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Santa Cruz H13 Users
I've definitely been eyeing the Santa Cruz H13 for a number of years. Have never played one in person but clips and videos of it seem really good.
I was wondering what kind of stuff people (who own/use an H13) play on it, or what they find it's suited for? I'm mostly singer songwriter stuff and will switch between fingerpicking and strumming mid song. Not really blues fingerstyle but more "pop genre" if that makes sense. The smaller body has me interested as I've mostly used an old jumbo guitar that is 16.5" at the lower bout and it's lately been giving me shoulder issues from the sheer size of it. |
#2
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Best, Jayne |
#3
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I like SCGC guitars and currently own an OM and a custom OMG. I consider them to be outstanding guitars in build, tone and playability. I was very interested in the H-13 model and bought one in 2016. I thought it was a terrific guitar, but I found the tone was too dry and fundamental for my liking. I kept it for over a year and played it a lot trying to figure out how to get the tone I liked out of that guitar. I eventually sold it. I was thrilled with how it performed fingerpicking. However, I was never thrilled by its performance with a flat pick. I expected the deeper body would deliver a big deep sound; and while it had miles of headroom, a deep bass end, and clear trebles — the tone seemed narrow and restricted IMO. The guitar played very easily. Every H-13 I’ve played has left me with a similar opinion. Great guitar, but worth playing before buying.
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#4
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Santa Cruz H model is so hard to classify - they’ve made so many, with so many variations - a wonderful size.
But you are specifically asking about the H-13 - the H-13 is a more specific model of the H body. They always are 13 fret and have a slightly deeper body, normally a slotted headstock, and normally 25-⅜” scale. Santa Cruz voices these to be like the old Nick Lucas model, but between the various woods they’ve used for b&s and tops, you can find some variety of voices. They’ll all have the Santa Cruz balance and clarity, but I’ve played some mahog/adi ones, and rosweood/sitka ones, and really loved them. Except for the slotted headstock - I really don’t like those - Which is why I am so in love with their regular model H - I have them in 14 fret versions ( they make 12 and 13 frets too), with a paddle headstock, and those are incredible. They land in size between a 00 and an OM, and to me they are either like a 00 on steroids, or an OMs beefy little brother. Its capable of such a range of voicings, they can make them into great little fingerstyle machines, or into the perfect accompaniment for a singer/songwriter. if you are ordering one new from the shop, you can get them to put it together to match your wants perfectly - If you can work with the slot head, the extra body depth of the H13 gives you a little more thickness to the tone, and the many woods they’ve used give them a real range of colorations. If you have a specific goal, or playing style, it’s worth calling the shop and getting either Carolyn or Richards input -
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More than a few Santa Cruz’s, a few Sexauers, a Patterson, a Larrivee, a Cumpiano, and a Klepper!! |
#5
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I owned a Santa Cruz H-13 for many years. I like the workmanship and wood combo. It was sitka/Mahogany. It is about the size of a 00 with a deep body. My biggest problem was that it had a fairly boomy low end due to the deeper body. I also have a Santa Cruz 00-1929. I play mostly finger style but do strum on it. The 1929 is a better balanced sound for me. I sold The H-13 because I own a lot of guitars and that was no longer in the weekly rotation so wasn't getting played.
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2017 Martin Custom OM-28, Adi/Cocobolo 2018 ARK New Era L-00, All Hog 2004 Martin Custom 0028-VS, Adi/EIR 2009 SCGC 1929 00-17, Hog/Hog 2006 Andrew White F Model, cedar/maple 2008 Andrew White E Model, Cedar/Zir 2013 Martin Ambertone 000-18GE 2011 Brentrup GC6, Adi/Oak 2012 Huss and Dalton OM, Sitka/Chechen 2013 Martin custom 0028, Adi/MR 2015 ARK New ERA, OM Adi.MR Turnstone TG, Oak, |
#6
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The H-13 was designed by Paul Hostetter, luthier extraordinaire - in 1976 if I recall. He passed away last year and my daughter and her business partner (brooklynlutherie.com) are hosting his voluminous website:
http://www.lutherie.net/luthlinks.html Lot and lots of history, techniques, and ideas there. Paul was a Nick Lucas specialist. He interviewed Nick twice before his death in 1969. One of his friends sold Dylan the Nick he played. When he first designed the H-13, he had SCGC make a batch of 15 for him and his friends. The "H" stands for Hostetter, and they are heavily influenced by the Nicks. Check them out here: http://www.lutherie.net/model_h.html Pink Ivory?? Paul was interesting, very knowledgable, and generous. He gave me a piece of Italian Firestripe pickguard material for a '33 L-00 I was rebuilding, among other tools and materials. He is missed. Ed |
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http://www.lutherie.net/luthlinks.html |
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Cool bit of info! Nick died in '82 fwiw.
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'18 Pre*War 000-28 Braz |
#9
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African wood. Extremely hard and dense. Very pink. Extremely unusual for trees to get to the size necessary for instrument building, and usually use a fair bit of sapwood to make it happen.
I only know as I was given a small chunk as a wedding present many years ago - cherish it very much, and I was supposed to turn a bowl from it, but always been a bit intimidated by it -
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More than a few Santa Cruz’s, a few Sexauers, a Patterson, a Larrivee, a Cumpiano, and a Klepper!! |
#10
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... |
#11
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Brandal10 - thanks for the correction. Makes more sense now.
Ed |
#12
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Ed - that was an interesting article, thanks for posting.
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Multiple guitars including a 1979 Fender that needs a neck re-set |
#13
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I love the H, and the guitar that inspired it, and Paul, the Gibson Nick Lucas. 2 of my favorite guitars are of this ilk, a 1929 Nick Lucas and a Kim Walker “Nick Walker.”
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John |
#14
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I’ve played a bunch of H-13s and think they work pretty well for everything. They’re almost as versatile as an OM. Once you get past figuring out that the neck join is at the 13th fret so that’s not where the half-scale harmonic is, you’ll be off and running.
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