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CLASSICAL GUITARS
"High" Renaissance RF6 Nylon Hybrid, Cedar top, fancy claro walnut body, All Gloss finish, beautiful colored wood purfling, this guitar is the perfect classical electric, capable of loud volumes with technique as delicate as you like, the best of both worlds.
• The thinline body is built like a fine acoustic guitar, but with an additional mahogany center block to cut feedback.
• Nut width, 1 7/8"; spacing at bridge, 2 5/16"
• A Turner piezo bridge pick-up feeds full-spectrum signals to an 18-volt Turner pre-amp
• Low-noise volume and tone controls
• Designed from scratch to produce premium acoustic tone as an amplifiable, recordable electronic signal.
• Cash price, $1854
• see http://www.renaissanceguitars.com/renac.html for more detailed info.
1963 Martin 000-28C, One of Martin's higher quality classical guitars, based on their 12-fret 000 body, out of beautiful Brazilian rosewood. There is one repaired crack in the side, lots of pickwear on the top. These are often converted to steel string.
• Cash price, $3195
1960's Gibson C-0, Excellent condition oldie; vintage mojo at a very affordable price.
• Cash price, $375
1996 Richard Prenkert, Cedar and EI rosewood, excellent condition and sound, very well known local builder, stdent of John Gilbert. Excellent condition, clear, strong trebles, nice bass—a concert quality instrument.
• Cash price, $3500
2004 Jesús Bellido, Model 5, cedar and EI rosewood, French polish finish. Jesús is the son of Manuel Bellido, and a fine builder in his own right. They share his fathers shop at Paseo de las Palmas, 1 in Granada. The guitar is in excellent condition, the tone is explosive, full and balanced: strong across its whole range. Scale is 650, nut width 50 mm (2").
• Cash price, $3000
We also have a full selection of high-quality student grade classicals, from $205-$600 by La Patrie (Godin/Seagull), as well as sized guitars for children. We start at 5 years old, which we feel is the youngest age for 6-string learning, with a 1/8 size, then we have 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4.
• Call for more information.
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INDEPENDENT LUTHIER GUITARS
Robert Anderson 00.5 Brazilian, A beautiful new guitar from Victoria, B.C. Back & sides are gorgeous fancy Brazilian rosewood; top is Sitka Spruce that was salvaged from pilings and air dried for about 25 years. Robert split the billets from 5 foot long quarters of the actual logs. These particular tops are uncommonly rich in tone and much warmer than other Sitka. The bindings are flame maple with a tastefully thin abalone rosette. Tonally, it is loud and clear with a full frequency range: a true concert solo guitar. String spacing is 1.75" x 2.25".
• Cash Price, $6750
John How XC, X Braced Concert, Curly maple & Lutz spruce, with a subtle vintage looking hand-rubbed sunburst under nitro. A very sweet small guitar with a gigantic vintage vibe. 13 5/8" wide, 1 3/4" x 1 5/16" string spacing.
• Sold
John How XGC, Based on the Stella guitars of the 1920's, this one differs in that it is X-Braced. The idea came from a very nice Stella we had that had been rebraced, with very successful results—it sounds amazing! This Grand Concert from John is 14 5/8" wide, with very enticing flame mahogany—it glistens, some would even say it glows—and Lutz spruce, a mating of Sitka and Engelmann. Other features are bone pins, upgraded colored wood purflings & nitro finish. Must be played to be believed (you could say that about all guitars;) it's a very light guitar with quick response, and a delicate yet full tone. All in all, a delicious guitar to play and hear. 1 3/4" x 1 5/16".
• Cash price, $4800
Howard Klepper GFKL, Adirondack top, East Indian rosewood back and sides, three-piece neck, sound ports. This is a long-scale 16" guitar built for Alan Smithline to demonstrate at the 2005 Healdsburg show, recently converted for right-handed play. The tone is crisp and balanced, and Howard's guitars get louder faster than anyone else's, so the tone seems to burst from the depths of the guitar. This one could make anyone looking for a modern or vintage rosewood guitar very happy.
• Cash price, $3750
Howard Klepper HRW Multiscale, Port Orford cedar top, Honduras Rosewood back and sides, with the exquisite design and details Howard is known for, like a five-piece neck, double sides, a sound port and an elevated fingerboard. This one has the openness of a great vintage parlor guitar, but it's a parlor on steroids--sheer power in the piano-like bass combines with a ringing treble so it can go from a purr to a roar instantly and beautifully. Tonally, it's a rare match of delicacy and muscle.
• Cash price, $7250
Kramer Prairie Grass 12-Fret Cutaway, A mini Dreadnought shape, 12-frets to the body with cutaway, out of European spruce and quartersawn Madagascar rosewood, maple purfling and koa bindingThis is another example of Sparky's outstanding workmanship, eye for beauty, ear for sound and understanding of the subtleties that make an instrument feel so right.
• Sold
Kramer Big Skye, Another strikingly beautiful 14 5/8 wide 14-Fret guitar from this wonderful craftsman from Truckee, CA, out of Ziricote and European spruce. As we've come to expect from Sparky, this guitar is a tonal wonder—powerful across the board—and a dream to play. The headplate, back headplate and rosette are matching ziricote, scale length is 25 1/2", nut width is 1 3/4, bridge is 2 1/4", tuners are Gotoh open/butterbean style.
• Cash price, $5895
Kramer Prairie Grass Narra, Sparky's newest, his second with the sound port. The first was extremely successful - and so is this one. The back & sides are Narra, a rare hard wood native to the Solomon Islands (South Pacific, east of Borneo). Binding and headstock overlay are Madagascar rosewood, rosette is Madagascar and koa, nut is 1 3/4, scale is 25.5". This box has a clear fundamental, like mahogany, with beautiful overtones somewhat reminiscent of rosewood.
