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2014 Sergei de Jonge Crossover, Ziricote/Cedar
Hands down, an incredible instrument. It’s obvious that Sergei de Jonge’s formidable luthier skills were brought to bear on an excellent set of Ziricote and Cedar for this Nylon Crossover. Treble notes drip with buttery goodness, the bass is velvety but crisp, and the string-to-string balance allows for complicated chord voicings to ring out in all their complexity. Sergei added a soundport to the upper bout bass, a Venetian Cutaway on the other side, introduced a gentle radius to the fretboard (with EVO frets), and carved the neck profile to a pleasing hybrid of the Classical U shape and a C.
The lattice-braced Cedar top is deliciously responsive, and with the addition of a Barbera pickup this beauty performs equally well amplified. Weighing in at a spry 3lbs 11oz, this Crossover is built to be played and played, and played some more. An instrument of this calibre: a challenge to ever set down.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.7500 in Nut Width 2 in String Spacing 2.3100 in Woods Cedar, Ziricote 
Brand New Porter Quantum Classical, Indian Rosewood/Carpathian Spruce
This is our first Classical from California-based luthier Steve Porter—and it won’t be the last! Adopting some of Gil Carnal’s tried-and-true techniques for his own builds, Porter manages to carve out a voice with fierce projection married with a smooth responsiveness and note separation. Clarity is the name of the game here; this Quantum Classical has the easy, breathy richness of a much older, opened up guitar.
Porter achieves this with Balsa braces reinforced with carbon fiber along the top and a suspended cross bar and more carbon fiber rods to tie it all together. With a thin French Polish finish to keep things as resonant as possible, and a cantilevered fretboard extension (ditto for minimal top impedance), and twin soundports flanking the heel, this guitar is both loud and clear. It doesn’t hurt that the top is a creamy set of Carpathian Spruce, or that the back and sides are light-chocolate Indian Rosewood. To make sure the soundports weren’t giving the player a false sense of the guitar’s projection and dynamism, we tested this beauty with an extra set of hands to cover the soundports. The voice remained expansive and balanced. We then compared the instrument’s tone with the guitar in our lap to the voice as heard from ten feet away. Ditto on expansiveness and balance.
This 2017 Concert Classical from Steve Porter already speaks beyond its years, and there’s only one direction to go from here: up.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5000 in Nut Width 2.02 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Spruce - Carpathian, Rosewood - Indian 
2000 Santa Cruz 12-fret NAMM Slope D, Cocobolo Rosewood/German Spruce
Richard Hoover and Santa Cruz Guitar Company have been pioneering some of the finest Dreadnoughts available on the market these days, and this Slope Shoulder with a 12-fret neck has got to be one of the finest examples of their work we’ve seen. To play this guitar, you’d hardly believe it was a Dreadnought, so rich and balanced is the voice, and how comfortable and intimate the instrument feels in your hands, thanks to the 12-fret neck and slinky low action.
With even a soft touch, this Santa Cruz lights up all across the fingerboard. These trebles are crystalline in their clearness, and offer a delicate panoply of overtones to your fingerstyle arrangements. Bass notes are full and resounding as they roll out of the Slope Shoulder body, but they retain a well-defined edge that keeps them balanced and distinct from the other registers. Despite its Dreadnought size, this guitar feels smaller, more inviting, and excellently set up for fingerpicking. Santa Cruz decided to pair a dark-grained set of Cocobolo Rosewood for the back and sides with a tight-grained German Spruce top, and what an excellent match! Like a good cabernet paired with fontina cheese, these woods give a rich and dynamic fundamental to the guitar’s voice. This Slope Shoulder is the first of five such Dreadnoughts that Santa Cruz built for the 2000 NAMM show, and you can tell: they pulled out all the stops, and spared no expense.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.3800 in Nut Width 1.8100 in String Spacing 2.3100 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Cocobolo 
2000 Tezanos-Perez Maestro, Rosewood/European Spruce
A Maestro, indeed. Our 2000 Tezanos-Perez Classical is a deadly one-two punch: great projection with a consistently balanced response. European Spruce, Rosewood back and sides, 650mm scale and 52.5mm nut—put it all together and the effect is tremendous, vigorous bass response and well-defined trebles. Well preserved since its birth in the year 2000.
