Shop

Grit Laskin’s work occupies a singular niche in the guitar world with his elaborate, bespoke inlay projects and ergonomic innovations. This petite 12-fret steel string from 2008 is Grit’s The Blue Notes, and comes to us with dramatically grained Brazilian Rosewood and Sitka Spruce, florentine cutaway, soundport, arm and rib bevels. We commissioned this guitar from Grit for one of our longtime clients. If you have a copy of Grand Complications (and if you don’t, why, snag one toot suite!), you’ll find a more extensive treatment of Grit’s process with this very guitar on pages 58 and 173, as well as 49 other Laskins.
Number one, a guitar has to sound good. In this, Grit delivers every time. The smaller air chamber and 12-fret neck combine for a clear balance between warmth and note definition, and playability is smooth and easy. We have recreated the artist’s statement here to best explain the scene sprawling across the headstock and fingerboard of The Blue Notes.
“The inlay art on this small Brazilian Rosewood cutaway steel-string is entitled The Blue Notes. This design is my riff on the theme of “Dream Guitars.”
Thinking about the theme—guitars, dreams, music—led me to the idea of young senses, the sensibilities of children in other words, being more open to their creative expression than many busy adults.
In the scene, viewed from above, we see shadowed adults hurriedly walking by, across the fingerboard, oblivious to the music around them (represented by the red notes, emerging from the soundhole). In one instance the music is destroyed, crushed underfoot.
The young sisters however see/hear/feel the music the adults miss—for them, represented by sky-blue notes. The music is not only sensed by them, but flows through them, hence the engraving that blends their skyward looking images with the notation
The background material is Tahitian Blacklip shell in laminate form. This is meant to represent the random grayness of the street.
The red notes are Red Coral stone; the blue are clear Torquoise.”

Other keywords: inlay, inlay art, engraved inlay, artist, guitar art, art guitar, william laskin, lutherie, luthier

From the man who has single-handedly built thousands of guitars, we’ve got a vintage-style gem in the shop now that stands out from the crowd. This 2014 0-12-28 Vintage is a parlor built after John’s 1935 style, which includes hide glue, tucked braces, unstained Mahogany neck and V profile, and pyramid bridge. The back and sides are referred to as “Barn Beam” Brazilian Rosewood, and on top there’s surprisingly tight-grained Adirondack Spruce. This guitar features the very last of Greven’s ultra fine herringbone around the top, and Grained Ivoroid bindings complete the picture against the zigzag backstrip and vintage-tinted finish. Finally, this Greven 0 comes in a custom Cedar Creek case wrapped in a faux ostrich exterior (which, like John’s micro herringbone, is no longer available).

This 0-12-28 delivers when it comes time to put finger to string. The balance between registers is consistent along the neck, with the 12-fret neck join granting extra warmth and color to the mids and trebles. We loved playing this Greven in open tunings, but it handles standard tuning with aplumb for blues, rags, and beyond. This beau only weighs 3lbs 10oz! You hardly notice it’s in your lap.

An easy playing Greven that looks and feels like the real prewar deal? This 0-12-28 Vintage, to a T.

Other keywords: grevn, grevan, luthier, lutherie, fingerstyle, vintage guitar, vintage style, adriondack, brazilain

Ken Jones’ latest brand new Odalisque packs several guitars’ worth of tone into one trim, 12-fret package. Tasmanian Blackwood back and sides, a pale set of Adirondack Spruce on top, twinned arm and rib bevels, oval soundhole–as usual, the works–and they work together so well. It’s always a pleasure to have a Mountain Song guitar in the shop (even if it’s just for an afternoon for photos and recording before sending it on to its happy new owner). We are grateful to continue to offer Ken’s excellent fingerstyle instruments, and for the myriad of repairs he and his team handle for us. These instruments cut no corners, and this Odalisque in particular offers an impressive blend of warmth in the lower mids and clarity in the bass and trebles.

Want one for yourself? Give us a shout! We’re more than happy to facilitate.