• Cash price, $5875
1996 Grit Laskin, Brazilian rosewood 12-Fret 14 5/8" body, 25 1/2" scale, with Grit's built in ebony armrest. One of Grit's more tasteful inlay patterns, though still very ornate, the peghead and fingerboard subtlely depict a natural shore scene, with the sun or moon low on the horizon, light glinting in the water accompanied by shore birds and seals. Based on a classical shape, with elaborate pearl and wood rosette, 1 7/8" x 2 3/16" string spacing Current cost of this instrument today would be approx. $19K.,
• Cash price, $9,950
2003 McCollum Grand Auditorium, Walnut (extremely gorgeous flamed) and Italian spruce, B-Band AST p-up, Whitman tuner, koa binding, abalone rosette, and a five-piece mahogany/koa/walnut neck. A beautifylly made 16" small jumbo, this box has a lot of bass in it, while the walnut adds a punchy quality; it's particularly suited to open tunings. The very snazzy tight grain, silky top is finished with a gentle toner which is perfectly matched with the koa binding and the incredible walnut. This is a subtley beautifull guitar, though the walnut is way too beautiful to be called subtle! String spacing is traditional OM, my favorite: 1 3/4 x 2 3/8.
• Cash price, $4950.
Merrill OM-28, Adirondack/Brazilian (AAA Grade), Another stunning OM from Jim Merrill. This guitar is perfect in every detail, with an incredible powerfull yet sweet tone. The Brazilian rosewood, supplied by us, is vintage quality quartersawn AAA grade. A unique instrument of the highest quality!
• Cash price, $9490
Merrill OM-18, All hide glue (Jim's first), ivoroid bound body, fingerboard and headstock, herringbone, tastefully inlaid, shaded top.
• Nearing completion!
Merrills coming: 000 12-Fret, cocobolo/Carpathian; C-28; C-28 12-Fret.
1988 Schoenberg Soloist, Made at the Martin factory under the unique arrangement between Eric, Dana Bourgeois and Martin that started off Schoenberg Guitars just a couple years before this guitar was made. It has Brazilian rosewood back & sides and Engelmann spruce top and is in almost perfect like new condition. Teardrop pickguard, pyramid bridge, beautiful woods; Waverly tuners and pickup endpin have been added. The sound of this guitar is very clean, with a soaring treble with a full compliment of overtones—one of the characteristics of a great OM—matched by a moderately crisp bass that balances very nicely in volume.
• Nut: 1 3/4"', bridge: 2 3/8"
• Cash price, $8650
1998 Schoenberg 000 Standard, Indian/Engelmann, pyramid bridge, 12-Fret 000, solid peghead, excellent condition. This was the first Schoenberg to arrive here in CA from MA, and sold in 15 minutes. The owner has treasured it all these years, but just traded it in against a new Schoenberg 'O'.
• Cash price, $6250
2003 Schoenberg 00 Soloist, We call this model our 00-OM, in that it is an OM in all respects except it's a 00 box instead of 000. This means a couple of things: the neck dimensions are OM width and the scale is longer; thus we have a superlative concert-quality instrument in every way, just a different balance than the standard 000-size OM. This one is European spruce and drop-dead gorgeous AAAA grade Brazilian rosewood. It is very even, rich, pure toned with sparkle in the treble and open, smooth bass. Other attributes include pyramid bridge, ivoroid binding with herringbone inlay around the body, inlaid ivoroid logo in peghead veneer, long pattern diamond-and-squares in fingerboard, OM-style vintage brown pickguard, varnish fingerboard. Strap buttons have been added
• By Bruce Sexauer & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $9450
2006 Schoenberg Soloist 000C, About two years old, out of top-grade Brazilian rosewood and aged European spruce (from Sweden, uncovered by Martin when they bought Levin Guitars), pyramid bridge, snakewood binding with flamed maple purflings, inlaid ivoroid logo, one small repaired ding in top, otherwise as new condition. We feel this guitar outshines most Soloists.
• By Bruce Sexauer & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $8425
2005 Schoenberg Standard 00, Brazilian rosewood, exotic and quartersawn, and Italian spruce, both the highest grade woods. This 12-fret 00 has pearl rosette and inlay on the top, koa binding, and no backstripe, to show off the fine figure of the Brazilian rosewood. Exceptionally responsive, the lightest touch brings out bass notes from a velvet black background and trebles that threaten to float off the fingerboard, so bell-like do they become up the neck. It's more sweet than dark overall, this guitar, but you can push the darkness if you like or let the sweetness predominate. It's a rare combination -- it's clear and loud but it can be intimate, very intimate. If you ordered a custom Schoenberg, you might want it to be like this one.
• By Robert Anderson & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash Price, $8985
Schoenberg 0C Standard, Carpatian spruce from Eastern Europe and AAAA grade Brazilian rosewood. As in all our 12-Fret 0's, this is an exceptionally superb guitar, very rich and full, proving that size doesn't really matter. The nut width is 1 13/16" it has a pyramid bridge, abalone rosette, snakewood binding, traditional short pattern diamond & square inlays, inlaid ivoroid logo. I cannot emphasize the quality of this instrument enough. Some other guitar dealers can use super flowery language to descibe the qualities of not-always-truly superb instruments; I don't know how to do that, or don't want to. All I can say is, "I wish you could play and hear this box, it's beautiful!"
• By Bruce Sexauer & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $11,400
Schoenberg 13-Fret 00C, Carpathian spruce and black cocobolo, the 13-Fret configuration is done to lower the bridge 9/16", bringing in some of the 12-fret quality of sound. This beautiful cocobolo is from a single source—a small shop in Paracho, Mexico, and has never been seen elsewhere. The Carpathian spruce is a recent find to the guitar world; it is soft, yet super stiff, and tends to add a lot of sustain and bass, while the cocobolo adds clarity and punch: a perfect yin/yang situation. Other features include pyramid bridge, bloodwood binding, logo inlaid in ivoroid. This box is one of the more surprising instruments tonewise. The sound is unbelievably big - full, powerful bass and incredible treble: too good to be true!
