Help with choosing a Santa Cruz

[sdelsolray]

There are many good choices available from SCGC. I would think a SCGC OM would be somewhat redundant to your OM Grand, although not as much with mahogany back and sides. The all mahogany SCGC 1929 00 is an excellent suggestion, as would an all mahogany SCGC 1929 000. Great used examples are usually available at decent prices.

The SCGC H is also worthy of consideration. With it's deep by medium sized body, it behaves a bit differently.

One SCGC model not mentioned so far is the F. Talk about balance. They are wonderful instruments.

Good luck on your search.

[HFox]

As a follow-up: has anyone played an OM, OM/PW or 000 with mahogany back and sitka or European spruce top?

Thanks again![/QUOTE]
I am the fortunate owner of a 2015 SCGC OM.
back/sides of "The Tree" Hog and top of Euro Spruce.
It is a spectacular instrument both in voice and appearance.
Dry woody tone but with a Braz richness , very clear note separation, excellent sustain and a perfect overtone mix when strumming.
I play with a Blue Chip thumb pick and bare fingers. I strum with BC and back of finger nails.
IF i had to use one word to describe it .....ELEGANT

[BrunoBlack]

Originally Posted by HFox

As a follow-up: has anyone played an OM, OM/PW or 000 with mahogany back and sitka or European spruce top?

Thanks again!

I am the fortunate owner of a 2015 SCGC OM.
back/sides of "The Tree" Hog and top of Euro Spruce.
It is a spectacular instrument both in voice and appearance.
Dry woody tone but with a Braz richness , very clear note separation, excellent sustain and a perfect overtone mix when strumming.
I play with a Blue Chip thumb pick and bare fingers. I strum with BC and back of finger nails.
IF i had to use one word to describe it .....ELEGANT[/QUOTE]

Hey Zorro, how about some pictures

[BrunoBlack]

Originally Posted by HFox

As a follow-up: has anyone played an OM, OM/PW or 000 with mahogany back and sitka or European spruce top?

Thanks again!
I am the fortunate owner of a 2015 SCGC OM.
back/sides of "The Tree" Hog and top of Euro Spruce.
It is a spectacular instrument both in voice and appearance.
Dry woody tone but with a Braz richness , very clear note separation, excellent sustain and a perfect overtone mix when strumming.
I play with a Blue Chip thumb pick and bare fingers. I strum with BC and back of finger nails.
IF i had to use one word to describe it .....ELEGANT

Hey Zorro, how about some pictures

[tippy5]

I can offer a little help. I have only owned two. One I sold to a fellow local singer songwriter that I shared the stage with dozens of times. He really really wanted it and I cratered. It was an older 1990's 00 cutaway Sitka/IR that had the requisite strong trebles. Another was an uninspiring dread that I didn't bond with.

Carolynn Sills has some super nice smaller bodies here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgd43Azr8lQ

Looks like you have a nice wish list. Lowered tunings would be SCGC's 25.3" scale, minimum. They can make 00's sound large if you ask for that. The H13's seem great as the one in this video. If I was so fortunate to order one it would be a smaller SCGC with FAT trebles!

[zmf]

Originally Posted by LWSog

I’m looking for something a little more balanced, but don’t want to give up the clear and deep bass or the fat trebles. I play fingerstyle with bare flesh or with a pick, strumming or hybrid picking, and in lowered tunings as often as standard. Blues, jazz, modern instrumental, singer-songwriter, etc, etc.

I'm very envious that you're on the hunt for another Santa Cruz.

Blues, jazz, modern -- the image that jumps to mind is something similar to the Eric Skye 00 -- if a slightly smaller guitar with a large sound would fit the bill.

Not something that seems to be part of your search image, but the SCGC slope-shoulder dreads are sweet in bass and treble, and play small -- my VS feels more like an 000.

Otherwise, a lot of great models have already been mentioned. '29 series is sweet and the D-12 is amazing.