Let’s put it this way: it sounded great, even with dead strings, when it first arrived. With some fresh nylon on the board, this Tezanos-Perez Maestro is a cannon. It takes very little effort for quite the payoff in terms of projection and sustain.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.6250 in Nut Width 2.06 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Spruce - European, Rosewood 
Ehlers Model 16, Brazilian/German
It’s hard not to fall for a guitar like this on the spot. The Ehlers Model 16 is a study in curvaceous lines and fingerstyle dynamism. Brazilian back and sides, paired with a German Spruce top, give the voice a smooth, glossy texture that lends itself to lush, expansive overtones. Play an open chord, and the strings will ring, ring, and keep on ringing right on into tomorrow. The 25.5” scale gives a smidgeon of extra string tension, making dropped tunings like DADGAD crisp and responsive, and with the slightly wider nut and curved C neck profile the left hand has an easy time of it, especially with those particularly nasty complex chords.
Darkly glittering Abalone adorns the headstock, fretboard, and rosette. Take a close look at our photos of the bridge and you’ll see where Rob carved a minute ledge around the perimeter. That little touch strikes us on two levels: one, that it must have required excellent precision to engineer and two, that it imparted a subtle note of elegance to this already eye-catching beauty. 16 inches at the lower bout puts it in the SJ category; dig in with a more aggressive attack and this Ehlers drinks it up without bottoming out.
A fantastic instrument from one of lutherie’s late greats: the Ehlers Model 16.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5000 in Nut Width 1.8100 in String Spacing 2.1250 in Woods Spruce - German, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2005 Sheppard Dream Series #2 African Blackwood/Carpathian
To make a good day even better, pick up this 2005 Dream Series from Gerald Sheppard for a spin around town. Number two in the series, this Grand Auditorium marries a slinky bass response with cracklin’ trebles and fierce projection. Part of that comes from the combination of Carpathian Spruce and African Blackwood: the rest comes from Gerald’s tone sculpting genius and a few years’ playing to open up.
Striking sapwood in the Blackwood is bookmatched across the back and headstock, creating a rich contrast of dark and light. There’s just a hint at the bottom of the rosette as well. Over the fretboard extension you’ll find a Tom Ellis floral design inlaid in Mother of Pearl. Gold-and-Ebony Gotoh 510s, Cedar Creek case, Venetian Cutaway—ask, and you shall receive. Give us a ring for an in-hand description of the smooth-as-sin string balance and rich basses on this Dream Machine from Gerald Sheppard.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.1900 in Woods Spruce - Carpathian, Blackwood - African 
1936 Gibson ES-150 Charlie Christian & EH-150 Amp
Once again Al Petteway landed a king-size catfish, and now he’s passing the fork (two forks in this case) onto you guys. We’re talking about the deadly combination of a 1936 Gibson ES-150 and a 1936 Gibson EH-150—both original, both Charlie Christians, both the perfect complement to the other.
The ES-150 is in great shape with a fast setup and hard V neck. That Charlie Christian pickup gives up the equivalent of a 32oz porterhouse steak in juicy tone. All the knobs work fine, only a minimum of play wear on the top (considering this beauty is over 80!), and it even comes wrapped up in its original case. When plugged in to the EH-150, you better be prepared for a goosebump-raising experience. Al’s had this amp for almost four decades, and it’s still going strong.
We hate breaking up siblings, so these two are being sold as a pair. A rare opportunity to get both parts of the Gibson Charlie Christian package at the same time!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5000 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.1250 in Woods Spruce, Maple 
2015 E.J. Henderson Nick Lucas, Maple/Adirondack Spruce
Lots of volume for a little package—our 2015 E.J. Henderson Nick Lucas. Across the neck and body, a lovely dark sunburst. Celtic inlays sprawling along the fretboard. Waverly tuners, bone nut and saddle, 24 3/4” scale on 14-fret neck. Maple + Adirondack Spruce = crisp and loud.
This is the sort of guitar that really sings if you dig in a bit, but the crunchy bass response can be just as easily accessed with a lighter touch. The V neck has vintage written all over it. If you’re looking for an extra dose of warmth in the mids, this guitar fits the bill, and adds focused, bright trebles to the mix for an excellent balance.
