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This guitar is a stellar example of the work of Minnesotan luthier, Charles Hoffman. The elegant 00 design showcases an unusual and exquisitely beautiful Flamed Mesquite back that is easily one of the most beautiful examples in existence. The 00 has a slim neck that is super easy to navigate, offering up tones that are wonderfully well balanced–and for a guitar of this size, the projection and volume are extraordinary. Featuring a 25 11/32 inch scale, the Hoffman 00 is 1 13/16 inches at the nut. It comes with the original hardshell case. The thinner body of this guitar not only makes it much more comfortable to hold, but it also evens out the bass response of the Spruce top, making it much more balanced.

On the long road of playing music, it’s inevitable that one day you’re going to yearn for something different to rekindle your practice and enliven your style. This 2004 Prairie State Jumbo built by John Greven might be that perfect side road to start trekking down–between the swooping curves, gorgeous woods, and thunderous voice, this guitar has a lifetime of exciting tunes to offer. Just look at the Lacewood used for the back and sides! You’ll be hard-pressed to find many guitars with such dramatically-figured wood (this is one of the only sets of Lacewood that John’s been able to get his hands on in his many years in the business), or with Lacewood’s combination of Rosewood richness with a twist of Mahogany-esque dry clarity.

Any lowered tuning under the sun is fair game for this creature; we tried everything down to Cadd9 and the bass notes remained crisp and pronounced. This Jumbo is based on the Larson Brothers’ Prairie State Jumbos (hence the 17″ lower bout), and the shallow sides add extra definition to the voice, making this a prime candidate for fingerstylists (not to mention the 1 13/16″ nut for easy left hand tricks). Ready for a huge voice with impeccable balance? This one’s for you.

At a touch, this 2014 McConnell bursts into life. We’ve come to expect Jordan’s guitars to have such rich tonality, but every time another one comes our way it’s like hearing music for the first time. With an understated elegance of style, this SJ marries Brazilian Rosewood, Moonspruce, Ebony, Mahogany, and Stainless Steel frets into an instrument which can rumble and roll, whisper and shout, with equal ease. Everyone wants a guitar which works well for flatpicking and fingerstyle, but such a guitar is rather hard to come by in our experience. This McConnell, however, might have won the lottery for a balanced, dynamic voice which does just that, performing flawlessly for both approaches. Fingerstyle arrangements in altered tunings are rich and articulate, and the same tune will remain articulate and balanced under a flatpick! The basses are particularly clear and present, and blend beautifully with the other registers to form a voice with pianistic separation of notes, no matter where on the fretboard you happen to be playing.

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Just when we thought our day couldn’t get better, this 2014 Kostal Jumbo strolled into the shop and taught us all what a Jumbo guitar can really sound like. This instrument is incredibly close to being the perfect guitar: from the desirably straight-grained Brazilian Rosewood and German Spruce to the flawless finish and glass-smooth setup, Jason Kostal went above and beyond the call of duty to create a Jumbo unique and powerful enough to bear his name. Played in a variety of tunings, the voice of this Kostal remains the same, teeming with profound bass notes and a panoply of overtones in the middle and upper registers. The treble strings in particular have a springy, energetic response that lends themselves to brightening up your fingerstyle arrangements.

Now we’ve seen many instruments over the years in wonderful condition, but this Jumbo might take the cake: there’s practically no evidence of any scratches or dings, and the action is delightfully smooth and effortless. Of course we have high expectations for anything that comes out of Jason’s shop, but this Jumbo blew us away–and what’s more, it’s the first Jumbo Jason ever built under his own label! You can find this exact guitar on his site to represent Jason’s Jumbo design. And, wrapped up in a Hoffee carbon fiber flight case, this Jumbo will remain in such a flawless state for years to come.

This is a Dreadnought’s Dreadnought: a 2004 Martin D-41 in Indian Rosewood and Sitka Spruce! In superb condition, this Martin features the D-41 Abalone package, consisting of top trim, rosette, headstock inlay, and fretboard markers. A sharp-dressed guitar for sure, this D-41 has the tone to back up its visual flair, with a huge, rumbling voice that’s rich and opened up.

The bass is 100% Dreadnought with lots of punch and a well-defined edge, and the setup is optimized for flatpicking with a crisp, easy string feel that’s easy on the hands. Putting this guitar through its Bluegrass paces, we found the projection to be fierce without turning into a muddy wash, even when driven hard. The trebles possess a subtle array of overtones that help fill out the voice and lend a little extra color to your solos. Complete with an undersaddle pickup and Martin molded hardshell case, this D-41 is ready for your next gig, or porch session, or airport jam.

Smooth as butter and sweet as sin, this 2000 Custom Dreadnought from Roy Noble is a sight for sore eyes (and sore hands!). Adirondack Spruce top, paired with a three-piece Cocobolo-and-Quilted-Maple back, lends this Dread profound clarity, and an easy richness in the lower and middle registers.

With frets freshly leveled, crowned, and polished by our very own repair staff, this Noble neck has a silk-smooth setup, and can offer an impressive amount of projection, even by Dreadnought standards, without the need for an aggressive attack. Flatpicked Bluegrass tunes are rich and creamy, or if Blues is more to your liking the snappy bass strings have plenty of heft to fill out your arrangements. Over 15 years old, this Noble has opened up nicely, and is only going to get better with time–if you’re looking for that Dreadnought sound in a more easily playable package that can also handle delicate styles, this Noble Dread is just the thing.