Circa 00-17 Custom, #253

I’ve been a dealer for John Slobod for a while now, and every time a Circa arrives, I'm reminded why. This one is something else. John brought this 00-17 to the 2026 Artisan Guitar Show. It resulted in two orders on the spot. That doesn't surprise me. Among luthiers, he's known as the builder who most deeply understands the spirit of the great pre-war Martins. Roger Sadowsky, who owns a Circa OM-18, puts it simply: if you want a new guitar built in that tradition, John is his first call. That reputation is earned. You hear it the moment you play one.

It’s the rare type of guitar that resets your expectations. This is one of those guitars. You pick it up, and something happens that you weren't ready for. It isn't the lush, reverberant sound of adirondack and Brazilian rosewood. That's a beautiful thing, but it's a different thing. This guitar is drier, more direct. It barks. It punches. It's organic in a way that's hard to explain until you play it, and it comes alive the more you push it.

There's a reason that sound has always belonged to the blues. Small body, all mahogany, dry and punchy, with strong fundamentals. That was the sound of the Depression era players, and Woody Guthrie, the most famous 00-17 player on record, understood it better than anyone. He taped a sign to his that read "this machine kills fascists." The guitar meant business.

John trained under Dana Bourgeois and did the final voicing on nearly 4,000 guitars before going out on his own. Among luthiers, he's known as the builder who most deeply understands the spirit of the great pre-war Martins

What he did here is take the essential honesty of that tradition and bring it to boutique level without losing what made it great. The back and sides are beeswing mahogany, the figured variety, and it's stunning to look at. Honduran mahogany top. Brazilian rosewood binding. Custom maple and mahogany rosette. Black-stained rosewood belly bridge. Ebony pins. Waverly nickel tuners. 25" scale. 1 23/32" nut width.

Then there's the neck. John's carve is one of my favorite things about his guitars. It hits that sweet spot between vintage substance and modern comfort, the kind of profile you settle into immediately and don't want to leave. Playability this good doesn't happen by accident. It comes from decades of understanding what a neck needs to feel like.

This is guitar number 253. Call me if you want to hear more about it.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.