Two Superlative Edwinson EPC-F Performance Guitars Available Now
 

Hi, everyone. I have two excellent new Edwinson EPC-F Performance guitars available now. The Performance model is the largest in the Edwinson line, equivalent to a GA or SJ size class. These guitars have a great deal of power, presence, and tonal range. I built these two guitars in the spring and summer of this year, to bring to Tom Bowersox's annual B.I.G. show in New Braunfels, TX. I really pulled out the stops on both of these instruments, including most of the high-end features I offer. I think these guitars are two of the best Performance guitars I've made to date, advancing the benchmark, in my never-ending quest for that Holy Grail tone. For me, half the fun of making guitars is to continually evolve the designs to make them better and better. And making these show guitars is the ideal opportunity to try out some new ideas.

The guitars listed in this thread are featured HERE, in my current thread, in the Custom Shop section.

The first one I'd like to show you is a Florentine cutaway version, with beautifully figured Ziricote back and sides- one of my all-time favorite woods to build with- and a mastergrade Tunnel 14 Redwood top. The back and the top are also braced with Tunnel 14 Redwood, which definitely contributes a special kind of mystery and magic to the tone. Bracing with Redwood may seem to be an unconventional choice; but to me, it's a natural choice, and I think the BEST choice!

The neck is a laminated construction of curly Honduran Mahogany, and the bindings, bevels, bridge, fingerboard, and other trim elements are black Gabon Ebony. The purflings throughout are flamed Maple, with blue and black veneer lines.

Here are some photos. Specifications and other pertinent info are detailed below.

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The Specifications:
Lower bout width: 16 3/16"; Upper bout width: 11 3/4"; Scale length: 25.5";
Nut width: 1 25/32"; String spread @ saddle: 2 5/16"; FB Radius: 16".
Thirteen frets-to-body, twenty frets total; Evo Gold Medium frets. Nut and saddle are unbleached bone, and the bridge pins are also unbleached bone with I gave the vintage relic treatment.

Special Features:
Florentine Cutaway; Dual side sound ports, bound and purfled; Delta Asym Headstock with Constellation inlay;
Arm and rib bevels, in a hybrid design, combining Ryan and Laskin style elements;
Style One appointments (all shop-made, three-ply purflings) including an Element style Rosette, with radial Ziricote inner ring, copper lines, spalted Maple tiles, and Flamed Maple inner and outer rings with blue and black veneer lines, and the sound hole is bound with Ebony and a blue veneer line;
Style One segmented back strip inlay, featuring a picture-framed spalted Maple center piece, and a matching end graft.
Fingerboard inlays are Ziricote, framed with blue lines, and Azurite and Turquoise stone dots.
The Tuning machines are Schertler Swiss-made open gear tuners with a matte black finish, 18:1 ratio.

This guitar has a lot of subtle blue accents throughout, which I think is a beautiful look with these fine woods. I guess that career-wise, you could say I'm in my Blue period these days...

This guitar was played and enjoyed by a lot of people at the BIG show, and it was highly complemented by everyone who played it. Mike Apollo described the tone as "Glorious". Another person called it "Profound". I have an iPhone video of Carl Miner playing it; I just have to figure out how to post videos that are not on YouTube. I can handle a chisel or a saw pretty well, but I'm a little slow with tech stuff!

As for the price: It ain't cheap; but compared to other guitars in its class, it's not that expensive either. The spec price of this guitar is $10,825, with a custom Ameritage Gold Series case; My starting offer here is $10,325.

I also have a slightly cheaper Crossrock CRF2021 Silver-grey fiberglass case- not a custom case, but a very fine quality, well-fitting flight case. Spec price of the guitar with the Crossrock case is $10,725; but I am offering this package for $10,225.
So, that's $500 off the list price for either package. I am also happy to consider reasonable offers. Please feel free to ask!

As always with a private sale, I insist that the buyer will have several days to try the guitar out and make sure it's a perfect fit, before committing to buy it. I'm pretty sure you would decide unequivocally within ten minutes, but a few days audition will make whoever decides to own this guitar even more certain. One thing I really love about guitars is that no amount of hype will make a guitar any better than it actually is. Guitars can only give you their honest testimony, in your hands. And I am committed to making sure that for whomever becomes the owner of this guitar, it will be a true love match.

Here are a few more detail photos of the Ziri EPC-F Performance guitar:

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I will show the other EPC-F Performance (Multiscale!) in another post below. If you're curious, stay tuned... Thanks for looking! And take your time- I'm in no hurry to let this guitar go. It's been reigniting my passion for playing all over again.

Glorious is exactly what I said! Truly a spectacular guitar. Loud, lush…glorious.

Those dual ports play a part in that - wish more builders would catch on.;)

What's happening to that low e bridge pin...?

