Tuesday night was exciting for me as the UPS man delivered my new to me mint Santa Cruz Skye 00. This guitar has been on my short list for a couple of years but I always thought it would be out of my budget range if I considered a new one. I have been considering selling my Collings OM1AH in order to be able to fund a 12 fret, short scale version of the same. In looking at options on the market I came across two mint Skye 00's that were in the same price range if I was to buy the Collings I wanted as a new guitar. Compared to the Collings I wanted to own, the Skye 00 checks off all the boxes with two changes, Cocobolo back and sides and a 1-13/16" nut. As players, I think we all want to emulate better players who offer a style of playing that we aspire to and one of my best assurances that I would be very happy with this guitar is that I really enjoy Eric Skye's style. I'll certainly never be close to his level of playing but the mojo this guitar exudes will be an inspiration to work hard to improve and progress.
I always like to register in my mind the first impression of a new guitar and with this one, it's sustain that goes on and on along with the bloomy (but not excessive) overtones. My OM1AH's Adi top offers a clarity in its tone that I really like and the same is there with the Skye 00 with some added sparkle on the high end and a bit more thump in the low end. The low end is impressive considering the 00 body size. The fit for me is excellent and it feels at home when I hold it (like Eric I play sitting and use a Neck-Up with the peghead of the guitar just above shoulder level). My main concern was how I would get along with the 1-13/16" nut width but it's fine and I am finding I like the wider string spacing it provides. It might be a bit tougher to grab the low E with my thumb but I'll adjust to it. This guitar is a bit heavier than I expected and that has to be due to the Cocobolo but it has that "carved from a single block of metal feel" about it that you would associate with a tight German car.
This guitar obviously excels at fingerstyle but one of the draws for me was how much Eric uses it for flatpicking and I've had a lot of fun playing it with a range of picks (Dunlop nylon, Wegen, Blue Chip, V-Pick, Charmed Life). What has been really cool is that while there are obvious differences in tone with the different picks, they all sound good to my ears which offers a nice tonal palette to choose from. This guitar does not sound thin at all strumming cowboy chords with a Dunlop 60mm nylon pick and there is still plenty of low end. I guess that is what we call responsive.
I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been in a position to purchase this beautiful guitar. The only downside is that it'll probably be so good that I'll really need to be practical and seriously consider thinning the herd down.
Thanks for looking.
