Finished up a new spruce and walnut Classic Concert Model today. This particular guitar was made custom for a friend of mine Teppei. On top of being a great guitarist for the band Thrice, he is also an super talented designer and leather worker. You can see his work at Teranishi Studio.
I was super excited when he asked me to make a guitar for him and also to get to try out some new ideas. I wanted to do something fairly traditional and elegant, but also very simple and understated based on what I know of his aesthetic and personality. This guitar is broadly based off of the Torres SE114. The arrows on the heel cap and ladder motif in the rosette are also inspired by Torres.
It has a loose, lively and romantic sound, but also a clear attack and a lot of presence. What I like about walnut is that it is somewhere in between rosewood and maple in terms of its density. It has an excitement and clarity that comes with a lighter wood, but not as much damping and dryness of maple in particular. It has a matte open-pore finished with is smooth and very light.
