Thanks Robert. Well of course it will be a Muth. I've been looking at adding a more traditional flatpicking model to my line for some time. I've never been a fan of dreadnoughts even from an aesthetic point of view. As I looked at my models, I realized that if I pulled the waist out on my S16, rounded the upper bout a little, and made it deeper that I basically had a Gibson AJ. I really liked the look and as I learned more about the history (1930s) of this guitar, I realized this was where I wanted to go tonally and aesthetically with my flatpicking model. The AJ is known for its power and balance, and as you know I value balance in my guitars. Quite coincidentally, even the angle and placement of the X-brace is the same as I have been doing in my S16. I will use XTF bracing, which I think will actually work quite well for a wider waist guitar, so it's not going to be an exact replica. That's not really my thing anyway. But the overall size and shape in the design of a guitar is a huge factor in its sound, so it will definitely be an AJ. I'm really excited about this guitar. It's going to be a killer with an Adi top and mahogany back and sides.
Thanks Mike. The person who commissioned this guitar is primarily a fingerstylist, aka James Taylor, with some strumming. He was looking for a larger body guitar with a WRC top. As a result the guitar will have great clarity and a fairly fast response. As a larger S16, the base will be rich and solid. One of the main consideration for me when I build is how thick I want to leave the top for a given playing style. While WRC tops generally need to be a little thicker than spruce tops anyway, I made sure I left a little extra meat for some nice sustain and headroom for strumming. I hope this answers your question.
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Randy
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