"La Veneziana"
Ought-3
Waterfall bubinga, bearclaw Sitka spruce

Blue Sprite
Sprite, a terz guitar (tuned G-G)
Adirondack red spruce, Birdseye maple

The Story of the Pazyryk Stag

The "Falling Stag" was recently completed and shown at the Montreal Guitar show during Jazz Festival. The Italian spruce soundboard has a ribbon-like bearclaw figure while the highly figured cherry back and sides will make your eyes cross with their movement.

The body is a wedge shape for playing comfort while the soundport on the upper bass bout gives the player access to the tone that is normally only available to the audience. The domed back is X-braced to add stiffness and efficiency.

Back and sides are bound with curly maple and thin blue purfling lines. The soundboard and fingerboard are bordered with "micropearl": a 0.5mm line of shell. The unique "Spiral" rosette includes a lapis lazuli inlay. The intricate lapis headstock inlay is the Pazyryk falling stag for which the instrument is named. The guitar is fitted with bone nut and saddle and Waverly gold-plated tuners with black pearl buttons (currently a Running Dog exclusive).

The Falling Stag is beginning to open up but shows great balance and a clear, articulate voice. It's a modern sound, crisp and precise, with excellent sustain and an airy quality.

"La Veneziana" (the Venetian lady) is this year's Italian-themed Ought-3. Like Il Pagliaccio, completed in 2005 for the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, La Veneziana has wildly figured bubinga back and sides, a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Florentine cutaway (equal time for another city-state, besides, the Venetian cutaway didn't look as nice), and remarkable tone.

The Venetian carnevale mask is by inlay master Larry Robinson (www.robinsoninlays.com). Composed of a wide variety of woods and shells, it reflects both Larry's obsessive detailing and fit and the festival nature of the instrument.

This guitar is currently on display at Dusty Strings Instruments (www.dustystrings.com/shop), 3406 Fremont Ave N, Seattle WA. You are welcome to try it out there or contact me for more information.

The Blue Sprite was completed in 2003 for the Healdsburg Giutar Festival, where it immediately sold. Two years later, the buyer traded it in for Il Pagliaccio, an Ought-3 I made for that year's Festival. Then my mother took it – she was annoyed that I'd sold it instead of giving it to her! It sat in its case, detuned, except for occasional outings to impress visitors. She recently returned it to me.

I trued the fingerboard, refretted it, and cleaned it. That was more work than it needed but my standards are higher now. It's literally like new.

The soundboard is a gorgeous piece of Adirondack red spruce (yes, really from the Adirondacks!). Back, sides, and headstock veneer are Vermont birdseye maple. The hummingbird inlay on the headstock is several types of abalone and malachite.

Tonally, it's amazingly powerful with a sweet, full treble and excellent balance. As a harmony instrument or small, easily travelled guitar, it's unbeatable.

(click on thumbnails for larger images)

Soundboard: Bearclaw Sitka spruce
Back & Sides: Highly figured bubinga
Florentine cutaway
Rosewood binding
Colored wood purfling on top, sides, and back
Gold Waverly tuners with pearl buttons
15" lower bout width
25.4" scale length
4.125" deep
Fingerboard: rosewood
Bridge: rosewood pyramid
Bone nut & saddle
Bubinga rosette
Carnevale inlay by Larry Robinson
Hardshell case
1 3/4" wide at nut
2 1/4" at saddle

$5750 plus shipping
Contact me for more information or to purchase.

$6100 plus shipping
Contact me for more information or to purchase.