This is one we have been waiting the past year for. An incredible H13 custom with a killer set of Wild Cocobolo (or Cuckoo-bolo as it’s being called) for the back and sides topped with a Swiss Moon Spruce top (wood cut at the last moon before winter when the sap flow is low) with 42-style Abalone purfling and a custom 35th Anniversary sunburst. Plus Full Snakewood bindings to tie it all together just makes this one of a kind piece of art come alive. Built with Adirondack scalloped braces and hide glue construction, this is the king 13 fret guitar. Richard Hoover and company ant Santa Cruz were so floored by this build we put together they showcased it at the 2017 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA this January.
The H13 is the perfect marriage between the 12 frets and 14 fret guitars. The extra deep body gives this so much resonance and response. Along with the 13 fret body, it is a perfect build. Cuckoo-bolo!
About the H13
What’s up with thirteen frets? The historical precedent for this classic shape was the Gibson ‘Nick Lucas Special’ from the 1920’s and ’30’s, the one Bob Dylan holds in early photos. The “H” designation is an acknowledgement to the guardian of the lore of all things vintage and stringed, Maestro Paul Hostetter, who commissioned SCGC to build the prototype in 1978. In spite of the question of whether the historic 13 frets to the body had any basis in acoustic science, acoording to Santa Cruz’s reason for using it, it does.
SCGC’s concept for the H13 is to achieve power beyond what would be expected in a small-bodied guitar. Two fundamental lutherie tricks make this possible: a longer string length (more downward pressure at the saddle) and more air space via a deeper body (increased volume and bass response). To place the bridge in the optimal position for power and maintain the longer string length, the neck needs to join the body at the 13th fret. Cool, huh? This is a gorgeous classic with power and presence expected from a much larger instrument. Perfect for aggressive fingerstyle blues and vocal accompaniment, the H-13 feels really sweet to hold.
Moon Spruce
This is High Altitude Swiss Moon Spruce. What is Moon Spruce exactly? Moon Spruce is simply a name for spruce that was harvested and handled according to a centuries-old tradition from the Alp-regions in Europe. Carpenters and luthiers had recognized that wood that was cut under certain conditions, differs from wood that is not cut using the old traditional way of handling. The tree is cut within the last quarter of the waning moon (end of waning moon phase) in the wintertime after the growing period of the tree has stopped (low sap flow).
Special “moon calendars” for the right times in using forests, from planting a tree to the harvest, were common within the old timber-“industry”, long before industrialization took part. Now the regular forests got more and more used on a pure technical way, not considering the old traditional rules – and forgetting some hundred years of knowledge for the “right time”.
Includes deluxe Ameritage hardshell case and lifetime warranty.
Free shipping in the continental United States.