Are Santa Cruz Guitars Really That Great?

[Mick Z]

Here's my advice: If you're looking at the SCs, I would also open up the search to include the other builders mentioned in this thread. I really appreciate what the boutique shops produce in terms of quality and tone, but I can't rationalize the cost difference. Yet. You have some really nice guitars. Take your favorite one with you so you can A/B it.

[Kerbie]

Yes, they are... as are Collings, Bourgeois, Froggies, etc.

[HHP]

All of the small shop makers are building instruments to appeal to those who want something a little different from the major factory builders. That "something different" varies with each of them. The trick is to find the one that fills the void you experience. It would be wise to try a variety to see which builder's vision is aligned with yours. I would never suggest buying one without playing it since that is a total crapshoot. The guitar may be perfect but you may find it doesn't go in the direction you want to go.

[JLed79]

I would love to play one, but have never had the opportunity. I don't know if they'd be my cup of tea or not though. I'm definitely most happy with the modern guitar voicing and the Martins, Collings and Bourgeois I've played have all been great guitars, just not my tonal preference. I don't know if Santa Cruz would tickle my fancy or not. I'd love to find out though. They are definitely lookers!

[roylor4]

I have little experience with SC guitars (and other boutique builders for that matter) but have played a handful. All the SC's I picked up were sonically and visually inspiring. As Wade said, I'm sure there will be variance from guitar to guitar though but I have never picked up a bad one. If I could afford it (& I can't) I would never buy a 4k+ guitar without an extensive test drive first.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

JW, not to break the mood that the thread has sustained thus far, but my experience with Santa Cruz guitars is that some are great, some are not. They're all very well made, and there are no problems with fit and finish. But as with any all-solid wood guitars, the tone will vary from one example to another.

I've played some I wanted to own, others that just made me shrug.

Your mileage may vary.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

A good reply to copy and paste when any guitar brand is mentioned. So very true of our beloved instrument and frankly something that makes them more intriguing to me. You just never know what one, or which one, will speak to you.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

my experience with Santa Cruz guitars is that some are great, some are not. They're all very well made, and there are no problems with fit and finish. But as with any all-solid wood guitars, the tone will vary from one example to another.

I've played some I wanted to own, others that just made me shrug

My experience as well. Definitely try before you buy, especially given their ever escalating prices new.

[Von Beerhofen]

My Recently purchased Santa Cruz OM Braz definately surpasses all my other guitars in terms of sustain, brightness and produces it's own type of growl. It's extra ordinary loud too but can sound very delicate and glass like almost.
The build is very light, thin top, thin braces with long tapered ends and side bracing and there's absolutely nothing to complain about in terms of craftmanship. The shallow V shaped neck is a delight to play and feels very fast, intonation is spot on and the guitar is superbly setup. In fact I at first thought it had a thinner set of strings on.
The glass like sound may not be to everyone's taste but this guitar strangely keeps attracting my attention and the others are a bit suffering from that.
OK this guitar doesn't have that bluesy sound of my CS-OM-13 or the Jazzy sound of my Koa Taylor, not does it have the raw power of my Jeff Daniels OM. My two other Taylors, both Spruce/Madagascar also don't produce that ring or sustain but are clearly heavier builds and may better stand up on stage.
Mind you the Santa Cruz is 3 to 4 years older then all my other guitars and if this is what time does to guitars then I can't wait to hear how 4 years of play will influence the others.
I can only say this Santa Cruz OM is one very (expensive) special guitar with an individual sound and I just love it.

Ludwig

[Athana]

When I went out in 2009 looking to find the "best" acoustic to buy (up to then I only bothered looking at Martin & Gibson..
I felt that Santa Cruz & Collings sounded pretty much like high end Martins (Customs) but with nicer looking woods.
The guitars that were better sounding than that level were Lowden &
Huss & Dalton.

[MexicoMike]

Well, I'm a new Cruz owner, having never even seen one until about 2 months ago when I went into a shop to casually look at OM-size guitars. I didn't intend to buy, just get an idea re an OM as opposed to a dread - which was the only acoustic steel string guitar I have ever owned. What follows is a repeat more or less of some previous info I posted.

I played other boutique guitars as well as the Cruz, some of which I handed back after playing one chord. The best sounding guitar to me was the Cruz and, funnily enough, the second best sounding guitar - which I thought a lot about buying because the price was right - was not one of the other boutiques, it was a 2010 Martin OM21 with a cracked/repaired top. FWIW, I played a new OM21 and it was not impressive at all so that shows the difference between "identical" models.

To be fair, the Cruz was the most expensive of the guitars I looked at and the cracked 2010 OM21 was the least expensive. All the boutique guitars were new. I went back a few days later after working to get my head around the price and bought the Cruz. I am still shocked every time I play it and constantly find myself wondering sound wise, "how the heck do they (Cruz) do that?"

Obviously we are into personal sound preference and you might have preferred a different guitar in the shop - or none of them. But I would have to say that if you decide to look at boutique guitars, you should definitely include Cruz on your list. Again, I didn't go looking for one, it just happened to be there. If it hadn't been, I probably wouldn't have purchased anything though MAYBE I would have bought the cracked Martin…(which I did yesterday anyway)!

[lotis]

I had an older SC D model. It was ok. It didn't last long before I sold it.

[Kh1967]

Like many others have said - try before you buy. My experience is Santa Cruz makes a wonderful guitar, but they do vary, just like with other builders. It is just my preference, but I prefer neck profiles from Bourgeois, H&D, Collings and Froggy over SC. I know Richard Hoover can do a custom, so that is another factor to consider.

[SuperB23]

Santa Cruz guitars are great!! They are built very lightly and combine that with the incredible voicing talents of Joeseph King and Richard Hoover. They are very responsive and a joy to play!! My favorite models they make are the Tony Rice Pro, OM Grand, and FS.

[markallen]

They are wonderful guitars. I purchased a 2012 1929 RS from a fellow forum member recently and it's quickly becoming my favorite guitar. Moving up in size from 000 to the slope dread is a huge change and once I finish adjusting it will likely be my main go-to guitar.

Cheers,
Mark

[LysolEverywhere]

Yes!!!

Santa Cruz: 12-FRET D

Game over. Everyone can go home now.