Latest News: Bryan Rankins Summer NAMM Report!

July 27, 2009 - Well, we’re back from Nashville and the Summer NAMM Show. While this was not the most attended show by either retailers or vendors, there was still a lot of great stuff to be seen. Hope you enjoy the info and the pics.

We make an effort to attend all the NAMM shows for a couple of reasons: 1) it's when we place most of our orders; and 2) we get to see all the great new gear from the leading manufacturers...and bring the details back to you, our customers. We can't quite figure out just what Bryan is doing in this photo...we'll leave it to you to fill in your own caption.

Dana Bourgeois completes his 5000th guitar: "Victoria"

Dana Bourgeois has just completed his 5000th guitar, and he chose to craft something very special to commemorate it. A true Victorian style, baby parlor size guitar complete with a custom crafted, period specific “coffin” case to go with it. In doing a smaller body he decided to tackle the problem of maximizing dynamic and harmonic range with limited soundboard area and air volume.

He started with an amazing piece of Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides, and matched it with an equally beautiful Adirondack Spruce top. “Victoria” as she is rightly named, is designed for thoroughly modern players. She’s not a travel guitar, and not a toy. She has a full harmonic and dynamic voice in standard tuning, suitable for solo or ensemble work or vocal accompaniment. Congratulations to Dana on his 35th year of guitar craftsmanship, and on “Victoria”, his 5000th instrument!

Santa Cruz introduces the Model 1929!

There were a few pleasant surprises at the Santa Cruz booth this year. For starters, I got to see first-hand the 1929 OO Mahogany model. Featuring a short scale, scalloped bracing, a period-correct script lettered logo, ebony fingerboard, pyramid bridge, and tuner buttons, and finished in a clear nitro cellulose lacquer finish. There is a simplistic beauty in this guitar and one that just screams vintage vibe. There is also a OOO, standard scale, that will also be available soon. Stay tuned to our website, or give us a call and we’ll let you know when one of these little jewels arrives.

The second big surprise was seeing Rick Fagan, whom we’ve had a very long relationship with. Rick retired from over 18 years of service with Taylor Guitars, and was even the one who signed us up as a Taylor dealer many years ago. We look forward to working with Rick, and are excited about what his many years of experience will bring to an already great company like Santa Cruz.

Click here to jump to the Santa Cruz website for more info on the Model 1929

Breedlove full line and great sound!

Breedlove Guitars was up to their usual, with lots of beautiful instruments, all displayed very well. It seemed that they brought every single model that is available, from the lower priced Atlas Series all the way up the line. There were two guitars that really caught my eye though. One was an Auditorium Model with a flamed Port Orford Cedar top (quite rare) and Claro Walnut back and sides. It sounded so rich, and even on the hard to hear floor of the NAMM show, it sounded like a cannon.

My second favorite was a standard Northwest Model. This is the epitome of what a Breedlove MasterClass instrument is all about. They never cease to impress us with the caliber of wood selection they use on these guitars. The pictures don’t do this guitar justice, and it has an aroma that is just out of this world. I find the tone of Myrtlewood to be very wide-ranging, capturing the highend without sounding “tinny” and the bass to be full but clean and not overpowering.