Isaac Jang OM

In my career as a professional guitarist/musician, avid guitar collector, guitar shop owner and all around insane guitar nerd I have had the great fortune to come across many very talented and gifted individuals, musicians, guitarists, and builders. In this realm, every once in a while something very mysterious and meaningful happens: you meet someone who just stands out and engages you. From the moment you meet them, you just know they are going to be a star in their field. Their talent shines and their enthusiasm sparkles like a diamond. When they enter a room it just seems to brighten, and their passion for what they do seems to linger well after they’ve left. You just feel better having met them. Best of all, they deliver the goods. Isaac Jang is one of those very special, unique, uplifting talents. From the moment I met him and played his guitars I knew this young lion of a builder was going to be a rock star. And deliver the goods he did. Big time, over the top - I've just received an awesome guitar.

I think there are some reasons for my impressions beyond his unimpeachable crafstmanship. Isaac's build philosophy is very wood-centric. Where some builders dominate the build materials and twist and turn the wood to achieve their desired sound, Jang chooses to let the wood speak for itself. That is what really impressed me tonally about this recently delivered OM. I could hear the cocobolo come through, that rich reverb-like sweetness with power to spare. It's open, woody resonance and sophisticated timbres are inspiring. Having studied with Kathy Wingert for 10 years, Issac not only learned about tone he also learned how to make a guitar play and feel just right. Perfect neck, perfect frets - damn he nailed the whole thing. And if that's not enough, its visual impact is just as stunning. Just step back and look at this fine, inspired instrument. It's just beautiful. Every part is exactly where it should be. The Uchida cutaway, the Manzer wedge - all the extra crafted excellence that make a great guitar even better.

There's only one problem here; getting a Jang at all. It's become challenging because his reputation has skyrocketed. Beyond now it won't get easier. If you see one, give it a whirl. And a note for Isaac himself; keep on keeping on - that's what rock stars do.

For more on Isaac Jang check out this Fretboard Journal podcast: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/podcasts/luthier-luthier-isaac-jang/

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.

ABOUT ISAAC JANG GUITARS
In the mid-to-late 2000s Isaac Jang was simultaneously studying business management at California State University, was a guitar repair and restoration expert at Westwood Music and was serving an apprenticeship with famed luthier Kathy Wingert, a combination that helped him understand guitar construction and set him up with the tools to open his own business. Today, Jang's 200 square foot shop, housed in a historic, early-20th-century building in Hollywood, is so painstakingly uncluttered it could be part of a design magazine spread on tiny workshops. And Jang, now 28, has made a splash with his brilliant, meticulously crafted flattops: modern dreadnoughts, OMs, 00s, and small jumbos that sound great and play flawlessly. His guitars are strictly handmade, brilliantly ergonomic, and stunningly elegant. Jang's philosophy is wood-centric. "I like to have the wood speak for itself," he says. "I'm more of a designer who manipulates some parts to let the wood sing."