Looking to build an alternative to modern 6 string flattops, Martin Keith took his years’ experience working with Joe Veillette’s shop and applied it to a synthesis of flattop and archtop design: the Auriole. These are big guitars with a great, balanced tone and crisp articulation. Keith achieves this with a wide fan braced Sitka Spruce top, radial braced Curly Maple back, and a Mahogany neck with carbon fiber core (rendering the neck sturdy and lightweight). Add to that a zero fret on the Katalox fretboard and a fully adjustable neck, courtesy of the included allen key, and you have a robust instrument capable of performing equally well in a variety of applications. The Auriole is definitely a flatpicker’s heartthrob.

Consistency of tone and even response: this 2009 Kelday OM has both in spades. Bringing together some gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood and Cedar, William Kelday offers us powerful proof that the OM-size guitar is still an amazing instrument. Fingerstyle or flatpicks, this Kelday feels familiar and easy with a 25.4″ scale and 1 13/16″ nut for deft left hand work.

The trebles have this quick, crisp response that livens up the entire voice, and the woody warmth of the bass and middle registers can be found in a variety of tunings–only so many guitars sound really good in C tunings, and this Kelday is definitely one! We’d recommend this guitar for pretty much any guitarist, but especially for the player who likes to switch between tunings, fingers, and picks without having to carry a trunk full of instrument cases around.

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.