, practically as-new condition, rosewood back (15 staves), rope binding. engraved fingerboard inlays, cedar neck. Tuner plate is engraved with the Washburn name.
• Cash price, $395
1908 Gibson F-2, Three-Point, Blackface, in VG+ to excellent condition. The peghead ear has been reattaches, as is so common with these, and theres a bit of pickwear on the top, has all its original parts including Handel pegs and hand-tooled leather case, no cracks other than the reglued peghead ear, plays great with lots of volume and great tone.
• Cash price, $3675
1913 Gibson H-2 Mandola, Black faced, marked "H-1" on the label but features fit the H-2 model. Condition is Excellent +, all original including original excellent hard shell case.
• Cash price, $2995
1915 Gibson A Model, A fully original, excellent plus condition, sweet playing and sounding Pumpkin top A Model; the cherry finsh on the back & sides have faded nicely. No cracks, no nothin!
• Cash price, $1795
1916 Gibson F-4, Excellent original condition, with the beautiflul glowing sunburst finish, a true sunburst! Excellent + all original condition. with Handel tuners and original hard shell case, no cracks. This instrument is a thing of extreme beauty forever with a rich, deep, loud round-hole tone.
• Cash price, $6750
Weymann, Excellent condition, possibly made by Stromberg-Voisinette or Kaykraft, with a unique body shape similar to the guitar made by the same companies. Plays very nicely, new (Weber?) tailpiece, new tuners.
• Cash price, $625
1929 Martin Style E, Martin's 45 style mando, with the abalone border inlay around the top, back and sides, beautiful pearl peghead and fingerboard inlay, engraved tailpiece and tuner cover, Brazilian rosewood (of course). There is a bit of pick wear and pickguard distortion, no cracks, all original (incl. Case), straight neck and very low action. extremely rare & gorgeous, EX-, all orig.
• Cash price, $4995
1936 Martin 2-20, Two-point, carved top, ƒ hole, the slightly plainer version of their famous 2-30. These are extremely rare and beautifully made.
• Cash price, $2800
1937 Gibson A-00, A rare ƒ-hole model with a wider body and longer scale length than standard for Gibson mandolins. Yes, we have two of them. Actually three—look at the next item..(one has sold).
• Cash price, $1850, w/original hard shell case
1996 Givens Legacy F-5, By Steven Weill, serial #12, in almost perfect condition, incredibly flamed sugar maple, Engelmann spruce. Super loud and throaty, the best mandolin in the shop. Set up with bridge pickup.
• Cash price, $3469
2005 Altman MT-F5, One of Altman's earliest mandolins—supposedly #8—not one his later Loar copies. This one is a Fern with light brown shaded finish, Handel copy tuners, curved fingerboard and wooden 3-layer pickguard. Condition is excellent, with Calton case.
• Cash price, $7995
Recent Gibson F5G Deluxe, Serial #41118020, with the Sam Bush neck with wider spacing (and block inlays), and Virzi. Revoiced by Roger Siminoff in July, 2007.
• Cash price, $3750, New Lower Price
Randy Wood Solid Body 5-String, From one of the best known mandolin builders, this is a five-string Esquire-like solid body with a single-coil neck pick-up and maple fingerboard. The body is mahogany and the back is contoured like a Strat.
• Cash price, $1249, New Lower Price
Loar LM-600VS, Patterned very closely after the 1920's Gibson F-5 by Lloyd Loar, this mando is a hand-made, hand-carved instrument with a graduated solid spruce top and solid flame maple back, sides & neck, hand-rubbed delicate nitrocellulose finish. This is a remarkable instrument!
• Cash price, $749
Kentucky KM-150, All solid spruce and maple, nitro finish(!), an extraordinary value and best selling model.
• Cash price, $229
Kentucky KM-160, Newly upgraded model, sunburst, hand crafted, adjustable truss rod, set up by us to super low action so students will have no excuse!
• Sold
Kentucky KM-250, Saga has recently upgraded these mandos: they are all solid (maple & spruce,) hand-carved and graduated, radiused fingerboard, high-quality nickel-plated tuners. And they sound great!. Our last one was purchased by Scott Nygaard for an upcoming tour with Joan Baez.
