This
is #44, built in the spring of 1994: redwood top, Indian rosewood back and
sides, ebony fingerboard, wide (1-7/8") twelve-fret neck. The body style
comes from splitting the difference between dreadnought and classical
dimensions--thus a small-dreadnought shape that fits into a 000-size case.
Steve aimed at responsiveness and ease of playing, and his fingerstyle instruments feature bracing that combines X- and classical fan patterns. The light construction requires silk and bronze strings (or silk and steel, but the s&b sound better and last longer).The result is a sweet, round, balanced sound with excellent sustain and volume. I play all kinds of music on mine--Piedmont, blues, Celtic, slack key, general folky stuff--and it always sounds good. It's also a surprisingly effective rhythm guitar for swing, always played with just the fingers. (I don't think you'd want to try bluegrass on it, though--wrong tonal balance.)
Steve continued to experiment with bracing variations for his fingerpickers, and the 1997 batch (SJ- and 000-style bodies with both 12- and 14-fret necks) exhibit some interesting variations on the characteristic "hybrid" sound while retaining a clear family resemblance.
(The widget on the bass side of the soundhole is the control for a Baggs Dual Source pickup, which is remarkably natural sounding.)
[Photo and scanning courtesy of Steve Cloutier.]
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