I am really thrilled about this second “comfort dread.” Like the first one, this guitar features an arm bevel, along with a slightly wider and shorter neck than traditional dreadnaughts. (For more on the comfort dread ideas, see Cherry and Sitka Spruce Comfort Dread and my blog post “A dread for fingerstyle players”.) This new guitar also adds a cutaway to let you travel up the neck with ease. The result is a guitar that sings out with the volume, sustain and tone of a traditional dreadnaught while being very comfortable for a fingerstylist to play, even sitting down.

 

This guitar pairs a sitka spruce top with sapele back and sides. This is my first sapele build but it certainly won’t be my last. The guitar responds well to a light touch with bare fingers or fingerpicks, but doesn’t break up when you dig in with fingerpicks or a flat pick. It’s the perfect guitar for someone who plays across genres.

 

I have redesigned the heel shape on this guitar, mostly because I think it looks great with the Florentine cutaway. It’s very comfortable to play up the neck past the 14-fret body joint, but I have found that any well-designed heel will accomplish that, so it is mostly an aesthetic choice.

 

If you added up the options per my price list this guitar would be priced at $4,230. It’s priced lower because it is a prototype.

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Specifications

Top: Sitka spruce
Back and sides: Sapele
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard, saddle, binding, bevel, end wedge, and heel cap: Ebony

Rosette: Spalted maple

Headstock: Ebony with spalted maple stripe

Fret markers: Maple

Tuners: Gotoh 510 Mini
Scale length: 24.9 inches
Nut width: 1 ¾ inches

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Note: Although no strap pins have been installed on this guitar, they are included in the price and will be installed on purchase. This is in case you prefer to have a pickup with end-pin jack installed. In that case you’ll be charged my cost for the pickup of your choice plus a $75 installation fee.

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Hardshell case included.

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