Cash price, $8950
Schoenberg 00C Soloist, Sunburst, Carpathian spruce, quartersawn Brazilian, what we like to call our Cutaway 00-OM. Martin's 14-fret 00s were all short scale and mahogany; we believe that changing the specs to long scale produces an instrument with all the power and complexity of a standard 15" OM, with possibly a different eq and a smaller body for comfort. This instrument is very large sounding, with plenty of the sparkly treble that comes out of the smaller boxes.
• By Bruce Sexauer & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $11,850
Schoenberg 000C Standard, Koa and Adirondack 12-fret 000 cutaway. This is an exemplary guitar, very clean & pristine tone, beautifully crisp, perfect craftmanship with wonderfully curly koa. Pyramid bridge, colored purfling rosette—a very nice and unusual touch, subtle laminated peghead veneer, Brazilian rosewood peghead veneer, binding, heelcap and end plate.
• By Alan Perlman & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $8450
Schoenberg Soloist 000C, Curly mahogany, fancy Adirondack spruce, beautiful detailing with vintage style tortoiseshell appointments (binding and peghead veneer). The Soloist is our name for the OM model: 14 frets to the body, 1 13/16" at the nut. This guitar is truly alive—intense, deep bass, with an overlay of luster in the treble, totally alive, giving out seemingly way more than you put into it. An unbelievable mahogany guitar!
• By James Russell & Eric Schoenberg
• Cash price, $6950
• On Hold
Schoenberg 000 Standard, Rich, deep red cocobolo back & sides, Carpathian spruce top, body bound in ebony, structurally patterned strongly on Martin's 1929 12-fret 000, with thin pearl border and rosette, pyramid bridge, solid peghead. The tone is nothing short of explosive, though not edgy at all. The Coco/Carpathian combination is turning out to be very successful, since the cocobolo is bright and powerful, while the Carpathian is bassy and devoid of attack (edge). The nut width is 1 13/16" though because of the neck shape it feels narrow, and traditional early Martin string spacing at the bridge. One of the best sounding Schoenbergs ever!
• By James Russell & Eric Schoenberg
• Sold
Stewball Leadbelly 12-String, Made by Stewart Port, as a non-copy of the original long scale Stella 12-strings, with refinements from Stewart's vast experience with vintage instruments and beyond. Pin bridge, 26" scale, mahogany and spurce and tuned to a low 'B'. The tone is quite intense, and needs to be played to be believed!
• Cash price, $3845
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NEW STEEL STRINGS
Art & Lutherie Ami, Parlor size, by Godin, available in steel and nylon stringed versions, super as travel or student instruments, hopefully always in stock.
• Almost Always in Stock
Art & Lutherie Folk Cedar, By Godin, a solid spruce top makes this one of the great price/quality successes.
• Almost Always in Stock
Asturias Solo Deluxe, A Schoenberg Soloist copy produced by Asturias, the former Schopenberg distributor for Japan, it is slightly smaller than an OM, with cutaway and all solod spruce and rosewood. The Deluxe body is bound in abalone a la Martin style 40, with the style-45 neck inlays—torch on peghead, white binding all around. The nut width is 1 3/4", and the tone is remarkably big.
• Cash Price, $2496
Asturias Standard Spruce, A Schoenberg Soloist copy produced by Asturias, the former Schopenberg distributor for Japan, it is slightly smaller than an OM, with cutaway and all solid spruce and rosewood. Body is beautifully bound in maple with nut width of 1 11/16".
• Cash Price, $1440
Asturias Standard C, A Schoenberg Soloist copy produced by Asturias, the former Schopenberg distributor for Japan, it is slightly smaller than an OM, with cutaway and all solid cedar and rosewood. Body is beautifully bound in maple with nut width of 1 11/16".
• Cash Price, $1240
Blueridge Guitars, A branch of Saga Musical Instruments. These are phenomenal values, with tone unheard of at these price levels, indicative of the great strides being made by Chinese musical instrument manufacturers. Patterned after true vintage models, these boxes get an amazingly good sound quality. These are the long-awaited (by us) Blueridge 000 size: more comfortable, more healthy for nerves and tendons, and more balanced tone of the smaller bodies. Solid spruce top with forward-shifted, pre-war style scalloped X braces. We carry the ooo size Blueridges since they have plenty of power and volume, so who needs a dreadnought. And being smaller, they are far superior ergonomically, especially for student instruments.
• Our full set-up, custom for each buyer
• BR-43, 000-size. Solid top, mahogany b & s, $369
• BR-63, 000-size. Solid top, rosewood b & s, $419
• BR-73, 000-size. Solid top, Brazilian rosewood (laminate) b & s, the traditional "42" style inlay. $639
• BR-143, All solid, long scale, the right size (000), mahogany back & sides. Remarkable tone, coming from the unbeatable concept of repeating the traditional styles that work instead of always trying to reinvent the wheel. $565
• BR-163, All solid, long scale, the right size (000), rosewood back & sides. Dreadnoughts have been foisted on us for years—finally we have great choices in real guitar sizes. $669
• BG-40, solid spruce top, mahogany back & sides, Blueridge slope-shouldered box patterned on the great Gibson Jumbo design. Remarkable quality to cost ratio, possibly the best in the industry for many decades. $429
• BG-140, beautiful rendition of the old Gibson J-45 style slope shoulder box, sunburst and nicely inlaid. What a great sounding guitar! Very flatpick-able as well as fingerpick-able. All solid spruce and mahogany....$595 .. Sold.
• BR-143 Custom, 000 box, Special custom order: All solid mahogany & spruce, custom 1 3/4" nut, no pickguard, no yellow stain on the top, simpler peghead inlay and drop-in saddle, $575
• BR-341, At last a small bodied high-quality guitar at an affordable price. Based on a specific Martin 0-18 from 1906, this one, at 14", is between a '0' and a '00' and offers a wider neck and slotted peghead. The tone is surprisingly strong and rich—these have been possibly the most popular model here lately. $845
• BR-361, Same as the 341 except rosewood body, herringbone rosette and ivoroid tuner buttons. Modelled on a 1906 Martin, these guitars offer qualities never before found in this price range. We've been selling them to owners of great vintage instruments, to be used for gigging, travelling etc. The tone is surprisingly strong and rich—these have been possibly the most popular model here lately. $1059
Goodall Grand Concert Cutaway, Rosewood/Adirondack, smallest (15") jumbo from Goodall, sort of a jumbo-shaped OM. This is a powerful, yet balanced guitar; lots of bass, yet treble that fights back! Curly koa binding, 1 3/4" nut width, 25.5" scale.