[Organic Sounds Select Guitars]

Thanks for the continued suggestions! I keep trying to like small guitars, but up until now find that anything 00 size or smaller hasn’t done it for me. Maybe Eric’s model is different - I’ll have to try one (as well as the D-12, H-13, etc...)

[MHC]

FWIW.

I think you're on the right track thinking about an OM with one of the European Spruces over mahogany as a compliment to what you have.

I have an Italian Spruce and Mahogany OM (from another boutique maker) and while it has a wonderfully clean, fundamental tone, the Italian Spruce gives each note (particularly the trebles) a burnished bloom. A very elegant and rich tone, but not dark at all.

My experience playing SCGC OMs (I've never owned one) is that the regular OM guitars have less of that low-end darkness, and are more balanced throughout the range. But this is from rather limited exposure.

Good luck with the search!

[JoeYouDon't]

Originally Posted by LWSog

Hi folks. I own a Santa Cruz OM Grand, sitka over Indian rosewood, with a great low end growl, thick fat trebles, and a neck that is perfect for me. I love this guitar, but with some songs it’s voice is a little too “deep”, so I’m considering adding another Santa Cruz to complement it, which would require selling a couple of others.

The 1929 00 sounds like exactly what you're describing. I've had the chance to play a few, and while they don't suit what I want to do, they're very very cool guitars, and gorgeous as well.

SCGC does a fantastic job at crafting instruments that hit frequencies at defined points on the EQ spectrum. The hard part is figuring out what you're looking for there, and it sounds like you already have a pretty clear idea.

Another recommendation to call them up and discuss what you want to achieve. Every interaction I've had with them has been superlative, and from what I've read, my experience doesn't seem terribly unique.

[M Hayden]

Originally Posted by HFox

As a follow-up: has anyone played an OM, OM/PW or 000 with mahogany back and sitka or European spruce top?

Thanks again!

Yes - One of our own had one a while ago. It was profoundly good - I think Steve Swan had supplied the woods, but I don’t recall. It was everything you’d want and then some.

[M Sarad]

Eric Skye Model is quite wonderful.

Carolyn has been on the road with her band. Not sure if she’s back yet

[Earl49]

I'll ditto the H-13. One at Gryphon caught my ear and has haunted my dreams for many years. Back then I was not able to afford it, or even come close. I have played the 00-1929 and 000-1929 a couple of times at Acoustic Vibes Music in Tempe, AZ. But with no SCGC dealer anywhere near me, I don't get much opportunity.

[tadol]

Originally Posted by M Sarad

Carolyn has been on the road with her band. Not sure if she’s back yet

Carolyn has been touring a fair bit and has a new EP out - very worth checking out. Search YouTube for the Carolyn Sills Combo -

But even when she’s on the road she’s on-line and extremely responsive, and returns calls very quickly, so I’d say call when you can and get it started!

I agree with others that the 00 is too small (physically) for me - but their model H (not necessarily the H13) is a really great size if you’re looking for a smaller body model, and you might consider koa for b&s as well -

[Dryfly]

Originally Posted by llew

The D-12 is the sleeper of the lineup. I had one and foolishly sold it. It's a 12 fret dread but with a body depth close to an OM (around 4 1/8"+/-). Killer for fingerstyle and handles a flatpack with ease. Sitka/Mahogany so different from your OM Grande.

I play both the D-12 & H-12. Both great. The D is the most versatile and the H the most comfortable. The D is a small dreadnaught or an oversized OM.

[SuperB23]

I've played and owned over 50 SCGC guitars. My favorite models by them are the Tony Rice Pro, the FS, and the OM Grand. If it had to be just one the Tony Rice Pro. The TR Pro is one of the hand full of guitars made in the last 30 years that hangs well with the best mid to late 30s Martin D-28s I've played. More so than any other model by any brand/builder. There is a huge difference between a TR Pro and the standard TR models.

Good luck in your search. I'm not a huge fan of SCGC's OM and 000 instruments. For those I'd look at a Froggy Bottom H12 or Goodall TR000.