I failed to notice that when I was taking the photos. I was in a bit of a hurry, trying to get everything ready for the show. Didn't have time for a re-shoot. Don't worry, all the pins seat perfectly.
Nice catch, though! :lol:

Thanks for pointing that out. I've been making the dual ports as a standard feature for about three years now. After a decade and a half of sound port experimentation, I've found that dual ports give a guitar a very fluent and full tonal projection. The effect of dual ports is that the upper bout port tends to boost the bass response, while the lower bout port brings out the midrange and trebles. This may seem somewhat counterintuitive; you'd think it would be the other way around, wouldn't you? At the B.I.G. show, I asked many of the people who auditioned my guitars to test this out by covering one or the other of the ports to listen to the difference. Each person who did that expressed amazement. It is NOT a particularly subtle effect! So, I think the dual ports not only improve the experience for the player; they make the guitar sound louder, more nuanced, and very balanced, across the spectrum.

Dual ported guitars also seem to project a spherical sound field (as opposed to linear). When recording with microphones, dual ports will give you a plethora of mic placement options for different effects. I'm not necessarily a dual-port evangelist, but I do believe they substantially enhance a great guitar's performance. I've had nothing but affirmative responses from people who have tried them.

I've put dual ports in about a half dozen instruments and got to experience first hand the differences before and after. Every single time it was "not subtle" as you mentioned. Added warmth, volume, and the sound field you mentioned. I first experienced it with a Josh House guitar that was at Elderly's about 10 years ago. It haunted me for a long time!

Mine have been much smaller but still yielded many benefits!

Going to be giving the treatment to my Loriente classical soon.

All the guitars Steve built for the show were amazing in design, sound, and playability. He outdid himself this year. These need to sell!

I really appreciate the input from my friends here!
So, I have this other EPC-F Performance guitar, mentioned at the top of this thread, that is also up for adoption. Although, I won't mind a bit if I get to keep it for awhile longer. This one has a Multiscale architecture, with a scale spread of 25" (high E) to 25.75" (low E).

For those of you who are familiar with the Multiscale concept, you can skip this wordy preamble...

But for people who are unfamiliar with the Multiscale (or "fanned-fret) concept, or who have never tried one of these guitars, the whole point of making guitars this way is to bring a higher degree of optimization to the instrument, from two primary vantage points:
ONE, Multiscale architecture optimizes string tension for best performance in standard tuning, AND open tunings, by increasing tension progressively toward the lower strings. The longer scale on the bass end yields higher tension, which can increase the focus and power of the string response on the low end. For open tunings, this is very important, because tuning down to D- or C-based tunings, there will still be sufficient string tension to have buzz-free response and fat, rich, nuanced bass; while the lighter tension toward the treble end will give the trebles a nice, sweet, crystalline purity. There is a great balance across the tonal spectrum. Intonation across the range is better too.

TWO, intelligently designed Multiscale guitars improve the ergonomics of the guitar. They feel comfortable and natural to hold and play, because the arc of the frets follows the natural arc of your fretting hand up and down the fingerboard, making a lot of the fingerings and chord shapes easier.

I am not a "fan" :rolleyes: of extreme scale spreads- they kind of defeat the purpose of Multiscale architecture from both the performance and ergonomic viewpoints. But scale spreads of 1/2", 3/4", and up to one inch can yield a lot of benefits for the player, especially open tuning enthusiasts. And the added bonus, is, you should not have to alter anything about your playing technique to adjust to a Multiscale guitar. Many times, I've put a Multiscale in someone's hands, who didn't even realize it was a Multiscale, until I pointed it out to them.

Honestly, if I didn't think there were so many skeptics to convince, I would be making ALL of my guitars this way, because the whole idea makes so much sense. Granted, most of them would be shorter scale spreads, in the 1/4", 1/2", to 3/4" range, because most people don't want or require anything more extreme than that.

All that being said, the "Gecko" guitar I'm showing here has a scale spread of 25" to 25.75". This is a great all purpose scale spread. For the first month, I mostly kept this guitar tuned down to C-minor or C-major tuning (CGCGCEb and CGCGCE, respectively) using regular .012-.053 light gauge strings. Since getting back from the B.I.G. show, I've had this guitar on active duty on my couch, tuned to Standard A440. It sounds phenomenally good at either end of the tuning spectrum, with gorgeous clarity, colorful overtones, excellent balance from low to high, lots of sustain, and no performance issues like buzzing strings or uneven tonal response. Tuned low, to C-minor, there is a profundity to the tone that is mesmerizing. Tuned to Standard, it has headroom to spare, and a really lively, punchy sound, no matter how you play it.

I featured the Gecko guitar in my current build thread in the Custom Shop section, HERE. Scroll down the page until you see the actual Gecko on my kitchen window.

Okay, enough blathering... Here are some photos of the EPC-F Performance guitar, affectionately named "the Gecko"- for obvious reasons. Specifications and further details listed below.

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Now you can see why I named this guitar the Gecko. And who doesn't love these cute little guys- especially when they're not trying to sell you insurance!

The woods:
Premium old-growth, quarter-sawn Brazilian Rosewood back and sides; A Mastergrade Adirondack Red Spruce top; 150-year old American Black Walnut neck; Figured Gabon Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and front head plate; And the wildly flamed bindings, bevels, rear head plate, heel cap, center seam backstrip, and end graft are SE Asian Pyinma. The top, Rosette, Fingerboard, and headstock are purfled with Blue Paua Abalone shell.