The waiting list for these guitars is already pretty steep; this is a great opportunity to snag one ahead of the curve!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.7500 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.3200 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Maple 
2013 McConnell 15 Inch, Brazilian/Swiss Moonspruce
A guitar that looks and plays this good ought to be made illegal. It’s seriously distracting for our staff—how can you walk by this wonderful 12-fret from Jordan McConnell without stopping to stare (if you’re lucky), or sitting down to play a tune (if you’re even luckier). Work flow has come to a shuddering stop. So please! Help us out, take this prize fighter home with you!
This is the first 12-fret slot head McConnell we’ve seen (aside from Jordan’s Hauser model), and we’re impressed. Brazilian Rosewood and Swiss Moonspruce in his 15 Inch body, with a 12-fret neck for extra warm trebles? At the first glance, this femme fatale takes control. Jordan’s geometric inlay machinations sprawl across the top at the upper and lower bouts, and ring in the soundhole. Flip it over, and you’ll find the same motif at the heelcap and two rays on the bass side of the lower bout. Alessi tuners and Fossilized Walrus Ivory nut & saddle complete the picture.
Do yourself a favor, don’t let this one slip away.
Other keywords: joran mcconnell, fingerstyle, dadgad, exclusive
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.1250 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.3000 in Woods Spruce - Moonspruce, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2013 Mountain Song Odalisque Claro Walnut/Carpathian
Well, this is a first for us: we’ve never had a Mountain Song Odalisque come up for sale on the preowned market before! That alone should speak to the quality of this instrument, but humor us with a more thorough treatment (we do like talking about guitars, after all).
Dramatically figured Claro Walnut back and sides, Carpathian Spruce top, the interlocking rosette that Ken Jones has perfected, arm and rib bevels, Cosmo Black Gotohs—the list goes on. The voice is balanced between quick trebles and a warm lower mid response; the bass is focused. Responds well to a light touch, and if you dig in a bit the projection ramps up a lot. A natural choice for fingerstyle in standard tuning, DADGAD, or beyond.
Ken recently went over this 2013 Odalisque and gives it a clean bill of health. Fit and finish remains flawless. This is a rare opportunity to own a rare bird; who knows the next time another Mountain Song Guitar will be available?
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4000 in Nut Width 1.7800 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Spruce - Carpathian, Walnut - Claro 
2013 Martin OMM John Renbourn Signature Madagascar/Alpine
This is a therapeutic guitar: play it and your troubles fade like bad dreams. Martin’s John Renbourn signature model comes in an OMM shape with Madagascar Rosewood, Alpine Spruce, and throws a nod to Renbourn’s work in Pentangle with five-pointed stars inlaid across the fretboard. Our Number 76 comes souped up with a K&K pickup, too—there’s not much this guitar can’t handle!
The voice has opened up fantastically since 2013; it plays without effort, and there is some serious heft to the voice; pianistic balance and responsiveness. DADGAD? Yes please! Pure fingerstyle dynamite in the keys of Martin guitars and John Renbourn.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.2500 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Spruce - Alpine, Rosewood - Madagascar 
1996 Olson SJ, Indian Rosewood/Cedar
You’d think we’d get tired of playing Olsons, we get so many in, but to be completely honest we’ve never yet been bored with one of Jim’s guitars in hand. This SJ is from 1996, the heart of one of our favorite periods for Olsons: here you’ll find a great example of the balanced voice and quick response that define Jim’s tone.
The slim 5-ply neck and slick setup almost make it too easy for the left hand! Indian Rosewood back and sides, Cedar top (an Olson classic), Calton flight case, Baggs LB6 pickup—what more could a guitarist ask for? A bit of extra juice in the trebles, an ounce of extra warmth in the lower mids? Well step right up, this Olson has both.
It’s opened up into a sweet crooner in the past 20 years, and the neck is still in great shape and there’s heaps of meat left on the saddle! Regrets you may have a few, but bringing this guitar won’t be one of them.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.3800 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.2500 in Woods Cedar, Rosewood - Indian 
2017 McConnell 16 Inch, Brazilian/Moonspruce
This beauty is a custom build for one of our clients. As such it is not available for purchase, but let us know if you’d like to get a McConnell for yourself!
