Price Paid: US $2750
Features: 10
1996? Oregon made; Cedar top; rosewood sides/back; flat-top acoustic steel string; sharp cutaway; extra trim + bloodwood binding and accents; gold mini-head Grover sealed tuning machines. All solid woods; hand luthiered. Ebony fingerboard with extra linings (+ around headstock), 20 medium frets, mahogany one piece neck. "OM" width. Includes Bridge Doctor top stabilizer. Ebony strap endpin on exclusive "curved" butt end piece (a trademark). State-of-the-art high end, hand luthiered instrument for fingerstyle playing. Original plush-lined hardshell custom case, included.
Sound: 10
Strung with Thomastik-Infeld 0.11" - 0.52" Spectrum bronze strings, it has a full voiced, resonant, and well balanced tone, sustain, and balance in all positions. With these light strings, it is quite loud, but not for Bluegrass. With heavier strings, no doubt it would project better, but it is purpose built for fingerstyle, so I use only flesh and nail style. Every note is balanced, transparent, and clear. You couldn't ask for more in any instrument. I would give it a nine because it is airey when whomped on with these strings, but what would you expect? Cedar is like that! I use it exclusively for fingerpicking styles, and some accompianment.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
Exquisite throughout. World class. I have never seen such meticulous attention to detail. Every mitred trim joint: PERFECT! Every binding match carried through the next piece (say, the heelcap) as if one continuous piece. NO filler. Every detail superb. I would give it a twelve!
Reliability/Durability: 8
This is a lightly constructed, responsive instrument on a par with a fine violin or cello. Though I am confident one could travel the world with such an instrument, care should be taken. I do not plan to bash on it loudly where drinks are being slopped around! Nevertheless, it is well constructed with standard materials and methods, and should last well into the next millenium, given the usual precautions for acoustic flat-tops.
Customer Support: N/A
Lifetime warranty (materials and workmanship) to original owner. Any qualified luthier should have no trouble adjusting or, god forbid, repairing this guitar. I have no experience with Steve H. (the builder), but local luthiers Roy McAlister, and Al Markasky, say he's good people. That's good enough for me.
Overall Rating: 9
Playing since 1960. All styles.
I noticed this guitar as soon as it came into Al Markasky's place (Sylvan Music) after a NAMM show a couple years ago. I always gravitated to it over everything else in his shop (lots of high end stuff there too). Eventually, I had to have it. It's the Grail for me. I'm not worthy of it, but I promise never to allow a pick to be used on it, Steve H ;-) I also have a Jim Patterson "OM" style in German spruce/walnut, and a Carvin electric "hairband" style neck-through strat clone.
Submitted by SteveYetter at 11/13/1999 23:32