• Cash price, $4985
Goodall Trad OM Cutaway, A beautiful OM with a gentle cutaway, Adirondack spruce and curly mahogany. Features include herringbone around the body and rosette, slotted diamond pearl inlays, Waverly tuners with ivoroid knobs, white maple body and peghead binding, boxwood pins and bone nut & saddle. Scale is 25.5", spacing is 1 3/4 x 2 5/16"
• Cash Price, $4944
Goodall Concert Jumbo Cutaway Custom Koa/Ad, AAA grade curly koa with AAA Adirondack top, abalone rosette, diamond fretboard inlay. The body, peghead and fingerboard binding are E.I. rosewood; the peghead veneer, fretfoard and bridge are ebony. I like this jumbo body because it is smaller than any others, 15 3/4" at the bottom bout and only 4 1/4" deep. I ordered it custom with the scalloped bracing that is found in Goodall's traditional models. The nut width is 1 3/4" with 2 5/16" spacing at the bridge, also specs from traditional models that I'm particularly fond of.
• Cash Price, $5649
Guild GAD-30, Orchestra body, based on the original Guild F-30 (actually based specifically on a 1957 F-30 that Fender purchased from us), solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, mahogany neck, wood binding. One feature that differs from the '57 is wider string spacing: 1 3/4" x 2 3/8.
• We have two finishes available: Natural, and a very nice vintage amber Sunburst.
• Cash Price, $680, w/hsc
Guild GAD-30R, Orchestra body, based on the original Guild F-30 (actually based specifically on a 1957 F-30 that Fender purchased from us), solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, mahogany neck, wood binding. One feature that differs from the '57 is wider string spacing: 1 3/4" x 2 3/8. Available in Natural and Sunburst.
• Cash Price, $717, w/hsc
New US-Made Guilds:
Guild F-30 Aragon, In stock in both natural finish and iced-tea sunburst. This is Guild's reincarnation of their best model (in our biased opinion, since it's very close to an OM) from the early days when they were made in Hoboken, NJ. One major difference: Red Spruce top and braces. The quality is exceedingly good, with a warm, full, balanced and open tone. The iced tea sunburst is patterned after the 1930 (early) Martin brown shaded sunbursts, ans is for me the nicest sunburst going.
• Cash price, $1495
Guild F-40, Similar to above except 16" at the lower bout, Iced Tea Sunburst (nicest sunburst available anywhere!), Adirondack spruce top and mahogany back and sides. This is one hell of a guitar! Congratulations to Guild for bringing the brand back to its best quality.
• Sold
Larrivée Parlor-05, Mahogany and spruce, similar in size to a Martin size 1, just a hair wider and half an inch shorter in body length; this is a very appealing travel guitar or comfy, sit-and--play-on-the-couch guitar. The tone is surprisingly full, even as a new guitar; a little breaking-in will go a long ways. Nut width is 1 3/4", scale length 24".
• Cash Price, $985, w/hard shell case
Larrivée Parlor-09, Rosewood and spruce, similar in size to a Martin size 1, just a hair wider and half an inch shorter in body length; this is a very appealing travel guitar or comfy, sit-and--play-on-the-couch guitar. The tone is surprisingly full, even as a new guitar; a little breaking-in will go a long ways. Nut width is 1 3/4", scale length 24".
• Cash price, $1224, w/hard shell case
Larrivée OM-03, Wonderful student grade OM with 1 3/4" nut width, which we recommend for new guitarists; it gives enough room to get chords with every note clear, without having to do digital calisthenics.
• Satin finish with clear pickguard.
• Mahogany back & sides
• Sold
Larrivée OM-03R, Same as the OM-03 with a rosewood back & sides instead of mahogany, therefore somewhat warmer, deeper sounding. Both of these models are an exciting addition to the shop in that they offer a very special value not available in any other line.
• Nut width 1 3/4"
• Cash price, $1095
Larrivée OMV-09, The rosewood version of the above OMV-05. they are 1/4" wider and 1/4" deeper than the traditional OM, scale length is 25.5", a tenth of an inch longer than the Martin spec, nut width is 1 3/4". These are beautifully made, full and clear and very musical sounding boxes. We are very pleased to have added this wonderful line to the shop.
• Cash Price: $2029
Martin Back Packer, It's been to outer space! With padded carrying bag, now in nylon and steel string version. New & improved with larger body for fuller sound.
• Includes gig bag
• Price: $195
Martin LXM, LXME, LX!, LX1E and LXM2 the LXMB (Black) Has Fishman Mini Q pick-up, the LXM2 is faux koa. Martin's brand new travel guitar, out of HPL and Stratabond, sounds great; the best travel guitar on the made today for the $, as well as a great 3/4 size steel string for kids.
• Includes nice gig bag
• Our full set-up, custom for each buyer
• MAP Price: LXM, LXK2 & LXMB, $279; LX1, $299; LXME, $339; LX1E, $359
Martin 00-15, All solid mahogany and a perfect size. This model is part of a long tradition of economically priced but high quality instruments, often being quite popular due to the sweet warm tone of the mahogany.
• List price, $1249; MAP, $949
MARTIN 000-15S, This all-solid mahogany model, is a 000 size 12-fret body style. This means that the body is quite a bit longer than the more common 14-fret body, thus giving it a fuller, deeper tone. Another advantage (for some) is the slightly wider neck. part of a long tradition of economically priced but high quality instruments, often being more popular than expected because of the sweet warm tone of the mahogany.
