Firecracker-crisp, proven to be louder than your brother-in-law’s howls at football night, and a smooth playability that adjust on-the-fly: yeah, our latest OM from Martin Keith can show you how it’s done. The curly Honduran Mahogany back and sides is so figured as to put your favorite Maple sets to shame, and a tight-grained Adirondack Spruce top seals the deal. Then, Martin’s adjustable neck pocket takes this guitar to a whole new level: with one twist of an allen wrench (accessible just below the heelcap), you can easily raise or lower the action to suit your playing needs—crank it up a notch for digging in with picks, then coax it down quick and slick for a fingerstyle arrangement in DADGAD.

Keith’s fit and finish more than meets muster, and his aesthetic flair is contemporary without being distracting. Trimmed in Ebony, featuring a zero nut and EVO  frets, weighing in at only 4.5lbs: this Keith OM kills it from genre to genre like Manny Pacquiao boxes through title fight after title fight.

Bill Kelday is all about tone and so is this fine OM. It has amazing balance and power to spare. Its voice clearly harkens back to the prewar Martin guitars but there’s something more there, an intangible beauty that is all Kelday. The dark, rich Brazilian Rosewood can be felt in the bass and the full, clear trebles. The spruce top offers up unending power. The sustain is lovely and the playability is perfect. I really like the versatility of this OM it seems to be happy playing anything you throw at it from Celtic to Blues and beyond. This is one of a quartet of guitars he made for the Healdsburg Guitar Festival.

Michael Keller’s guitars have a rich legacy, and this 25th Anniversary Model exemplifies why–(which at time of publication is 22 years old!) This Grand Concert style instrument delivers all the sweetness, depth and warmth one could expect from an instrument made of Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar. Also adorned with an incredibly inlay done by none other than Larry Robinson– If you’re looking for a classic and versatile guitar that has already had the tone played in, look no further!

Other keywords/misspellings: Lutheir, lutherie, crossrock, fingerstyle,

2005 must have been a good year for Michael Keller, because this 2005 Jumbo with flamed Koa and Engelmann Spruce is a firecracker (or should we say mortar shell?) of a guitar! The bass is pronounced, but with a well-defined edge that keeps this Jumbo from sounding muddy, and the trebles are strong without being shrill, which allow this guitar to work well for both fingerstyle and flatpicking approaches, and performs best with a medium to aggressive attack to really set the Engelmann Spruce top singing.

With the added soundport on the upper bout, this Keller’s huge voice is also directed straight to your ear to make this a great choice for loud venues or sessions–not to mention the pride you’ll feel as you show off the well-executed Abalone inlay across the body and neck. For a player seeking a slim nut, this Jumbo offers that in combination with a low/medium C profile neck for comfortable fretting work, and the setup is glass-smooth. Michael Keller’s one of the greats when it comes to Jumbos; do yourself a favor and try this big boy on for size.

With the deadly combination of striking aesthetics and exceedingly well-balanced tone, Michael Keller gives us this gorgeous 2010 Jumbo with an offset soundhole and two soundports for an acoustic experience unlike any other. Not only do the sizable soundports provide unprecedented access to the interior workings of Keller’s bracing techniques, they also project a hearty blast of music right at the player, so there’s never going to be a time when you can’t hear yourself, no matter how loud the session at your local ale house.

Between the gorgeous, straight-grained Indian Rosewood of the back and sides, and the Engelmann Spruce, there’s more eye candy than you’ll know what to do with: precision-cut MOP across the fretboard, thin bands of Abalone and dyed wood trim across the top and headstock, and a five-piece Mahogany neck with Maple and Rosewood laminations. Well-adapted for both fingerstyle arrangements and flatpicking, you may find that your other guitars will quickly start gathering dust once this Keller Jumbo enters your collection. It has heaps of rich, colorful tone to offer, and a clean projection that can cut through the mix with ease. Handled with care by its previous owner, this Keller bears only the faintest play wear, but is itching to get grooving.