Posted by Joe Caruso on Sat, Feb 20, 2010 @ 03:56 PM
Of all the acoustic offerings at the recent NAMM show, perhaps none drew more attention than two stellar Brazilian rosewood models from our friends at Santa Cruz guitars. People talk about the art of guitar building, the implication being that great acoustic guitars are not just musically attractive. In the best instruments, there is a visual component that is both arresting in its beauty and timeless in its successful integration of both old-world and modern design elements. There is no doubt that both of these guitars will stand as a testament to that art.
The first is a masterful interpretation of an OM-45. The Brazilian is of outstanding quality. The top, the highest grade of Adirondack spruce. And the sunburst! For years, I have said that no one does a better burst than Collings, but this guitar definitely raises the bar. The color and shading are perfect.
The second guitar is the one that really stopped folks in their tracks. Richard Hoover calls it the Southern Belle, for its graceful curves and pearly opulence. Based on his H-13 model, it too features superb Brazilian, paired with a luscious Italian spruce top.
The guitar also caught the eye of Greg DiBenedetto from Guitar Aficionado Magazine, who was so impressed, he asked for the guitar to be sent down to their NYC studio for a photo shoot. Look for it in their upcoming June issue. Or better yet, stop by the store and have a gander. You can see more pics here and here Santa Cruz Southern Belle.
Posted by Joe Caruso on Sat, Jan 16, 2010 @ 10:31 AM
Last night I was at the annual Martin Guitar dinner. Usually a very lavish affair, this night's offerings were a bit on the light side but I suppose it's a fair reflection of the year we just finished. Happy to still be in business but let's exercise some fiscal restraint as we move forward into 2010.
At dinner, the conversation turned to guitar collecting and we shared stories of some of our more interesting clients and their notable acquisitions. One in particular stood out for its level of excess. A guest across the table from me, a passionate but modest collector, described how he had been invited to visit a very sizable collection. It involved being blindfolded, driven to an undisclosed location, and led into a secret warehouse filled with shelves and shelves of the rarest vintage guitars in the world. We're not talking about a couple of Gold Tops and a handful of 50's Strats. Hundreds upon hundreds of guitars; a shelf full of nothing but scores of 1959 Les Paul 'Bursts, dozens of Gold Tops, rows and rows of early 60's strats in every conceivable custom color, Gibson Citations by the score.
While mind-boggling in its sheer scope and size, my thoughts turned to the inevitable day when the collection would be sold and the potentially devastating effects it would have on the vintage market. It's largely been the baby-boomer generation that has driven the vintage guitar market's 30 year escalation and the question is, what is the next generation going to collect, if anything? Will the current followers of Guitar Hero and Modern Warfare wake up one day to discover the wonders of guitar collecting? Or will the current holders of these vast collections find an empty marketplace on liquidation day? I tend to think not, but I would still put my money on great acoustics guitars. Far fewer made, more craft, and a timeless design. Let's bring this up again in a couple of decades.