Our latest Claxton comes in a sharp-dressed suit with a voice to match. This 2003 EM-C is decked out with Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Adirondack Spruce on top, and a slick rosette of geometric patterns for a feather in its cap. Lightweight and agile, this Claxton has a bell-like quality to the trebles that helps cut right through the mix, and we found the bass and lower mids paired will to flesh out the voice. The setup is glass-smooth and a breeze on the hands; drinks up both flatpicks and fingertips like water on a hot day.
It doesn’t take much to get the Red Spruce top singing, and that’s regardless of if your in standard tuning or more adventurous territory. We get a special feeling when we come across an exceptional set of Brazilian Rosewood, and that’s exactly how we felt when we pulled the one out of the case. It’s got lovely curving grain patterns with black ink lines, but is not so dramatically figured that we’d worry about the wood holding up to the vagaries of time humidity. The neck carve is a touch on the slim side of life to help facilitate that aforementioned glassy playability, and there’s a standard 25.4” scale, 1.75” nut, and 2.25” saddle spacing that’ll feel familiar at first strum.
Does this 2003 Claxton EM-C have any drawbacks? Maybe, but for the life of us we can’t find one.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, handbuilt, brazilain, emc, em c, cutaway, calton case, flight case
Additional Demo:https://youtu.be/z–NFOgzGsE