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Our first Isaac Jang guitar–and it’s already sold! We barely had time to change the strings, snap some photos, and record Al before sending it along to its happy new owner. Exciting times, indeed, to have such a fine instrument of Brazilian Rosewood and Italian Spruce come through our doors, with another one right behind it. This 2016 OM is both novel and traditional in its features: for all that the body is a standard OM shape and Jang employs a dovetail neck joint, this Jang also has a subtle Manzer wedge built into the body curves and a dropped shoulder cutaway with Ebony bevel in a gorgeous display of playability.

The voice is equal parts thunder storm and gentle rain patter on the window, capable of rich and enveloping bass notes and sweet trebles with fearsome sustain. We can’t wait to get another one in!

Built as the Cedar-topped twin to Kolaya #31, a Cocobolo-and-White–Spruce MJ, this Kolaya is a powerful example of how Cedar can give a guitar extra warmth in the middle registers while simultaneously fattening the trebles and coloring the bass. Played in standard or dropped into DADGAD, the Kolaya has a pronounced and well-defined bass, and the setup strikes a perfect balance for both fingerstyle and flatpicking approaches.

Need trebles with delicious overtones that hang in the air? The Kolaya MJ is here to help. Need vigorous sustain? Got it! We love Brad Daniels’ aesthetic here, with the spalted woods inlaid into the fretboard extension, and the overall fit and finish is flawless.

Some guitars can get by on their looks, and others’ claim to fame is their tone–but rare is the guitar which excels at both, its voice as rich and stimulating as the curve of its sides and the artwork inlaid across its body. The Bravado here comes from one of our all-time favorite builders, Bill Tippin, and is one such guitar. Starting with master grade Brazilian Rosewood for the back, sides, headstock veneers, and bridge, then graduating to Moon Spruce for the top, curly Koa bindings which flow into an arm bevel, before culminating with no less than nine different materials inlaid across the fretboard and headstock–Bill pulled out all the stops he had, and some others from down the street, when he made this guitar.

Themed in the style of New Orleans, the lavish inlays depict Koa vines carrying along Fossil–Ivory-and-MOP magnolia flowers (the state flower of Louisiana). The centerpiece at the fifth fret is a dazzling Opal bordered by marquetry in Maple and Bloodwood, and the expansive magnolia flower on the headstock is composed of Fossil Ivory chased with MOP for the petals and green and Blue Paua Abalone for the pistil. Countless must have been the hours which Bill spent painstakingly rendering these myriad flowers, leaves, fronds, and vines–hours which were also dedicated to voicing this Bravado, his largest body, to be incredibly responsive and flawlessly balanced. The bass notes alone will inspire you to new ways of thinking of the word “deep;” the trebles sparkle like so many Opals. If you thought no guitar could possess such sterlling qualities for both eye and ear, this 2008 Tippin Bravado will change your mind.

In our shop of fingerstyle guitars, this 2012 Kolaya (Brad Daniels) MJ fits perfectly. With its 16″ lower bout and Cocobolo back and sides, this guitar exhibits deep, rolling bass notes, themselves crisp and well-defined. Fleshed out with a balanced middle register and trebles with a juicy brand of clarity, thanks to the White Spruce top, this MJ is the envy of less well-balanced guitars everywhere.

Fingerstyle arrangements are lush and complex, each string present and articulate–and dropped down to DADGAD and beyond, this Kolaya MJ remains fresh and projective. The C profile neck is gracefully contoured and feels instantly familiar in your left hand, and Daniels‘ contemporary aesthetic lends this guitar a unique, understated sense of style.

This brand new 2016 Fischer Concerto will snag you hook, line, and sinker–from the flawless string-to-string balance to the astonishing clarity in the bass, this guitar is a knockout. Steve picked some beautiful Flamed European Maple for the back and sides (which also adorns the headstock) and paired it with a creamy Engelmann Spruce top, bound in Cocobolo.

Visually, the Concerto is a classic study in light and dark, right down to the graceful arcs of Maple and Ebony and Cocobolo which make up the rosette. Beneath these gorgeous appointments lurks a voice that practically leaps out of the soundhole. Dig into the strings, and the Concerto just gets louder and louder, without losing the warm, focused edge to the bass notes or the focused trebles. Flatpicks and fingertips perform equally well, and dropping into DADGAD is a joy: regardless of what you play, this Fischer Concerto knocks it out the park, down the street, and over the state lines.