Lovers of Santa Cruz guitars can be as passionate about them as any make or style of musical instrument in the world, with good reason. Founder and woodworking wizard Richard Hoover has a lot to do with that. Here he is in a recent photo, doing what he loves best, working with wood. In this case, he using a metal detector to search for bullets and other possible metal hidden in some reclaimed redwood.
The 2021 Winter NAMM Show was a virtual event, understandably enough, with virtually no acoustic guitars
Still, there were hundreds of events, including performances by musicians, famous and not so famous, as well as interviews and discussions. But while there were also actual products being released, few acoustic guitars were among them, compared to normal years. Even lil’ ol’ Huss & Dalton of Lynchberg, VA has recently gotten into making electric guitars!
C.F. Martin & Co. made a valiant effort for 2021, by offering four new acoustic guitar models across their pricing tiers, and four ukuleles. While it was reduced from what was originally planned for this NAMM show, it was considerably more of an offering than anyone else could muster, among the major players in the acoustic guitar industry.
There is still some news of interest, from companies like…
Custom Shop and main line models to ogle and admire
I got an email this morning with the following link, leading to some wonderful photography of wonderful guitars, made by the Santa Cruz Guitar Company.
These were some of the instruments they had on display at Winter NAMM 2017, and they include the re-introduction of the FTC as a regular model.
After renovating a 1980s FTC for Eric Clapton, Richard Hoover decided to use the FTC carved back, flattop, cutaway design was chosen for Santa Cruz’s 40th Anniversary Limited Edition, of just 12 instruments, each with its own aesthetics and tonewood combination.
Number 12 of 12 pictured here is made of mahogany and bearclaw Sitka spruce. It was shipped to our friends at Willcutt Guitars, in Lexington, KY.
And the response to the 40th Anniversary guitars was so great, he decided to start making FTCs again for the general public. Good news indeed!
Check out the photos and descriptions of Santa Cruz’s 2017 NAMM Guitars HERE
The 2017 Winter NAMM Show opens for the press and provisioners
Musicians and music lovers rejoice
Acoustic guitars make up but one tributary of the mighty NAMM river feeding the sea of music-oriented retailers. And I am focusing on acoustic guitar news from NAMM over the next few days before my first hand reviews can begin to flow from my own fonts.
The economic downturn finally caught up with the acoustic guitar market over the past couple of years, with mixed results. And this year’s NAMM has some guitarmakers focusing less on new models to add to crowded catalogs, and more on exhibiting models they already have in production, or limited editions like artist signature models, and showing off just what their custom shops can do for customers who will pay cash on the barrel head before an instrument is built.
One company that has put out an array of new models is, of course, C . F. Martin & Co.. Martin has at least one model entering every instrument series not scheduled to be phased out of production.
Bourgeois Guitars always offers an entertaining NAMM experience. This year singer Courtney Hartman stopped by to play some guitars. She is also appearing in the promotional video for a very special 2017 offering from Dana Bourgeois.
Bourgeois Guitars is celebrating 30 years of the Schoenberg Soloist cutaway OM with a 30th anniversary collaboration with Eric Schoenberg.
Santa Cruz Guitar Company is an exhibitor focusing on amazing one-off custom guitars is the Their custom shop gets its own display area as large or lager than the one exhibiting standard models and artist signature instruments.
Taylor Guitars has partnered with Guitar Center to offer a limited edition John Petrucci Artist Choice 916CE model. New guitars appeared in the new Academy Series of affordably priced instruments, as well as the new 800 Deluxe Series, and the super cool GS Mini Bass head up the latest in Taylor Guitars innovation.
Models on display for the playing include a Standard OM Grand and an all-mahogany 00 1929, while the Custom Shop display includes the 12th and final installment of their 40th Anniversary FTC model, and an a Firefly model made with highly flamed koa back sides and top,
photo: SCGC
seen here enjoyed by indie fingerstyle phenom Jamie Stillway.
The Brad Paisley B/PW signature model debuted at Summer NAMM. Is a pre-war style dreadnought made with Indian rosewood for the back and sides and a bearclaw Sitka spruce top, forward-shifted bracing and a 1-3/4″ V neck and 2-3/16″ string spacing, and a white calligraphy cowboy hat on the headstock.
Scott Law’s D-Law signature model is a mahogany dreadnought with vintage D-28 appointments including diamonds and squares on the fretboard and herringbone trim, a Italian spruce top with tobacco sunburst, Adirondack bracing, hide glue construction. It has 2-3/16″ string spacing at the traditional-looking long saddle to go along with a 1-11/16″ V neck that is slightly shorter in scale (25.25″) from the usual SCGC 25.375″).
They have a Bob Brozman Baritone Pro, a 12-fret dreadnought sound monster by any means, this one has outrageously flamed koa rather than the usual mahogany, and a German spruce top.
And then it gets really good.
While many of the 12 40th Anniversary FTC models have maple back and sides, this one is made with mahogany back and sides, a bearclaw Sitka top, whiteish cowboy rope purfling and rosette, the classic SCGC art deco fret markers set into upper left corners, and replica decco tuners. Each of the 12 guitars has a different styling in terms of toner, sun burst tops or lack there of.
Other custom shop offerings include a Tony Rice model with bearclaw German spruce, an OM Grand 12-string with high-grade Adirondack top (!) and an H13 custom with Alpine moon spruce over cocobolo, a soft lamp light sunburst and super fine sparkly Style 42 inlay
And that is just the ones I can remember at the moment.
In December 2012, Santa Cruz Guitar Company announced their new body size, the Grand OM, which is currently featuring Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce. They should be showing up at dealers any day now, if they haven’t already.
Please drop us a line if you see one in the NYC area!
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Lovers of Santa Cruz guitars can be as passionate about them as any make or style of musical instrument in the world, with good reason. Founder and woodworking wizard Richard Hoover has a lot to do with that. Here he is in a recent photo, doing what he loves best, working with wood. In this case, he using a metal detector to search for bullets and other possible metal hidden in some reclaimed redwood.