• Sold
Martin OMC-16RE Aura, Rosewood & spruce, this instrument features the magic of the OM model with the Schoenberg cutaway, all solid spruce and rosewood. On top of all that, you have the new Fishman Aura system, possibly the height of technology in acoustic guitar pick-ups today.
• List price, $2999; MAP, $2199
Martin OM-21, How wonderful it is that the Martin company has created this model and kept it as a standard catalogued item. As you may know, we're maniacs for OMs, and remember very well when they were an exclusive item, only available as a rare vintage guitar. This model helped make the OM a people's fingerpicking guitar! This one has particularly nice wood, especially the Indian rosewood, which may be the nicest set I've seen.
• List price, $2599; MAP, $1949
Martin OM-21 Special, A new OM, with vintage features including the pyramid bridge with drop-in saddle (yeah!), custom ordered with no toner on the top, full scalloped 1/4" braces, Low Profile neck, spacing of 1 3/4" x 2 1/4". We love OMs, and now we have another with which to enrich the world.
• On Order
Martin M-38, A brand new old model. A wonderful new model in the mid-Seventies, these have been rare and sought after. Now the model has been reintroduced. It was based on a particular instrument that ended up in David Bromberg's hands, an arched-top Martin from the Thirties that had the top replaced with a flat top by Marc Silber. Basically a bigger 000—we called it a quadruple-0— still the same depth as a 000 but 16" wide, long scale, it works much like an OM with more bass. It's success came from it's versatility as both fingerstyle and flatpicker, with the cleaner bass that comes from the thinner body. Standard X Scalloped Braces, forward shifted, abalone style 45 rosette, Sitka spruce top, IE rosewood back & sides, 1 11/16" nut width, Low Profile neck, Vintage toner finish.
• List price, $4199; MAP, $3199
Martin 00-18V, Mahogany/spruce. We're excited about this one because the 00 size has been ignored by steel-string makers for a long time, and it's a delightful size. The 00s from the 1930s have been very hot lately, with prices reaching into 5 figures, and this one is a reproduction. 1 3/4" nut width, 2 1/4" spacing at bridge, modified V neck shape, 24.9" scale length and 1/4" scalloped braces.
• Sold
Martin OMC-18 Custom Edition Laurence Juber, A new run of the mahogany LJ, an open-ended Custom Edition, this new edition includes the volute, two-way truss rod, headplate of Madagascar rosewood, and a much improved modified V neck. Other features include Adirondack top, 1/4" scalloped braces, tortoise binding, 1 3/4" x 2 1/4", extra-light construction, and no external signature.
• This one is #14
• List price, $4599; MAP, $3699
Martin 00-21 Custom, There was only one 14-fret 00-21 made in the 30s, and here it is again. Adirondack spruce, IE rosewood, OM neck spacing, 21 appointments such as herringbone rosette and tortoiseshell binding. An OM pickguard is a perfect touch for this smaller body. We had a used Custom with these features a couple years ago, and it was so successful we decided to order another one.
• Sold, replacement on order.
Martin 00-28 Cutaway Custom, 12-Fret Cutaway, slot-head, Adirondack/Indian, herringbone purfling, long scale, pyramid bridge, Low Oval neck. We love to order customs from Martin which combine our favorite qualities. The idea of a Cutaway 12-Fret is intriquing in that it offers full access (better than a 14-Fretter) with the very appealing tone of a 12-Fret body. The 00 size has been grossly under-represented in the catalogues of modern guitar manufactures, unfortunately so, since they seem to offer a perfect balanced tone and ultimate comfort of playing.
• On Order
Martin OMC-28 Custom, Adirondack, Indian, vintage spacing.
• On Order
Martin Ditson lll, 12-Fret Dreadnought, Adirondack/mahogany, absolutely incredible! A couple years ago, we had what I felt was one of the rarest and finest of vintage Martins, a 1929 Ditson lll dreadnought. I'm not a dreadnought person, but I've always had a weakness for the 12-fret ones; to me, they're more like 12-fret 000s on steroids. The first D, it has 12 frets to the body and is as light as a feather. Martin has been very wise to build a replica, and this one is perfect. Adirondack top, mahogany b & s, pyramid bridge (the originals had flat wings), great old-style neck shape, with nut width of 1 7/8", unbelievable tone. This one is a total winner.
• Back in stock! List price, $6499; MAP $5199
Martin D-18 Authentic; The furthest step so far by Martin in their vintage reproduction series, the Authentic incorporates many more of those features that have created the "old Martin" mystique, such as hide glue construction, old style "T" bar, truer vintage specs and materials, as well as cosmetic vintage touches. On top of all this, it's gratifying to note that the model chosen is the high-X braced D-18, which has been one of the true standouts from the 1930s. The bassiest of the bracing patterns with the light construction of the time combined with the clarity of mahogany and Adirondack seems to be one of those magical yin-yang connections. Now that the originals have reached the financial stratosphere, mere mortals can have the Authentic. Our third D-18 A - this has been an extremely popular model!
• List price, $8499; MAP $6799
Martin 000-18 Authentic 1937, OOO sized version of the above, like having a time machine to go back to 1937, buy a new 000-18, hop back on the time bus and get off at 'now', with your brand-new 1937 000-18. This one is natural finish, mahogany and Adirondack, and custom set-up to wherever you want it.
• List, $8499; MAP $6799
Merrill OM-18, All hide glue (Jim's first), ivoroid bound body, fingerboard and headstock, herringbone, tastefully inlaid, shaded top.
• Nearing completion!
Merrill OM-28, Adirondack/Brazilian (AAA Grade), Another stunning OM from Jim Merrill. This guitar is perfect in every detail, with an incredible powerfull yet sweet tone, an unusually rich bottom end. The Brazilian rosewood, supplied by us, is vintage quality quartersawn AAA grade. A unique instrument of the highest quality!
• Cash price, $9490
Norman B-20 Folk, by Godin, a fabulous favorite for years here, better than the Seagull Folk to our ears because it has a spruce top instead of the cedar. The size is that of a classical guitar with a little extra depth. We've been selling them for years!
