Sam Guidry OO Brazilian/European Spruce

I was fortunate to meet luthier Sam Guidry at this year's Artisan Guitar Show in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Fortunate because he is not only a great guy, but as a former instructor at the renowned Bryan Galloup School of Luthiery, Sam builds spectacular world-class guitars.

This exquisite OO Brazilian, in particular, was the one I had a chance to play at the show. It stood out to me from the dozens of fine acoustics on display. I just had to have it in the shop.

While it is a OO body, the sound is bigger than you'd expect from a smaller instrument. This beauty covers all sonic territory, rich and full with robust deep bass, articulate mids, and exceptional highs. It is remarkably touch-sensitive; play softly above the sound hole, and the guitar sweetly whispers; play hard closer to the bridge, and the notes bloom with power.

Beyond its glorious sound, here is what I love about it: its level of craftsmanship is of the highest order, from the choice of incredible tonewoods to its skillfully carved neck coupled with Sam's attention to the smallest details. This instrument is a testament to Guidry's inspired passion for his craft.

Here is what Sam says about the decorative aspects of this fantastic OO Brazilian.

On decoration, Sam Guidry's words:
"This guitar's decorative features are an exercise in understated elegance. I use only two small oval windows in the peghead and back as the canvas. The design is constructed by book-matching organic material. Through this method, a design appears, but like a Rorschach image, it is up to the viewer to decide what they see in the decoration.

"The rosette features the same organic material ringed with a pau shell. The book matching of the material creates a dynamic effect as the pattern changes as you look around the ring. The label is custom-made by me. It is made from Japanese washi paper that has flecks of real gold and silver embedded in the paper.

"The tuners are another piece of custom work. The tuner base plates are Mokume Gane that I forged myself. Mokume Gane is a Japanese metalworking technique that uses layers of different metals forged together and carved to reveal a pattern. Roughly translated from Japanese, it means wood grain metal, as it resembles the growth rings in wood. I then machined the plates, applied the custom "fire" patina, and mounted the plates to the mechanics of Gotoh 510 tuners. To finish the customization, I made the tuner buttons out of Brazilian rosewood to match the rest of the guitar."

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.