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You know it’s going to be a good night when you’ve got a Dreadnought from Wayne Henderson in your hands. This 2007 D-28 with Brazilian Rosewood and Appalachian Spruce may look cut a smoky figure with its shade top finish, but the voice is clear as a bell and loud as a July 4th cannon. Wayne’s trademark “violin-style” headstock is here in all its glory, with a Brazilian Rosewood veneer that matches nicely the back and sides.

The tone of these trebles is fat and juicy, with the kind of edge that cuts clean through the mix, so you don’t have to worry about losing ground to your banjo toting bandmates. In fact, folks around you might want ear protection, because this D-28 has got some serious projection and sustain tucked away beneath the Appalachain Spruce hood. Honestly, Bluegrass never sounded so sweet as when played on this Henderson.

In 2015 we met Swedish luthier Ted Astrand for the first time at the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, where were able to play two of his guitars, and bring one back to Dream Guitars to sell (it lasted all of about three days before it was sold). This year, we’ve acquired one of Ted’s most recent builds, a 2016 Å-OM African Blackwood and Italian Moon Spruce–and we’ve already found a home for this guitar, too!

Before we sent it to its new owner, we were able to photograph and record it at our showroom, and we’re very grateful for that: this guitar is an experience no one should pass up, given the opportunity. To start, the Honduran Mahogany neck has a satin neck that feel instantly familiar like your favorite old guitar, and the setup is dialed in for fingerstyle perfection; glass-smooth and low, buzz free, with a comfortable C profile for easy fretting.

Moving onto the body, you’re struck by the contrast of the inky dark grain of the African Blackwood against the cream tones of the Italian Moon Spruce top, and a quick glance under the hood via the soundport shows Ted‘s delicate bracing pattern that enables his tops to be so thin and so resonant. Across the fretboard you can see Ted’s collaboration with inlay artist Magnus Ramel, a piece they call “Particle Collision.”

The voice, now, the voice is something else entirely. The string to string balance is impeccable, perfect for the fingerstylist who needs a consistently even response across the fretboard without bass notes that overpower or shrill trebles. delicate overtones rise up from the middle and upper registers that color, but don’t dominate, the voice, and when we lowered the guitar into DADGAD and beyond, the tone remained crisp and well-focused. Needless to say, we cannot wait until the next Astrand guitar comes through our doors.

The Cedar twin to our other 2007 Doerr Legacy Select, this Doerr has an extra heaping dose of richness and sustain to set it apart from its Spruce equivalent. Featuring a dynamic setup that’s accessible to both fingerstylists and flatpickers, this guitar is perfect if fat trebles and meaty mids are your craving. We put this Doerr through its paces with DADGAD, Cadd9, and Open G, and no matter what tuning we tried, the Doerr remained crisp and focused.

With a projection that’s fierce even by Spruce standards, this Cedar-topped Doerr easily cuts through the mix. Outfitted with Gotoh 510s for smooth tuning and a Cedar Creek case for sleek protection, this Doerr Legacy Select is a gorgeous workhorse ready for some serious music.

We’ve got a pair of lovely 2008 OMFS guitars from Lance Kragenbrink which were built as sisters, each with Cocobolo Rosewood for the back and sides, but with different top woods. This one is done up with an Engelmann Spruce top for projection and sustain–and brother, does the Engelmann deliver. With flatpicks, this Kragenbrink roars!

The trebles are fat and juicy, and are backed up by a present and articulate middle register that gives definition to your compositions. This OMFS is in superb condition with essentially no play wear, but has a sweet and opened-up tonality which makes it difficult to put down. We especially love Lance’s use of sapwood in these Cocobolo sets; the vibrant pop of yellow against red is a sight to see. Wrapped up in an Ameritage hardshell case, this Kragenbrink is perfectly safe and sound when not in use!

We’ve got a pair of lovely 2008 OMFS guitars from Lance Kragenbrink which were built as sisters, each with Cocobolo Rosewood for the back and sides, but with different top woods. This one is done up with a Cedar top for added warmth and depth, which helps to fill out the middle register of the voice and give this guitar a complex tone. Setup for fingerstyle, this Kragenbrink OMFS has an excellent string-to-string balance with trebles strings adorned with subtle overtones that add a lush color to your arrangements.

This OMFS is in superb condition with essentially no play wear, but has a sweet and opened-up tonality which makes it difficult to put down. We especially love Lance’s use of sapwood in these Cocobolo sets; the vibrant pop of yellow against red is a sight to see. Wrapped up in an Ameritage hardshell case, this Kragenbrink is perfectly safe and sound when not in use!