• Always in stock.
Recording King RO-26, 000 size,e, all solid, African mahogany and Engelmann spruce, with classy vintage features and a big, full sound. The nut is 1 3/4" wide, a great advantage especially for learners.
• Cash price, $395
Recording King RO-27, 000 size, all solid, Indian rosewood and Engelmann spruce, with classy vintage features and a big, full sound. The nut is 1 3/4" wide, a great advantage especially for learners.
• Cash price, $516
Seagull Grand, by Godin, a perennial favorite of ours, parlor size, solid cedar top, steel string,
• Almost always in stock.
Simon and Patrick Parlor, by Godin, an absolutely wonderful small-bodied inexpensive guitar that sounds as good as many bigger, more expensive guitars. Solid spruce top, mahogany sides and back.
• Almost always in stock
NEW: Trinity College TG-10, A brand new model, a clone of the TG-100 at, amazingly enough, a much cheaper price. How in the world to they do it?
• Features: Long scale,lightly braced, 1 3/4" nut, 15 5/16" lower bout, mahogany back & sides, solid spruce top, 12-frets with cutaway.
• Cash price, $490
NEW: Trinity College TG-20, The rosewood version of the aforementioned TG-10, features include long scale,lightly braced, 1 3/4" nut, 15 5/16" lower bout, rosewood back & sides, solid spruce top, 12-frets with cutaway.
• Cash price, $529
Trinity College TG-100, A surprisingly good sounding version of Saga's new Trinity College Schoenberg clone, All solid cedar and mahogany make a smooth, rich toned instrument, and of course we like the wider spacing and cutaway. It is 12 frets to the body, 25 3/4" scale, just a little bit larger than the traditional OM and our Soloist.
• Nut width 1 3/4"
• Cash price, $969
Trinity College TG-120, This is the 14-fret version of the TC-100, cedar and mahogany, just like the TC-202 and 222 are 12 & 14-fret versions of otherwise similar boxes. The unusual way that Saga has designed this is that the 12-fret and 14-fret bodies are the same; the 2 fret difference is accomodated for solely by moving the bridge 1.5" lower on the twelve fretter.
• Nut width 1 3/4"
• Out of stock
Trinity College TG-202, The 12-fret model of this sort-of Schoenberg Soloist clone by Saga. It's all solid rosewood and spruce with rosewood/maple binding and scalloped braces. The Schoenberg cutaway is, in my view (obviously) ideal. Body is 15 5/16" wide, depth is 4 1/8", neck width is 1 3/4 x 2 3/8", copied off of a Schoenberg Soloist.
• Out of Stock
Trinity College TG-222, The 14-fret model of this part Schoenberg Soloist clone by Saga. It's all solid rosewood and spruce with rosewood/maple binding and scalloped braces. The Schoenberg cutaway is, in my view (obviously) ideal. Body is 15 5/16" wide, depth is 4 1/8", neck width is 1 3/4 x 2 3/8", copied off of a Schoenberg Soloist.•
• Cash price, $1125
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MANDOLINS
The Wade 1923 Loar, By Yoichi Ueda, an extremely detailed work of art, among the finest of current Loar-style instruments being built today. Top is Adirondack spruce, back & sides are beautiful flamed maple, finish is hand-rubbed spirit varnish with hand-rubbed sunburst, the Loar flower pot on the peghead, solid pearl nut. Great projection and volume, very accurately patterned after the Monroe F-5.
• Cash Price, $6150
1911 Gibson A, Excellent condition, loud and clear toned A model, all original except for missing pickguard and better-than-forgery grade bridge.
• Sold
1917 Gibson A #34121, excellent condition, all original pumpkin top. This one is as nice as you'll ever find! Sounds great, plays great, looks great.
• Cash price, $1685
1919 Martin Style B, In excellent original condition, quarter-sawn, dead straight grain Brazilian rosewood and Adirondack spruce. The workmanship is the same perfection and grace as Martin's pre-1940's guitars.
• Cash Price, $1225, w/ orig. hsc
Late Teens F-4, lots of mojo and great vibes, with an unknown heel repair (covered in black). All original, including a very nice original hard shell case.
• Cash price, $4950
1932 Gibson C-1, Very rare (first I've seen!) post Army-Navy model, these were made for Kel Kroyden. We think the pickguard has been added—it looks right except it looks too new.
Cash price, $1150
1937 Gibson A-00, We're not sure—this might be called an A-1; it's a rare ƒ-hole model, wider body than standard for A models, excellent condition.
• Cash price, $2350
1937 Gibson A-00, We're not sure—this might be called an A-1; it's a rare ƒ-hole model, excellent condition. Yes, we have two of them. Actually three—look at the next item...
• Cash price, $2350
1937 Gibson A-1, We're not sure—this might be called an A-50; it's a rare ƒ-hole model, wider body than standard for A models, excellent condition, Nick Lucas styly fingerboard and peghead inlays, fabulous curly maple and sunburst finish. The serial number dates it as 1937, but included with the mandolin is the original American Railway Express Co. Shippers Collect Receipt from 225 Parsons St. to Lismore, Minn, declared value of $50 and dated Oct. 1, 1936.
• Cash price, $2750
Regal Arch-Top, Monkey Wards by Regal, the flat top/back version is pretty common and not all that interesting. I'd never seen this snazzy arched top/back version; definitely the deluxe model. Very loud!
• Sold
2001 Gibson A5L, As new condition, Highly figured maple back and sides are among the outstanding features in the overall appearance of this teardrop shaped instrument. The metal components are gold plated, and it does include the Gibson pickguard. Above all, the tone quality from this mandolin is exquisite. It rings like a bell up the neck, has a deep and full overall timbre, and the chops have the desireable "bark" produced from an excellent mandolin.
