This 2018 Traphagen 000-12 BRS is just what we’ve come to expect from Dake: enveloping overtones, smooth response, and clarity, clarity, clarity. We have great respect for a luthier who’s equally at home with steel strings as nylon strings, because we find that the skills required for one complement the other in interesting ways.
This 000-12 has an easy, round quality to its voice that is reminiscent of the bass strings on a classical, but with added bite in the mids and trebles. The neck is a flattened C shape, and is Spirit Varnished liked the rest of the guitar to a glossy sheen. French Polish leaves the top extra resonant and responsive. Dake chose an ancient, 250-year-old set of Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides, and lined the sides with a thin layer of Spanish Cypress (stained brown to match) for extra stiffness without adding much mass. A creamy set of Carpathian Spruce on top, with a gorgeous Maple Burl rosette, completes the package.
A guitar of this calibre, it’s love at first pluck.
Other keywords: traphagan, masckela, ooo-12 fret, 000 12-fret
Some very memorable guitars that I have played over the years have been made by builders that create both nylon and steel string guitars. Nylon string guitars have very little string energy, so the maker really has to know how to get tone and movement out of the body. Dake is an amazing nylon string maker and all of his steel strings have a lot of power and body energy that I just love. This one is no exception with big, round trebles with a beautiful attack and sonorous bass that supports everything you do. This is a great guitar that can cover any genre you might dream up. 
Dake has a magic touch with his 000 builds. He manages to coax an expansive, lush, energetic voice out of an easy-playing body. Full neck profile allows my hand to better cradle and fret. | Scale Length | 25.4 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.75 in |
| String Spacing | 2.25 in |
| Woods | Spruce - Carpathian, Rosewood - Brazilian |
This 2018 Traphagen 000-12 BRS is just what we’ve come to expect from Dake: enveloping overtones, smooth response, and clarity, clarity, clarity. We have great respect for a luthier who’s equally at home with steel strings as nylon strings, because we find that the skills required for one complement the other in interesting ways
Some very memorable guitars that I have played over the years have been made by builders that create both nylon and steel string guitars. Nylon string guitars have very little string energy, so the maker really has to know how to get tone and movement out of the body
Dake has a magic touch with his 000 builds. He manages to coax an expansive, lush, energetic voice out of an easy-playing body 