I was able to spend four 45-minute audition sessions with Steve (and Ryan’s) guitar over the last two days. I now can shared my initial playing impressions.
I had auditioned some of Steve and Ryan’s guitars first at Woodstock in 2017 (OM, SJ, CS and 00) and more recently at the Artisan Guitar Show in 2022 (CS and Parlor) so I knew their general timbre, but never their 000 12-fret nor many guitars made using Macassar Ebony.
Look
The guitar is simply stunning in person…
The medullary in the Adirondack top is about as good as I have seen and the striped figure in the Macassar Ebony and Zebrawood purflings are absolutely stunning. The black inlay on the Rodgers tuner plates ties in to the dark Ebony bindings and overlays. Honestly, the photos don’t fully capture it.
Feel
A 000 12-fret with a cutaway and a long scale is about the perfect playing size for me. Steve’s decision to use a satin nitro finish on the neck feels great to the touch (not sticky) and his C-profile with a bit of shoulder feels right at home with my left hand. The Rodgers tuners were installed perfectly and present no backlash. The guitar’s set up and relief make it very easy to play. The guitar is balanced when played seated. It is a heavy guitar (4 lb. 10 oz.) due to the choice of back and side woods (Macassar Ebony is very dense like African Blackwood even when thinned) and neck construction (5-piece with two Ebony stringers). This does not bother me in the least as I play seated. Instrument balance is what is important when playing seated.
Timbre
The extra body volume and power afforded with a long scale 000 12-fret over an OM provides a bit more bass response and a midrange roundness to the general timbre of the guitar. The guitar is dynamic and responsive to touch. I have a fairly light touch so I can’t really speak to its headroom or projection. It provides balanced response across the strings from E to E and is not a bit “plinky” even in the upper registers beyond the 12th fret. The trebles have a round fullness to them that I like.
I really had very little experience playing Macassar Ebony guitars prior to this one. I relied on Steve’s interpretation of my sonic goals. It does not really sound like either a rosewood (e.g., bloom, sustain, overtones) nor mahogany (e.g., fast attack, fundamental, less sustain overtones). It presents a clarity, but it does sustain and provide some addition of supportive overtones. It leans towards rosewood in terms of presenting some sustain and overtones to color its timbre. The bass is tight, clear and round and without the euphonic rosewood rumble. For my style of play where I am play a lot of three and four note chords it is a very nice choice presenting each note nicely.
Overall, I am delighted with the instrument. Kudos to Steve and Ryan…