• Cash price, $2995
National RM-1 Antique Brass, A new concept for National, they were inspired by a rare pre-war wood bodied National mandolin, this new mandolin has traditional features like the biscuit bridge combined with modern touches such as an intonated saddle and a comfortably radiused fingerboard. The art deco cast tailpiece is a National exclusive. With the best modern gears, this new mandolin stays and plays in tune better than any mandolins in National’s history. The musical tone and sheer versatility of this instrument will impress many musicians. While it has all the power and projection that you would expect from a resonator instrument, it also has a sweet, woody sound with terrific tonal balance. The most common musician’s reaction is that it sounds like a fine wooden mandolin played through an excellent PA system. The new National mandolin is the perfect instrument for both the serious mandolinist and for guitarists looking for a second instrument. Sweet, yet loud; lyrical, yet powerful. The Antique Brass resonator plate is beautiful! Check out http://www.nationalguitars.com/index_ie.html for more info, photo and sound clip of Rich Del Grosso playing one
• Cash price, $1775
Kentucky KM-162, New model, natural finish, all solid and carved, adjustable truss rod, absolutely amazing at this price!
• Price, $246
Kentucky KM-250, Saga has recently upgraded these mandos: they are all solid (maple & spruce,) hand-carved and graduated, radiused fingerboard, high-quality nickel-plated tuners. And they sound great!.
• Price, $369
Kentucky KM-675, Saga has recently upgraded these mandos: they are all solid (maple & spruce,) hand-carved and graduated, radiused fingerboard, high-quality nickel-plated tuners. And they sound great!
• Cash price, $689
Kentucky KM-1000, Only the finest American spruce and maple is hand-carved and graduated for the tops and backs of this newly redesigned top-of-the-line Loar F-5. Now made in a five-man shop under exacting standards.
• Cash price, $1495
Eastman MD-505, A-5 style (A body with elevated fingerboard and ƒ-holes), same construction as the fancier models and a fabulous price-point; a student-priced instrument with professional quality function.
• Cash Price, $549
Eastman MD-515, Eastman's newest line, the 500 series, is fully in their tradition of releasing less expensive models that are just as good, if not better, than the higher models. Same woods: spruce anbd maple, a little plainer in decoration...but not much, the metal parts aren't gold plated, Sunburst Varnish; loud, clear, plenty of bark; a top quality professional instrument. A nice touch is the curved fingerboard.
• Cash Price, $995
Eastman MD-614, The venerable Gibson F-4, Gibson's highest grade round-hole mandolin, has a sweeter tone than the ƒ-hole mandos of otherwise similar design, fully hand-carved of the best materials.
• Cash Price, $1295
Eastman MD-615, Eastman's great mid-level F-5 style mandolin, hand-carved back with sunburst top and beautiful antique red finish on back & sides. Other than the nickel tailpiece and the finish, it's exactly the same as the MD815!
• Cash Price, $1239
Eastman MD-805, A-5 style, an extra-fine hand carved, rich varnish sunburst finish; very alive and full sounding, excellent neck shape. From the first batch of this new line made by China's leading maker of violin family instruments.
• Cash Price, $1125
Eastman MD-814, ƒ-style roundhole, Eastman's version of the old Gibson F-4, a brilliant, loud, clear sounding mandolin. It is fully hand-carved by expert violin builders in Beijing, China. The finish is hand-applied violin varnish
• Cash Price, $1649
Eastman MD-814, Golden Age finish—an extremely beautiful natural finish with a honey-colored stain. F style roundhole, Eastman's version of the old Gibson F-4, a brilliant, loud, clear sounding mandolin. It is fully hand-carved by expert violin builders in Beijing, China.
• Cash Price, $1575
Eastman MD-815, Classic finish, which is a reddish brown spirit varnish vintage style finish, F-model with ƒ-holes and elevated fingerboard. The top and back are hand carved and top-of-the-line quality, giving the instrument a rich, bright, loud sound with plenty of bark. These Eastman mandos compare favorable with hand-made and vintage instruments and therefore are remarkable quality for a lot less dollars. There are finish cracks, visible on close inspection.
• Cash Price, $1449
Eastman MDA-615 Mandola, Beautiful, deep, rich, throaty, H-5 style, meaning ƒ-hole & F-style, elevated fingerboard. Beautiful hand-applied varnish with thin laquer over-coat, hard shell case.
• Cash price, $1695
Eastman MDC-805 Mandocello, A marvelous, heretofore unavailable instrument, fully hand-carved 16" Mandocello based on the Gibson Loar mandocello of the early '20s. We've waited a long time for this one, and lo-and-behold, it's a cutaway!
• Cash price, $2035
Rover RM-75, by Saga (Kentucky), a copy of the Lloyd Loar F-5, this mandolin is all solid spruce and maple, hand-carved, nitro-cellulose laquer finish, scalloped fingerboard extension to eliminate pick noise. For it's price, it is extremely successful—you'll be shocked at how good it sounds and feels.
• Price, $479
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BANJOS
1891 Fairbanks, Double Stamp (Fairbanks and F & C), 11" head, exc. cond. 26.25" scale. Beautiful sounding classic open back, original ivoroid tail piece & hardware. Built by Fairbanks right after the F & C era, thus the double stamp. High quality skin head.
• Cash Price, $965
1900 S.S. Stewart Special Thoroughbred, This instrument plays and sounds fantastic! It is complete with all original or very-early upgraded parts. Rim measures: 11” diameter. Patent-marked neck-adjuster. The dowel Stick has an old-style Stewart stamp partially covered by a metal plaque, the metal plaque bears no markings except the letters “PAT” on one end. New high grade calfskin head, Nyl-Gut Strings, Blue-Star Mahogany bridge. Carved heel, ebony fingerboard, 3-layer, multi-color fingerboard underlay. Original Waverly friction tuners w/ grained ivoroid buttons. Original finish in excellent condition. One small inlay missing in headstock; scale: 27 7/16”.
• Cash Price, $1785
1929 Vegaphone Professional, Early individual flanges, superb 19-Fret tenor, in great shape and all original condition, including case.
