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SANTA CRUZ ACOUSTIC GUITARS
ON EBAY
Santa Cruz Guitars
Another of the finer steel string acoustic guitar makers is the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. The company is the love and passion of Richard Hoover and is known to make one of the world's finest steel stringed acoustic instruments.
The list of artists that use Santa Cruz acoustics reads like a Who's Who among musicians. Names like Janis Ian, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy Buffet and Gary Moore are only a smattering of players who swear by these hand made works of art.
Much like CF Martin or Collings guitars, these instruments are bench made, not mass produced. Hands on is the way that Richard likes them made. Lots of love and personal attention go into each and every one of the guitars that his craftsmen produce. Over half of all the instruments made are a result of special orders, so the company ships about 5 or 6 instruments a day. Definitely not mass produced and the quality reflects the attention to details.
Richard Hoover began building carved top mandolins in 1972, but by 1976 was devoted to the modern acoustic steel string guitar. This became his passion and has propelled the company to the forefront of the industry.
Every guitar passes through the hands of several workers. Each one is in charge of not only his job, but to inspect the quality of the work done before he took the instrument. This system of multiple quality control checks is unparalleled in the lutherie industry.
Each guitar top is hand tuned for consistency. This allows each guitar to be "custom voiced" through controlled resonance and sustain. As a result, the sound, tone and voice of each "creation" are determined before a string ever hits the fret board and tuning keys. Hence, the attention to detail is extraordinary.
You can't buy an instrument direct from SCGC. Santa Cruz guitars are distributed through a dealer network that covers the whole US as well as several countries such as Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and South Africa.
With the attention to quality and the hand made mentality, the price tag is fairly steep. Models start at around $2500 and go to about $5000 for standard dreadnought, 0, 00 and 000 body sizes. For the custom built models, you can expect a sticker price of more than $10,000 depending on the materials desired.
Now, is a Santa Cruz guitar the best acoustic guitar for you? Possibly, but the best thing to do is find a dealer and go play a couple. Get a feel for them cuz they are renowned for attaching themselves to players like a kitten or puppy dog.
Most people go for a dreadnought, but take on a jumbo or orchestral model as well for reference. There are 12 fret models and 14 fret models (where the neck meets the body).
Whatever you do, don't just buy one for the name and prestige. Buy one for the feel and sound it gives you. Remember that each guitar has a unique voice and no two sound exactly alike. Choose the best guitar for you as a player and remember that there really is not a "best" acoustic guitar for everyone. It's a journey to be relished and enjoyed.
SANTA CRUZ ACOUSTIC GUITARS
ON EBAY
Santa Cruz Guitars
Another of the finer steel string acoustic guitar makers is the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. The company is the love and passion of Richard Hoover and is known to make one of the world's finest steel stringed acoustic instruments.
The list of artists that use Santa Cruz acoustics reads like a Who's Who among musicians. Names like Janis Ian, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy Buffet and Gary Moore are only a smattering of players who swear by these hand made works of art.
Much like CF Martin or Collings guitars, these instruments are bench made, not mass produced. Hands on is the way that Richard likes them made. Lots of love and personal attention go into each and every one of the guitars that his craftsmen produce. Over half of all the instruments made are a result of special orders, so the company ships about 5 or 6 instruments a day. Definitely not mass produced and the quality reflects the attention to details.
Richard Hoover began building carved top mandolins in 1972, but by 1976 was devoted to the modern acoustic steel string guitar. This became his passion and has propelled the company to the forefront of the industry.
Every guitar passes through the hands of several workers. Each one is in charge of not only his job, but to inspect the quality of the work done before he took the instrument. This system of multiple quality control checks is unparalleled in the lutherie industry.
Each guitar top is hand tuned for consistency. This allows each guitar to be "custom voiced" through controlled resonance and sustain. As a result, the sound, tone and voice of each "creation" are determined before a string ever hits the fret board and tuning keys. Hence, the attention to detail is extraordinary.
You can't buy an instrument direct from SCGC. Santa Cruz guitars are distributed through a dealer network that covers the whole US as well as several countries such as Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and South Africa.
With the attention to quality and the hand made mentality, the price tag is fairly steep. Models start at around $2500 and go to about $5000 for standard dreadnought, 0, 00 and 000 body sizes. For the custom built models, you can expect a sticker price of more than $10,000 depending on the materials desired.
Now, is a Santa Cruz guitar the best acoustic guitar for you? Possibly, but the best thing to do is find a dealer and go play a couple. Get a feel for them cuz they are renowned for attaching themselves to players like a kitten or puppy dog.
Most people go for a dreadnought, but take on a jumbo or orchestral model as well for reference. There are 12 fret models and 14 fret models (where the neck meets the body).
Whatever you do, don't just buy one for the name and prestige. Buy one for the feel and sound it gives you. Remember that each guitar has a unique voice and no two sound exactly alike. Choose the best guitar for you as a player and remember that there really is not a "best" acoustic guitar for everyone. It's a journey to be relished and enjoyed.
