Second in a series of mahogany bodied Tulsa proofs with incredible redwood tops. We’ve jammed on this guitar for a few months to evaluate some design ideas and hardware choices (like the amazing Ratio tuners) and now it’s time to release it into the wild. Stunning figured redwood over a chambered old growth Honduras mahogany body and neck with low-gloss hand-rubbed violin lacquer finish in “Cognac Burst” nitro.
There isn’t much of this kind of wood left, and the prices for really good boards are getting higher every month. I have a small stash from my years of hoarding, but I’m reluctant to use it up. This guitar has fabulous wood tone and the mahogany grain is spectacular. The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard is intensely colored and dense. I don’t know how much more of this will be available in the future, so act now before these cherished tone woods are unavailable. This instrument has been a shop go-to guitar, and we’ll miss it.
Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with 9 genuine pearl “Chevron” inlays. Two John Grail humbuckers, nickel hardware including a USA made, lightweight (30 gram) aluminum wraparound bridge. 25.5″ compensated scale.
The sustain and note clarity on this instrument is superb, and you won’t believe the amount of tonal variety.
We built this one with a modified German carve that extends around the entire upper bout. The guitar is extremely light (6lbs. 15.5 oz.) and easy to play for hours. The neck is a comfortable yet substantial hunk of genuine old growth mahogany—carved into a classic 1950s C shape.
Don’t let the simple control layout fool you, this guitar posesses a huge variety of tones thanks to the sparkling hi-fi definition of the incredible John Grail humbuckings. The Bournes volume pot with treble bleed circuit allows you to dial in fat, full throated rock lead sounds and then pull back to clean, clear Mike Bloomfield tones in a split second. The balance between neck and bridge pickups delivers a spanky chime when both are selected—perfect for funky rhythm and bluesy leads.
The tone-contour pot utilizes a NOS Sprague “Black Beauty” capacitor that accentuates the mids in a totally usable way, unlike most tone controls. The result is a super-versatile instrument that will surprise you at every turn. Oh, and the clear sound of the Grailbuckers plays nice with your pedalboard too!
The patented Ratio machines are one of the most interesting developments in tuning technology. Each tuner has a different ratio to match string tension, so that your tuning can be more precise. This is the first instrument we have built using these machines, and we thought of it as a test bed. The results are shocking. It takes a little getting used to, but the proof is that they work great.
Contact the shop now to inquire about making this awesome instrument yours. You can use the email button on this page, or call the shop directly by phone.
Specifications
• Chambered, one piece old growth Honduras mahogany back
• Honduras mahogany neck, old growth
• Premium figured redwood top
• “German” top carve
• Brazilian rosewood fingerboard upgrade
• Ebony headstock faceplate
• 12” fingerboard radius
• 25.5” compensated scale
• 9 Chevron inlays genuine mother of pearl
• 1.650” nut width
• 22 medium oval frets
• 6 lbs. 15.5 oz.
• Vintage 1950s full “C”-shape neck carve
• Nickel hardware
• USA made 30 gram wraparound aluminum locking bridge
• Ratio compensated tuners
• 1 Volume, 1 tone contour, 3-way toggle
• Bournes pots (low friction)
• NOS Sprague “Black Beauty” tone capacitor
• Treble retention circuit on volume pot
• Switchcraft toggle
• John Grail humbuckers (Grailbuckers)
• Nitro-shellac “violin” low-gloss finish
• Hard case