• Cash price, $1200
• Gold Tone CC-50, The finest student-grade banjo I've ever seen. Used to be, you'd spend more for one from Korea that was half as good. This one is made in Florida by some folks who run a music store. Includes gig bag. Sold
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UKULELES
Martin Style 5K, New, reintroduction of possibly the best ukulele ever made, koa top, sides and back, '45' style pearl inlay (the uke version) around top, back, rosette, fingerboard and peghead, beautifully finished. The tone rings loud and clear—a very successful reproduction.
• List price, $5199; MAP price, $4199.
1920s-1930s Kumalae Soprano, Made by Jonah Kumalae, a former ivory carver and later politician, one of the most prolific uke makers in Hawaii. Excellent condition, possible style 2 or 3, nicely flamed koa, three ring rosette, no binding.
• Sold
Circa 1950's-1965 Martin 1-C Concert, in fine condition except for a glue job on the back corner of the peghead. Martin made the best sounding ukes. The repair has been redone since the photos and looks a lot better.
• Cash Price, $1385
1940's Martin T-1 Tenor, Reglued top seam, otherwise in fine condition, tortoise-shell binding. Peghead has decal with no stamp on the back, black button (Champion?) tuners.
• Cash Price, $1595
1928 Martin 5-17T, A small tenor guitar that was converted, probably around 50 years ago, to a baritone ukulele. The work looks to have been done by Vega, but that's just a guess.
• Cash price, $1725
Kala Ukes, A great line of student grade and beyond ukes. Our favorite feature is guitar-style tuners - way more user friendly than the old standard straight-through uke tuners. Call
Asturias Ukuleles, I recently came across these wonderful ukes, made by the Asturias Guitar company in Kobe, Japan, the maker of the "John Mills Model" classical guitar, one of the most esteemed production guitars to come out of Japan. I believe they're the only Asturias ukes in the country. The concert size is just a bit larger than the soprano, though tuned the same. The intention is to give a fuller sound. The neck is wider as well. It seems to be particularly popular these days. They all include a very nice gig bag now (prices varies with the exchange rate).
• Asturias Soprano 17 Mahogany, basically a copy of the Martin Style 0 with a 17 fret fingerboard.
• Asturias Soprano Koa 12, with beautiful flamed koa from Hawaii. $624
• Asturias Soprano Custom 17 Mahogany, maple bound, vary tastefully done. $624
• Asturias Concert Maho, 17 fret, maple-bound, 12 frets to the body. $576
• Asturias Concert Koa, flame koa Martin style, 17 frets and maple binding. $864 back in stock
• Asturias AH-1, Soprano, Kamaka shape, 16 frets, beautiful koa. A first-class top quality uke, includes nice gig bag. $768
• Asturias AH-2 Concert Koa, Kamaka shape, 19 frets (14 to the body). $764
• Asturias Tenor Maho, This ukulele is the only example of this model available in this country. Beautiful materials, traditional Martin-style light construction and top-flight hand craftmanship combine to create one of the finest tenors being made today. $990
• Asturias Tenor Koa, This ukulele is the only example of this model available in this country. Beautiful koa, traditional Martin-style light construction and top-flight hand craftmanship combine to create one of the finest tenors being made today. $1435
Pohaku Concert Ukulele, Koa top, sides & back, fully hand-made by Peter Hurney of Berkeley, CA. The Pohaku ukes are deeper than the standard concert model design, giving them a sweet, full sound that is particularly beautiful.
• Cash price, $900
Pohaku Concert Deluxe, Koa top, sides & back, fully hand-made by Peter Hurney of Berkeley, CA. A fancier model, with a top inlay (by the end block) reminiscent of the Martin Style 3 inlay, and wood block fingerboard inlays.
• Sold
Pohaku "Big Sistah" Tenor, Art deco design out of curly maple and spruce with a hula girl inlaid in the peghead. Bright clean tone—a uke with a very sunny disposition.
• Cash price, $1500
Myriad misc. Hilo, Mahalo, Hohner, Kala, Lanikai ukes in all sizes, all personally set-up here at the shop. It's amazing how they expect any one to learn to play, the way these things come set-up. We carefully search through what's available to find the best, then set them up for actual playing, and send back the ones that can't be set-up, usually because of a bad neck angle.
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CASES
We have a virtually new Cedar Creek Custom all leather covered 12-fret 000 case.
• Cash Price, $925
Cedar Creek Custom 1 Size, Extremely nice, great fitting. Exterior is tweed fabric (black seems to me to be the worst color for a case, unless you want to bake your instrument on a sunny day), dark green plush lining, comfortable handle, nickel hardware (none on back), double neck support.
• Cash Price, $279
Cedar Creek Custom 0-Size, Extremely nice, great fitting for 12 or 14-fret 0s. Exterior is tweed fabric (black seems to me to be the worst color for a case, unless you want to bake your instrument on a sunny day), dark green plush lining, comfortable handle, nickel hardware (none on back), double neck support.
• Cash Price, $279
Cedar Creek Custom 00-Size, Extremely nice, great fitting for 12 or 14-fret 0s. Exterior is tweed fabric (black seems to me to be the worst color for a case, unless you want to bake your instrument on a sunny day), dark green plush lining, comfortable handle, nickel hardware (none on back), double neck support.
• Cash Price, $279
Cedar Creek Custom 000 and OM case, as per the original Harptone Schoenberg cases, a smaller (00) footprint meant to redo the concept of the original 1930's Geib cases.
• Cash Price, $279
Reproduction Geib-Style (Golden Gate) F Mando, with red stripe, $99
Excellent Arch-Top 000 Hard-Shell black, from China, for only...
• $64.95 to $95
Size 1 (12 1/2 inches) Hard Shell, unavailable for eons, finally Seagull is producing this flat-top hard shell for their Parlor series, which happen to be exactly...Size 1! My wife's 1901 1-21 is comfortably ensconced in one right now, and we're happy to finally have a properly fit case for it.
• $69
Very nice ƒ-Style gig bags, $39.95, by Boulder Alpine
Various other Hard Shell Cases and Gig Bags , from TKL, Cedar Creek, Seagull, Hohner, Ritter, etc. Call or email for more info.
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