• Cash price, $369
Kentucky KM-505, A shape, ƒ-hole out of hand-selected solid spruce and solid flamed maple, hand carved and graduated construction and Vintage Amberburst nitrocellulose finish. The fingerboard is radiused and bound, peghead is bound and inlaid with a very tasty pearl inlay This is truly amazing quality with professional level tone and playability.out of hand-selected solid spruce and solid flamed maple, hand carved and graduated construction and Vintage Amberburst nitrocellulose finish. The fingerboard is radiused and bound, peghead is bound and inlaid with a very tasty pearl inlay. This is truly amazing quality with professional level tone and playability.
• Cash price, $449
Kentucky KM-630, An F-style with the fern peghead, all solid hand-carved spruce and maple, gold-plated hardware, nitro finish; an outstanding quality for an unbelievably affordable price.
• Cash price, $579
Kentucky KM-675, Saga has recently upgraded these mandos: they are all solid (maple & spruce,) hand-carved and graduated, radiused fingerboard, high-quality nickel-plated tuners. And they sound great!
• Cash price, $769
Eastman MD-515, Eastman's newest line, the 500 series, is fully in their tradition of releasing less expensive models that are just as good, if not better, than the higher models. Same woods: spruce anbd maple, a little plainer in decoration...but not much, the metal parts aren't gold plated, Sunburst Varnish; loud, clear, plenty of bark; a top quality professional instrument. A nice touch is the curved fingerboard.
• Cash Price, $995
Eastman MD-614, The venerable Gibson F-4, Gibson's highest grade round-hole mandolin, has a sweeter tone than the ƒ-hole mandos of otherwise similar design, fully hand-carved of the best materials.
• Cash Price, $1295
Eastman MD-615, Eastman's great mid-level F-5 style mandolin, hand-carved back with sunburst top and beautiful antique red finish on back & sides. Other than the nickel tailpiece and the finish, it's exactly the same as the MD815!
• Cash Price, $1195
Eastman MD-805, A-5 style, an extra-fine hand carved, rich varnish sunburst finish; very alive and full sounding, excellent neck shape. From the first batch of this new line made by China's leading maker of violin family instruments.
• Cash price, $895
Eastman MD-814, ƒ-style roundhole, Eastman's version of the old Gibson F-4, a brilliant, loud, clear sounding mandolin. It is fully hand-carved by expert violin builders in Beijing, China. The finish is hand-applied violin varnish
• Cash Price, $1585
Eastman MD-814 Golden Age An extremely beautiful natural finish with a honey-colored stain. F style roundhole, Eastman's version of the old Gibson F-4, a brilliant, loud, clear sounding mandolin. It is fully hand-carved by expert violin builders in Beijing, China.
• Cash price, $1395
Eastman MD-815V, Very beautiful high-flame maple and Adirondack Spruce a fully hand-carved top and back by Eastman's skilled violin craftsmen, and a very rich sunburst hand-applied oil varnish finish F-5. The competition is strong, and each American/Chinese mandolin manufacturer keeps topping the others. This is the newest, and we are very impressed! If you're interested in an F-5 at this level, now's the time to come in and compare—we have all three.
• Cash price, $1595
Eastman MDA-615 Mandola, Beautiful, deep, rich, throaty, H-5 style, meaning ƒ-hole & F-style, elevated fingerboard. Beautiful hand-applied varnish with thin laquer over-coat, hard shell case.
• Cash price, $1695
Eastman MDC-805, We are very pleased to be able to offer this rare Mandocello! Designed after the Gibson Lloyd Loar K-5, which used the body of the early 16" L-5 guitar. This is a gigantically rich instrument, with it's bass string tuned to the C below the guitar's low E. Finish is a gorgeous sunburst varnish, highly flamed maple back and sides, beautiful wide neck.
• Sold
Rover RM-75, by Saga (Kentucky), a copy of the Lloyd Loar F-5, this mandolin is all solid spruce and maple, hand-carved, nitro-cellulose laquer finish, scalloped fingerboard extension to eliminate pick noise. For it's price, it is extremely successful—you'll be shocked at how good it sounds and feels.
• Price, $395
return to top
BANJOS
Lyon & Healy 5-String, 11 1/8" head, 24 3/4" scale, spun over rim with a rounded boat heel, no markings, set up with a recent skin head and nylon strings, very nice, fat sound.
