Well, well, well: Small sized guitar realizes big box ambitions. This 2013 Claxton Malabar has great depth and resonance, clean and easy trebles, and a well-balanced midrange that ties it all together. Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Italian Spruce on top, Mahogany neck, Ebony bindings; Ed’s eye for fine wood hasn’t led him astray yet. And a Calton flight case for safe keeping!
The voice is characterized by clarity and sustain, with a full-throated projection that we’d expect from a guitar with a few more square inches across its top. With light gauge strings we were able to tune down to C# and still have enough string tension to play comfortably and intonate properly, and we imagine you could substitute a heavier low E string to go all the way into C tuning territory.
We see heaps of builders who want a full-size voice to come out of their smaller guitars—but the handful who achieve this feat is slim, and Ed Claxton is right there at the top. We can’t recommend this Malabar highly enough.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, handbuilt, brazilain, gotoh, fingerstyle, parlor, small-bodied, flightcase, 13-fret, 13 fret