Really, we want to know: just how does Jordan McConnell manage to pack an entire choir of guitars into one body? This 16 Inch is so hot off the bench it’d scorch your hands to play it, except that the voice is such a smooth operator it’s cool to the touch and a balm to your ears. Designed with one of our fingerstyle clients in mind, Jordan paired another of his gorgeous sets of Brazilian Rosewood with Moonspruce (like Paul’s own McConnell) and a multiscale fretboard from 26” at the bass to 25” at the treble. The frets are so slanted as to maximize intonation and string tension in lowered tunings, and while some multiscale arrangements are dramatically sprawling, Jordan opted for a gentler spread here that still feels perfectly normal for the left hand but keeps the intonation spot on all the way into C tuning territory. There’s a danger in going so low, though: this McConnell performs so beautifully in that sonorous mode that you’ll be hard-pressed to ever go back to standard tuning.
The Moonspruce top is French Polished (Jordan’s FP technique yields a crystal clear and resonant finish) for maximum resonance; the rest of the instrument is finished in Nitrocellulose Lacquer for protection. The result is a surgical clarity to each and every note plucked across the fretboard. The voice has some serious heft, but avoids muddiness altogether. In short, it sounds like it’s been opening up for a few decades already. Remember, it’s only a few months old by the time of this writing! In spite of having achieved such an impressive tone, Jordan wasn’t yet satisfied: he lent his prodigious marquetry skills to crafting a striking mosaic of Brazilian Rosewood, Ebony, Spalted Maple, Satinwood, Gold MOP, and Abalone that adorns the headstock veneers and soundhole. Jordan manages to blend a contemporary aesthetic with an organic palette of colors. Naturally, Alessi tuners complete the package.
If we could only play one guitar for the rest of our lives, this McConnell would more than fit the bill.
Check out this additional demo from Al! https://youtu.be/cItWna3f114
Other keywords: joran mcconnell, fingerstyle, dadgad, fanfret, fanned fret, multi scale, multi-scale, exclusive
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in - 26 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.25 in Woods Spruce - Moonspruce, Rosewood - Brazilian 
2016 McConnell 16 Inch, Brazilian Rosewood/Moonspruce
This custom McConnell 16 Inch has more headroom than an open-air coliseum. We tried to overdrive it, really we did, but the more we dug in the louder it got! Jordan voiced the Moonspruce top with a more aggressive attack in mind, and that, coupled with a solid Brazilian Rosewood neck and multiscale frets (26.25” at the bass, 25.5” at the treble), means that this guitar has huge reserves of energy just waiting beneath the surface. Jordan describes the Brazilian back and sides as “hyper premium.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The bass response is hefty but well-defined, and the vigorous treble strings cut well in the mix without sounding shrill. Consistent across the fretboard, the voice has a room-filling quality that doesn’t break up when played aggressively. You might want earplugs.
Check out this additional demos with Al Petteway
Other keywords: joran mcconnell, fingerstyle, dadgad, fanfret, fanned fret, multi scale, multi-scale, exclusive
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.5 in - 26.25 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.313 in Woods Spruce - Moonspruce, Rosewood - Brazilian 
1934 Gibson L-50 Maple/Spruce
If you’ve got an ear for fine vintage guitars, this 1934 Gibson L-50 rings right as rain. What would you expect from a guitar out of Al Petteway’s personal collection? The voice is two parts Maple, one part Spruce, and an extra dollop of crunchy, woody tone in the mids. The setup is dialed into that fine line between fingerstyle and flatpicking, and lends itself to either discipline.
Flatpicking fiddle tunes or country blues in the key of Mississippi John Hurt, we found the response of this L-50 to be big, quick, and well-defined. Lots of archtop pop, and if you dig in a bit with a pick there’s an incredible amount of projection that’ll come belting out of this slice of Gibson history.
If it’s good enough for Al, you know it’s got the mojo. This 1934 Gibson L-50 more than fits the bill.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.8750 in Nut Width 1.7500 in String Spacing 2.09 in Woods Spruce, Maple