• Cash price, $695
1929 Vegaphone Professional Tenor, Early individual flanges, superb 19-Fret tenor, in great shape and all original condition, except for replaced 5-Star Planet pegs, including case.
• Cash price, $1195
Lame Horse Gitjo, Hand-made six-string guitar banjo, great sounding and very nicely made, made by Jeremy Jenkins of Austin, Texas. Features are:
Rim - Mesquite w/ Lace Wood cap
The neck is Anigre w/ a Spalted Maple faceplate
The fret board & tail piece are made out of something called Diamond wood, which birch wood impregnated w/ epoxy under extreme pressures. Very cool stuff, completely impervious to moisture, so there is no shrinking or swelling.
The bridge is maple w/ an ebony cap.
• Cash price, $2495
Gold Tone BC-350, During the last NAMM show I ran into an old friend, Bob Carlin. The last time we hooked up was probably 25 years ago in New York. He has long since been elevated to a status as one of the great clawhammerbanjo players around. I'd downloaded several of his pieces on ITunes and have listened to them over and over. He pointed out to me something that I'd been hearing in much of the great current clawhammer playersbut hadn't realized: the banjo one hears these days is not the 10 3/4" or 11" White Laydies and Tubaphones we used to cherish—it is the 12" pot with fat and rich tones. They have scooped fingerboards in order to allow an even plunkier tone by playing as far from the bridge as possible. This emulates the Galax sound of players like Fred Cockerham and Tommy Jarrell. Anyway, Bob, looking for affordable 12" banjos, connected with Wayne of Gold Tone to create this line. The Bob Carlin signature model banjo features a 12" maple rim, Fingerboard scoop, Rolled brass tone ring, Modified dowel stick, "paramount style adjustable armrest”, No Knot" tailpiece, Vintage old timey neck design and a Renaissance head.
• For specs: http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/46/BC-350-Bob-Carlin-350
• To hear Bob playing his Gold Tone: http://www.goldtone.com/artists/w/id/3/name/Bob-Carlinf
• Cash price, $895 w/hard shell case
return to top
UKULELES.
Martin Style 5K, New, reintroduction of possibly the best ukulele ever made, koa top, sides and back, '45' style pearl inlay (the uke version) around top, back, rosette, fingerboard and peghead, beautifully finished. The tone rings loud and clear—a very successful reproduction.
• List price, $5199; MAP price, $4199. Includes a classy hard shell case
circa 1920 Martin Style 1C, A sweet mahogany concert, one crack in top, wooden friction pegs indicating pre-1926, quite loud and clear.
• Cash price, $1150
circa 1929 Martin Style 2 Taropatch, Rare, all mahogany with Patent pegs, dating between 1927 and 1931. The body is Concert size, was actually the origin of the size when players ordered the taropatch with four strings instead of eight. This one is in excellent condition and totally playable.
• Cash price, $1985
1930s Martin Style 2 Soprano, Circa 1930, beautiful condition, all original, plays great—what more could anyone want? All mahogany, stamp on back of head, no decal, patent tuners, ivoroid binding.
• Cash price, $1275
1931 Martin T-17 Tiple, Almost like new condition all mahogany, with excellent low action (!), X-braced. Basically a 10-string uke, also used as a hot jazz rhyuthm and solo instrument is a couple of the great black swing bands such as Cats & The Fiddle and The Spirits of Rhythm.
• Cash price, $1250
1940's Martin T-1 Tenor, Reglued top seam, otherwise in fine condition, tortoise-shell binding. Peghead has decal with no stamp on the back, black button (Champion?) tuners.
• Cash Price, $1495
1928 Martin 5-17T, A small tenor guitar that was converted, probably around 50 years ago, to a baritone ukulele. The work looks to have been done by Vega, but that's just a guess. We've reset the neck so it plays well. The result is maybe the world's best Baritone Ukulele.
• Cash price, $1725
1965 Martin T-17 Tiple, All mahogany 10-string wonder; not too many play these any more, but they sound amazing, like a ukulele on steroids. This one is in excellent condition except the bridge has been off and screwed down with four screws.
• Cash price, $950
1971 Martin T-18 Tiple, Spruce top, mahogany back & sides, X-braced, excellent codition (practically as-new). These are not often found with nice low action like this!
