Price Paid: N/A used
Features: 10
I believe mine was a 1997, I picked it up second hand. I love this guiar! I put a Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickup in it, and play med to large size venues with it. Supurb performer! The Back and sides are Myrtlewood, and the top ir Spruce. The sound is some where between the Fullness of Rosewood, and the Brightness of maple. Construction of this guitar is very fine with a lot of attention to detail. Very clean, boys. Well done. The Bridge is unique with a supporting truss rod tied in to the endblock inside at the lower bout of the guitar. This relieves stress on the back and sides, allowing for a very thin back.
Sound: 10
The sound is very full with a lot of overtones. Great seperation between notes lends itself well to speedy riffs between chords! I play fingerstyle most of the time, and that is what this guitar was made for! It really shined with alternate tunings, too. Like none of my other guitars! Great for recording and a supurb live performer
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
I did have the action lowered a little. I'd have done it myself, but it needed a little fretwork at the 12th, so I took it to Tom Pellerito in Michigan.I take all of my guitars to Tom, and you should too. He liked it too. There was no strap button on the heel, I put one on. Cool pinless bridge, I hope it stays on. Some pinless bridges come off, I'm told by a reputable guitar builder.
Reliability/Durability: 10
At first I was worried I would break it because of the thin back, but it has proved quite durable (as high end guitars go). Had it 2 yrs. and keeping it. Play live a couple times a week with it for about an hour at a time. I use a Taylor as a backup... but I haven't needed it yet.
Customer Support: 10
I called up Steve Henderson in Oregon, the owner. I needed to install my strap button and pickup system, and I didn't want to mess up the guitar. He spent a lot of time on the phone with me, and he was just an all around cool guy. He gave me very detailed instructions, and was very attentive to me on the phone. after a while,we ended up talking about some other stuff, too.
Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing guitar 13 yrs. I currently own other high end guitars, a full gigging setup including wireless. If this guitar were stolen, I hope whoever stole it plays it as much as I do. And they will get what's coming to them cuz what goes around comes around. I love this guitar. So very playable, and so very forgiving. I only wish the cutaway looked like Traugott's
Submitted by John S at 08/28/2000 08:25