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The Features and specifications of the Gecko:

Lower bout width: 16 3/16"; Upper bout width: 11 7/8";
Multiscale String Spread: 25" (high E) to 25.75" (low E)
Nut Width: 1 13/16"; String Spread @ Saddle: 2 1/4"; Fingerboard Radius: 16".
Thirteen Frets-to-body, Twenty frets total; Evo Gold Medium frets; Semi-hemispherical fret ends.
Nut and Saddle are unbleached Bone; Bridge Pins are unbleached Bone with Abalone dots.

Special Features/Appointments:

All Premium grade tone woods and materials;
Edwinson X/Wide-truss/Fan top bracing; Tunnel 14 Redwood braces, top and back;
Element Style Florentine Cutaway; Hybrid style Arm and Rib bevels;
Delta style Asym Multiscale Headstock, with Gotoh 510 Tuners, with MadRose buttons, Black finish, and 1:21 ratio.
Abalone/Copper ring fingerboard position inlays, with Gecko inlay at 12th fret region; Geckos also appear on the front and back of the headstock.
Dual Side Sound Ports, Inlaid "Web" design, on upper and lower bouts,.
All DeLuxe Style One shop-made bindings with blue/Katalox/blue three-ply purflings;
Blue Paua Abalone top, rosette, fingerboard, and headstock purflings, with blue and black veneer lines;
Special Edition bookmatched flamed Pyinma back Center inlay and End Graft;
Dual, inlaid "Web" style Side Sound Ports.

Choice of two cases: Either a Crossrock Deluxe Black fiberglass CRF2021BK case; or a Custom fitted Ameritage Gold Series case.

If you have followed along so far and you are beginning to feel pangs of GAS, I bet you wish I'd cut to the chase and tell you how much this guitar costs. Well, okay. It's not cheap; but compared to any other high-end, independent small shop Luthier-built guitars in this class, built to similar specs and appointments, with similar quality woods and materials, it's not all that expensive either.

The Gecko guitar, with the Crossrock case, specs out to $14,725 USD.

With the Custom Ameritage case (of which I'm still awaiting delivery, three months late) add $100, bringing the spec price to $14,825.

Of course, I almost never sell a special edition show guitar like this one at the full spec price. I will start by offering the guitar for $1000 off list.
So, with the Crossrock case, that's $13,725; or with the Ameritage Custom case, $13,825.[/B]
If your GAS has become complicated by sticker shock, please know that I am always amenable to considering reasonable offers. And also, I will pay for shipping within the continental US.

Of course, you will be able to audition the guitar for several days at home, to be certain this guitar is a perfect fit, before you commit to spending the money. That is essential. I am very confident that if you try this guitar out, it will almost instantly be a love-match; but if for any reason you decide to return it, I will refund your purchase price in full, with the only caveat that you pay for return shipping.

I will be posting photos of the available cases shortly. The Ameritage was supposed to be delivered in early June, but Ameritage is apparently short-staffed and overbooked, so they are running quite late. My last communication from them said they would ship out in mid-September. Any day now, I guess...
I will do my best to also post a recording or two. Though, due to an arthritic condition in my hands, and a lack of serious recording equipment, I'm not very well able to do that myself- I need to find someone local who can play a lot better than me, and will be willing to let me record them playing the Gecko. This guitar needs to be heard! And played!

Any inquiries for further info may be directed to: [email protected]; or call or text me at (206) 271 8743. If you do call, please leave a message. I've been getting so much phone spam that I silenced calls from unknown phone numbers.
You can also send PM through the AGF.
Thanks so much for looking at my guitars!

All there is to say is Wow, or amazing, or fantastic, how about wonderful, and then there is stupendous, followed closely by unbelievable, but Wow works!

All were great, seriously, and a player would be happy to own any of them. The craftsmanship on the Gecko guitar is crazy! That said, the Tunnel 14/Ziricote...magical.

I'm so glad to have these guitars at home with me, so I can observe that magical process of observing how they come alive and form their identities in the first weeks and months of their existence. Almost always, I have to send new guitars off to their new owners as soon as they are fledged and well set up. So I usually miss their first footsteps, so to speak. Both of these Performance guitars have already exceeded my best expectations.

That said, however, here's a bump for these two guitars, still available for adoption to good homes. Take your time! I'm in no hurry to let them go!
If you're on the fence, remember, I am certainly amenable to negotiating a price that works for you.

Testimonial here… I have not played these guitars, but I have a Performance series Edwinson and it is the loudest, boldest sounding guitar I have. That’s saying a lot, as I’ve been seeking the loudest wooden acoustic for 5 years now. It’s a joy to play and fills the room with great tone.
As with all of Stephen’s guitars, it’s phenomenally, almost indescribably beautiful. And the dual sound parts! I agree with fitness1; more luthiers should catch on to this. It’s my belief that more useful sound comes from the port on the lower bout then the usual upper bout ports.
Beautiful!