The Santa Cruz Guitar Company was one of the first of their kind to offer a guitar designed specifically with the fingerstylist in mind–their FS model–with builders Jeff Traugott, Michael Hornick and Steve Palazzo at the forefront of contemporary guitar design. These days, the FS is still going strong: we’ve got one from 2009 with Madagascar Rosewood and Port Orford Cedar that absolutely sings when fingertips touch strings. Built with a wide lower bout and tight waist for balanced tone and powerful projection, the FS responds well to both a delicate and an aggressive attack, and the rounded C profile of the neck is easy on the left hand.
Capable of handling lowered tunings without batting an eye, you won’t have to worry about poor intonation: it’s nothing but rich, lush tones in here. 14 frets and a Venetian Cutaway for ease of access, a 1 13/16″ nut for easy fingering of complex chords, and a almost untouched finish–this FS is more than ready for whatever fingerstyle arrangement you throw at it.