On the long road of playing music, it’s inevitable that one day you’re going to yearn for something different to rekindle your practice and enliven your style. This 2004 Prairie State Jumbo built by John Greven might be that perfect side road to start trekking down–between the swooping curves, gorgeous woods, and thunderous voice, this guitar has a lifetime of exciting tunes to offer. Just look at the Lacewood used for the back and sides! You’ll be hard-pressed to find many guitars with such dramatically-figured wood (this is one of the only sets of Lacewood that John’s been able to get his hands on in his many years in the business), or with Lacewood’s combination of Rosewood richness with a twist of Mahogany-esque dry clarity.
Any lowered tuning under the sun is fair game for this creature; we tried everything down to Cadd9 and the bass notes remained crisp and pronounced. This Jumbo is based on the Larson Brothers’ Prairie State Jumbos (hence the 17″ lower bout), and the shallow sides add extra definition to the voice, making this a prime candidate for fingerstylists (not to mention the 1 13/16″ nut for easy left hand tricks). Ready for a huge voice with impeccable balance? This one’s for you.