What happens when you put one of the world’s foremost acoustic flatpickers and a present day grand master of American guitar building in the same room? A little something like the Tony Rice signature model from Santa Cruz Guitar Company. Richard Hoover and Tony Rice began collaborating on a guitar for Tony as early as 1978, and by 1989 the Tony Rice model was born: Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, 25.4″ scale, 1 11/16″ nut.
Santa Cruz later split the model into two versions, the Tony Rice and Tony Rice Pro, but this original from 1989 has matching specs to the upgraded version. The top has tinted to a sexy amber, and after nearly 30 years of music tucked away between its braces this SCGC Tony Rice is fully opened up and packs a wallop (or two) across the registers. Solo lead work in the style of this guitar’s namesake sound crisp and clear, with a punchy fundamental, and various chord voicings for accompaniment sound rich but articulate all across the fretboard–intonation is top-notch. We’ve just brought this piece of Bluegrass glory back to peak playing condition, too, so it’s ready to keep making music for another 30 years at least! The saddle has lots of height, and the setup is dialed in like a machinist’s caliper. Interested? Give us a ring!
Check out our additional demo with our very own Al Petteway: https://youtu.be/DnFazb8bx8M
Here’s a Tony Rice model from the early days of his collaboration with Santa Cruz, before the separate Tony Rice Pro model. Thus, it has all the pro features including Brazilian Rosewood and the voices completely immature and awake thanks to years of play. Most recently, it was owned by a great friend of the shop who put a lot of love and music through the guitar, so it’s ready for you and your music now. 
I've always liked this particular model. It's patterned after Tony's guitar (previously owned by Clarence White) that had its soundhole enlarged. This one has the feel and projection of an old Martin dreadnought with lots of clarity and cutting mids that help emphasize solo lead playing. | Scale Length | 25.44 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.69 in |
| String Spacing | 2.19 in |
| Woods | Spruce, Rosewood - Brazilian |
What happens when you put one of the world's foremost acoustic flatpickers and a present day grand master of American guitar building in the same room. A little something like the Tony Rice signature model from Santa Cruz Guitar Company
Here’s a Tony Rice model from the early days of his collaboration with Santa Cruz, before the separate Tony Rice Pro model. Thus, it has all the pro features including Brazilian Rosewood and the voices completely immature and awake thanks to years of play
I've always liked this particular model. It's patterned after Tony's guitar (previously owned by Clarence White) that had its soundhole enlarged 