We’re not talking about your papa’s junkyard strummer. This 2009 Steve Baughman 7/8 Dreadnought from John Slobod is nothing short of mesmerizing, nothing more than flawless. You know how some guitars just grab you the second you pluck a string, how once in a long while an instrument just says, “Here we go!” and you’d better hold onto your pick before you lose it? That’s what sort of guitar we’re looking at here. Not to wax hyperbolic, but this 7/8 Circa Dreadnought sings unlike any angel you’ve heard.
The Cocobolo Rosewood and European Spruce, in John’s hands, come together for a voice that’s opened up in a way to invoke the envy of an old school Martin. From the bottom of the bass to the canopy of treble overtones, each note rings with the kind of clarity you could cut diamonds with. The 12-fret neck warms up the bass just enough to make it enveloping but not overwhelming, and makes the already easy play feel even more effortless. Altered tunings? Excellent choice. This Steve Baughman Dread was built with just such a fingerstylist in mind–drop it down to C and the clarity and articulation is still there, unadulterated. This Circa can go wherever you’d like, can murmer as subdued as you want or as energetically as you need. Smooth as goose feathers! If it sounds like we’re gushing, it’s because we are: this Circa has stolen all our hearts.