Santa Cruz 1934 D

[jw3571]

Anyone own or have played a Santa Cruz 1934 D in Mahogany or Brazilian? If so, how does the tone compare to similar Bourgeois or Collings? I'm not sure I can handle not having any inlay on the fretboard, is that a problem for people that have played one?

[jw3571]

No one has tried one of these?

[oliverkollar]

I once owned a Brazilian one.
It was very early in the line, so It's been a while.

A very loud and great sounding instrument. Very different than a Bourgeois or a Collings. I would put it more in the Martin camp as far as tone is concerned. It was a great guitar, but almost "too much" for me at the time.

As great of a guitar as it was, I ended up selling it to acquire a vintage Martin Dreadnought.

The best thing you can do is find one (near impossible) and give it a try.

[tadol]

I know a number of SC players who have one, but I do not - I do have a couple SC guitars with blank fretboards, but with side markers, so I do not have a problem - If there were no side markers as well, that might be a problem when trying to find chords further up the neck, but you can definitely get markers put in extremely easily if you desired -

I'm not aware of similar guitars from Collings or Bourgeois - in fact, the 34D is kinda special in the SC lineup -

[jw3571]

Is it special even if it's the mahogany version or only if it's Brazilian. Also what about having an Adi top versus an italian spruce?

[HFox]

JW,
I have owned a custom SCGC Braz/Adi for about 2 years.
With out question a hellacious cannon but extremely balanced and a joy to play.
I have commented on the guitar both on this and other forums. It will stay in my family for generations to come. You can search for my comments on it.
Hog is NOT a substitute for Braz....very different.
Based on the 2 guitars you asked to compare the 34 to....A 34 in Braz is much more like a 30s prewar Martin D-28.... but much more balanced and I think richer sounding. No real comparison to those you own.
The 1934 in hog is IMHO a bit quieter but more mellow.
I will email you my contact info....if you are near me you would be welcome to play my 34 Zorro.

[fishstick_kitty]

I love the look of a blank fretboard. I'm sure the SC has side markers so you're good . I've never played a santa cruz that wasn't superb honestly...they are a great company.

[ruger9]

I played a mahogany one, and it was one of the two finest-sounding acoustics I've ever held. The other was a Martin D-18A.

If I had that kind of money at the time, I would have walked out with it.

[min7b5]

I've played quite a few of them. All of them stellar. I play a guitar with no fretboard inlays and have no problem at all. The guitar would have side position markers, so I think it's a non-issue.

[eljay]

Feeling a little out of my depth following an Eric Skye post about Santa Cruz guitars; nonetheless, SCGC thrives on customization, so no need for a blank fretboard if you're looking at a new one.

Neither of my SC guitars are bone stock; VS has natural top and wider than standard string spacing; my OM has SCGC script headstock logo and short scale.

Factory most accommodating!

[jw3571]

Thanks for the responses, it's just a little hard to justify spending double to get the Brazilian.

[min7b5]

Originally Posted by jw3571

Thanks for the responses, it's just a little hard to justify spending double to get the Brazilian.

I prefer the mahogany myself.

[jw3571]

I'd really like the Brazilian but $20k for a guitar is pretty tough to justify.

[Glennwillow]

I would suggest playing a SCGC 1934D before investing in one. As you have noted, they are very expensive.

I have played one and while it's certainly a great guitar, it's not what I want in a great guitar. When people say it's balanced, in my opinion they mean it has less bass than many other dreadnoughts. My guess is that the guitar was designed to be a highly projecting Bluegrass guitar, something that will cut through a group of players.

For me, the guitar I played is too stiff; it required a great deal of effort to get sound out of when played with my fingers. The one I played was Adi over BRW, and I have played that guitar several times over the years because it belongs to a friend of mine who I see every once in a while.

I would much rather have a Santa Cruz D/PW or a Martin D-28 Authentic 1937 for the sound and response that I want. But then, I am not a Bluegrass player.

- Glenn

[tadol]

That’s very true - if you are primarily a fingerstyle player, SCGC make a number of models that are probably far more appropriate -