• Cash price, $1350
We are proud to represent Scott Wise, of Western Australia, with this initial offering of three of his latest ukulele output. This is what Scott has to say about them:
My interest in ukuleles started when I started building guitars 30 years ago. My first commission was for a concert size uke and I think I designed something Schneider / Kasha -ish. After all, it was the latest thing just then. It was well received but in many subsequent years of repair and investigation I found the older Hawaiian instruments were what did it for me. There were plenty of old Martin, Gibson, Harmony etc ukes around. Some of them were nicely made, but in terms of sound they didn't hold a candle to the fairly plentiful Soprano Kumale instruments. I don't know how they found their way to Australia, probably with U.S. servicemen in WW2. There were a few Kamakas as well. They had an authentic sound but were heavier, and to my ear not sensitivity and quick response of the Kumales was just not there.
I started building ukes for my daughters, experimenting with woods, weight, body depth etc and after many years arrived at dimensions very close to the standard older Hawaiian instruments in Tasmanian Blackwood which many people know is very similar to Koa. With plenty of different blackwood boards to try I found some grain/weight/figure combinations which delivered optimum tone for my instruments. I have looked at a lot of the currently available Koa and have found it a little light and cardboard-ish for my purposes, however I don't doubt there is some superb Koa out there. I'm just working with what is readily available.
Another observation of the traditional Hawaiian ukes is that apart from lightness in construction they were very lightly finished. They were, in fact, cheaply, quickly made instruments with just enough varnish on them to protect the wood - and they sounded the best. Nearly all the modern high end ukes I see have way too much finish on them. Combining this light construction with my violin making training and some of the top arching techniques of Spanish classical guitar making I have been able to make a very traditional uke with real refinements to optimize the sound. I know just how light I can make them for them to sound great but survive a long life. I use ebony fingerboards and although time consuming, the traditional "rope" binding frees up the top and protects the glue joint. International attention for my instruments started happening when the Hawaiian singer and uke player Douglas Tolentino came to a small festival here in Western Australia. He played my instruments, said "wow" and insisted on buying a tenor uke. Doug thinks I have surpassed the quality of the best traditional ukes. He can play my tenor uke into the same microphone as his vocals and it cuts though perfectly. The light weight means he is never fatigued after a 3 hour gig. He invited me to Hawaii to show my instruments and since this coincided with the timing of the Healdsburg guitar festival I took the ukes there as well. Local player loved them. At Healdsburg, there were many people who were knocked out by the sound of the ukes. Over half of them were Hawaiian! I plan to show them in the U.S. some more. I am honored to have them at Schoenberg Guitars as well.
Introductory prices:
• Wise Soprano, $850
• Wise Concert, $950
• Wise Tenor, $1000
We are also proud to be the sole representative of John Morton, builder of some of the classiest resonator instruments ever. John moved from the Bay Area to Port Townsend, WA a couple years ago and has been busy setting up his new shop, Finally, he is in his new shop and coming out with some fabulous stuff:
John Morton Resonator Tenor, Gorgeous brass/nickel plate fully hand made tenor uke. Neck is flame maple, 4:1 Five Star tuners, 17 1/4" scale and a larger 7 3/4" cone. The tone is bright, clear, ringing loud, beautiful; the detailing is exquisite, a true work of art!
• Cash price, $2950
John Morton Resonator Tenor, Designed by Robert Armstrong, this is a positively gorgeous work of art! The tone is bright, clear, ringing loud, beautiful. Fully hand-made by a master metal man. Koa on the peghead overlay. Five Star 4:1 tuners. 7 3/4" cone, brass/nickel plate body.
• Cash price, $3350
Kala Ukes, A great line of student grade and beyond ukes. Our favorite feature is guitar-style tuners - way more user friendly than the old standard straight-through uke tuners. Call, or better yet, come in.
Asturias Ukuleles, I recently came across these wonderful ukes, made by the Asturias Guitar company in Kobe, Japan, the maker of the "John Mills Model" classical guitar, one of the most esteemed production guitars to come out of Japan. I believe they're the only Asturias ukes in the country. The concert size is just a bit larger than the soprano, though tuned the same. The intention is to give a fuller sound. The neck is wider as well. It seems to be particularly popular these days. They all include a very nice gig bag now (prices varies with the exchange rate).
