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The UPS truck arrived this morning with my FS. It was actually 1-year to the day it was ordered. The guitar is beautiful but aside from unboxing it, tuning it up, 3 minutes of play and some photos for my insurance company, I have not played it due to a crazy day at work. I should get some meaningful playing time with it tomorrow afternoon and this weekend. I will share my impressions after that.
If I can ever figure out how to modify my forum signature, I can now say that I am a Santa Cruz owner!
Not a chance…
This is our last summer at the beach cottage so we want to enjoy it. We are selling it to our niece at the end of the summer. She is going to demolish the old place (built in the 1930s) and build anew on the site. I ordered my FS a year ago. It can wait another month. I just keep a RainSong up here (the only guitar that would survive the temperature and humidity fluctuations).
An update…My FS has been shipped from SCGC last week to my dealer (Eddie’s Guitars). They were kind enough to forward me a few photos of the guitar today. Since we are currently staying at our summer beach cottage (a place where guitars go to die due to high humidity), I wont take possession of it until late August when we return home. My dealer Mathew Chulka has been known to audition guitars in their shop and make a video or two. If he does, I will share it here.
It is a large, but narrow waisted guitar (15-7/8” @ the lower bout & 4-3/8” deep at the end block) with 25-3/8” scale length, 1-3/4” nut width and 2-5/16” string spacing.
The Bachmann Italian Spruce top is finished with Santa Cruz’s nitro “buttered toast” sunburst with a Paua Abalone top purflings and rosette. Some of the fiddleback figure can be seen in the Claro Walnut framed in African Blackwood bindings with Maple purflings.
The Gaboon Ebony fretboard is clean with EVO 43080 fret wire other than a single MOP art deco inlay at the 12th fret. The purples, blues & greens of Paua Abalone shell used in the rosette and purflings contrast against the “buttered toast” top.
A simple Gaboon Ebony peghead veneer framed with a Maple purfling & African Blackwood binding. The Gotoh 510 tuners have custom Macassar Ebony buttons made by Bill Wise. The rear shop shows the beautiful piece of Honduran Mahogany the used to make neck.
The figure in the Claro Walnut extends to the rims as well.
I heard that my FS has arrived at my dealer (Eddie’s Guitars). I have not seen any photos of it yet (SCGC did not appear to include it in “just shipped” either). Neither SCGC nor my dealer notified me of its shipment or arrival. I happened inquired yesterday by email yesterday to find out.
Since it was delivered in July instead of March it was originally targeted for, it unfortunately falls during a period when we are at our beach cottage which is a place where guitars go to die (super high humidity). Therefore I will leave it with my dealer until we return home in late August. If they take photos or make videos, I will share them here.
Will Kahn who has taken the client relations reigns now that Carolyn Sills has moved on to her career in music was kind enough to send me a few photos of my FS coming out of the spray booth. Now that a “buttered toast” sunburst has been applied to the Bachmann Italian Spruce top, the Paua Abalone purfling and rosette are beginning to visually “pop”.
The flamed figure of the Claro Walnut back and sides can also now be seen a bit more clearly as can the contrasting African Blackwood binding with Maple purflings.
Still about 3-weeks out from shipping to my dealer.
Will in his new role was kind enough to send me a few shots of my FS still in white before going into finishing.
Thanks as always guys…
My cleaning and maintenance is similar to what Richard discussed with the expection of wax. I have guitars with Nitrocellulose Lacquer, Catalyzed Polyurethane, Oil Varnish and French Polish Shellac.
– After I play, I wipe the guitar with a lint free cloth
– When I change strings when they are off I use Virtuoso Premium Cleaner with a lint free cloth
– Once a year I do use Stewmac Colortone Fretboard Saver (vegetable & citrus oil)
– Once a year I do apply a drop of Singer All Purpose Machine Oil to the worm of open gear tuners
I NEVER put wax on my acoustic guitars. I sometimes apply wax to electric guitars.
Sadly, Rick was only 78 when he passed suddenly on Sunday (79 in July, I believe). He was a knowledgeable, generous, passionate and inventive person. His ideas can be seen in many maker’s instruments today and will live on beyond the man.
Congrats Hank….
My FS was due in March. After not hearing anything since January, I inquired and is mine now also due sometime in May like yours.
Both Santa Cruz and Froggy Bottom were originally listed but dropped out. Richard was also slated to be a speaker. There is a show in La Conner, WA in May and in Woodstock, NY in October.
It is a great show, well run, growing attendance, good musical performances. Bourgeois and Furch will be there in terms of small shop manufacturers. There are many well known solo acoustic archtop and flattop luthiers exhibiting.
This will the fourth time for the show (others were 2017, 2018 and 2019 before the pandemic) and I am looking forward to it will be attending again.
Regarding waiting until next year, this fifth novel Corona virus will be with us for many years to come. I suppose that we all need to decide at our own pace, when and how to return to living but it is not like it will all of a sudden be safer. We will have more vaccines, monoclonal antibody and antiviral treatments to mitigate its impact, but it will be here endemically and continuing to evolve. As the character Andy Dufresne said to Red in the Shawshank Redemption “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.
