I am having an Irvin SJ Cutaway built. Why, Irvin? Funny you ask! I have a Larrivee L28 and have loved that guitar for its resonance and strong character.
But then I met the Irvin. Its neck is a great fit for my hand. The sound from the Irvin guitars has a wonderful resonance and distinct sustain.
It fits me well as an acoustic player, playing mostly rhythm and some soloing.
Wayne Johnson, the owner of Irvin, is a newer builder and the buzz is catching. I first heard his guitar a couple of years ago, in a serendipitous situation: a luthier showcasing his guitars (Irvin) at a shoe store.
Ever since playing various SJ and Parlors, I keep coming back to its sweet, consistent sound and feel .
For 2 years I have compared the Irvin to other guitars, and I keep coming back to where now I will have my own cutaway. This is going to be a special guitar!
I have always loved the Larrivee sound: a cacophony of resonance and strong sustain. The Irvin has these qualities as well with its own distinct aspects.
As importantly, I find my fingers easily moving up and down the neck.
A couple of weeks ago, I went over to the Irvin shop in Bremerton, WA, to tap on the tone woods and the back/side pieces, to make choices on which pieces to use.
The top woods, collected by Jean Larrivee, were, as I expected from the revered luthier of high standard luthier,, rich sounding Moonwood Spruce pieces from Austria.
The two pieces had subtle differences in their tone as I tapped them.
Finally, I chose the one I wanted. Big decision made! The back and side Indian Rosewood pieces were easier for me to choose.
Specs include:
Small jumbo - 14-fret
East Indian rosewood back and sides
Austrian moonspruce top
ebony bindings, headplate, fingerboard and bridge
5-piece laminated neck - mahogany, maple, walnut, maple, mahogany
East Indian rosewood rosette ring
Gotoh 510 tuners
string spacing - 1 3/4 at the nut - 2 1/4 at the saddle
Wayne is now building my guitar along with another order.
The first photo is of the rosette on the Moonwood top. I will add photos as I can.