• Asturias Soprano Koa 12, with beautiful flamed koa from Hawaii. $579
• Asturias Soprano Custom 17 Mahogany, maple bound, vary tastefully done. $479
• Asturias AH-1, Soprano, Kamaka shape, 16 frets, beautiful koa. A first-class top quality uke. $479
Pohaku "Big Sistah" Tenor, Art deco design out of curly maple and spruce with a hula girl inlaid in the peghead. Bright clean tone—a uke with a very sunny disposition and incredible tone.
• Cash price, $1500
Kala Ukes in all sizes, all personally set-up here at the shop. This local company is producing some of the best quality student ukes and cases. We are particularly fond of the Flame Maple, Solid Spruce models and the new All-Solid Mahogany in all sizes, the archtop Tenor and two versions of their cutaway electric Tenors. We are also carrying their various cases, both hard foam and hard shell.
• Kala UBass 2-FS, The KA-UBass-2-FS, new and wonderful...you'll be the hit of every party. Just plug it in and see the eyes light up of every member of the opposite sex in the room. This amazing thing used thick poliurithane strings that, when plugged in, give you a wonderful authentic electrified stand-up bass sound. $399
We have some beautiful Tweed hard shell cases for Soprano, Concert and Tenor, prices are $69 - $79.
We also carry the nice hard foam violin style extra-light cases for all uke sizes, $49.
return to top
CASES
We have a virtually new Cedar Creek Custom all leather covered 12-fret 000 case.
• Cash Price, $895
Cedar Creek Custom 1 Size, Extremely nice, great fitting. Exterior is tweed fabric (black seems to me to be the worst color for a case, unless you want to bake your instrument on a sunny day), dark green plush lining, comfortable handle, nickel hardware (none on back), double neck support.
• Cash price, $299, Now in stock
Tamarkin 0-size, Very nice black plywood, two grades, Arch Top and Flat Top.
• Cash price, Flat-top, $99; Arch-top, $119
Cedar Creek Custom 0-Size, Extremely nice, great fitting for 12 or 14-fret 0s. Exterior is tweed fabric (black seems to me to be the worst color for a case, unless you want to bake your instrument on a sunny day), dark green plush lining, comfortable handle, nickel hardware (none on back), double neck support.
• Cash Price, $299, Now in stock
Cedar Creek Custom 00-Size, Extremely nice, great fitting for 12 or 14-fret 0s. Exterior is tweed fabric (black seems to me to be the worst color for a case, unless you want to bake your instrument on a sunny day), dark green plush lining, comfortable handle, nickel hardware (none on back), double neck support.
• Cash Price, $299, Now in stock
Cedar Creek Custom 000 and OM case, as per the original Harptone Schoenberg cases, a smaller (00) footprint meant to redo the concept of the original 1930's Geib cases.
• Cash Price, $299, Now in stock
Reproduction Geib-Style (Golden Gate) F Mando, with red stripe, $99
Excellent Arch-Top 0, 00 and 000 Hard-Shell black, from China, for only...
• $64.95 to $95
Size 1 (12 1/2 inches) Hard Shell, unavailable for eons, finally Seagull is producing this flat-top hard shell for their Parlor series, which happen to be exactly...Size 1! My wife's 1901 1-21 is comfortably ensconced in one right now, and we're happy to finally have a properly fit case for it.
• $79
Very nice ƒ-Style Mandolin gig bags, $59.95, by Boulder Alpine
Various other Hard Shell Cases and Gig Bags , from TKL, Cedar Creek, Seagull, Guardian, Golden Gate, Kala, etc. Call or email for more info.
Ukulele Cases: We have some beautiful Tweed hard shell cases for Soprano, Concert and Tenor, prices are $69 - $79.
We also care the nice hard foam extra-light cases for all uke sizes, $49.
return to top
Jimmy Buffet Tour Jacket
We have an unusual offering, from Jimmy Buffet's personal tour pilot: an original Jimmy Buffet Coral Reefers Tour jacket, virtually unused and in perfect condition. It was Buffet’s first such item. Only forty were made, for crew only—none were made for sale. It was given to the pilot, Michael Lofton, personally by Buffett. Also included are materials from other clients of Michaels' such as the Rolling Stones, Greatful Dead, Yes, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Heart, Jefferson Starship, Paul Simon and others. Here's a link to the full information: Jimmy Buffet Tour Jacket
• As we have no idea as to the worth of these items, you are welcome to make offers.
|
