Played a rare bird Leo Posch guitar tonight

[Wade Hampton]

This evening I drove down the highway to Anchorage and up into the foothills of the Chugach Range to get to the Hillside neighborhood, in order to play a Leo Posch guitar I'd seen advertised on the Anchorage Craigslist:

Leo Posch Thinbody dreadnought

https://anchorage.craigslist.org/msg...615188167.html

The pictures do no justice to this instrument: it's a truly magnificent guitar. Honduran rosewood back and sides, pearl herringbone purfling around the top. It's owned by a fine guitarist named Gene Anderson, who's played some of the same festivals I have. I've known him to nod to for a long time, but this is the first time we've really talked.

The reason I made the trip was that I've played a number of Leo Posch guitars at Mass Street Music in Lawrence, Kansas, which I visit at least once a year when I get down to Kansas City to see family and friends. Mr. Posch lives in McLouth, Kansas, a town just north of Lawrence that's so small I never heard of it before, even though I grew up maybe forty miles away. His instruments are just about the only luthier-built guitars I've ever seen at Mass Street on a regular basis, which is an indication of how much owner Jim Baggett respects his work.

http://www.leoposch.com/

Anyway, when I got to Gene's house, he took out the Posch and then another custom guitar that he's putting up for sale, a Russell small jumbo with a Carpathian spruce top over Madagascar rosewood back and sides. Of the two, I thought the Russell was the more versatile. He's asking the same price for the Russell as he is the Posch.

He's another connoisseur of fine guitars, and the guitars of his that I saw and played were in mint condition and sounded great.

The guitars will both be going up on Reverb here pretty soon, but if you want to get a jump on them before somebody else does, you can contact him through Craigslist for now.


Wade Hampton Miller

PS: I want to mention that what looks like kind of like pick damage just beyond the bottom edge of the pickguard is actually a reflection. The guitar is immaculate.

[Racerbob]

Leo flies under the radar but makes amazing guitars in his basement workshop. He is known for getting that "pre-war" Martin sound vibe.

He uses Hide glue and Adi bracing and tops. Every guitar he makes is "custom", his base price including just about every choice desired. I was struck my one of his DS12's I was offered as a trade, didn't do the deal but impressed by the sound. Later heard one he made using Hormigo back/sides that Al demo'ed for Dream Guitars.

I tracked down the guitar to it's current owner but he said it's the last guitar he will ever sell. So I contacted Leo and he made me one to all my requested options such a tuners, head stock shape and logo, custom color choices, small sound port and binding including using my favorite neck shape from a templete I sent him. All included in his standard price.

And he stands behind his work, when the wood on the back turned out to have flaws he made me complete new one, no charge.

[Wade Hampton]

Yeah, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Leo Posch, and all of the guitars and mandolins of his that I’ve played have been superb instruments.


whm