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Santa Cruz Custom H13 Italian Spruce/Figured Mahogany - Used  From Santa Cruz

A custom-built H13 from Santa Cruz with figured Mahogany back and sides, an Italian Spruce top and a full body sunburst! Serial #1414

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This specific item was photographed by us here in Durham, North Carolina. We are a very small team dedicated to providing you the most accurate photos possible, through our obsessive focus - individually photographing nearly everything that comes through the door. Questions about what you see? Want more information, photos, or just a friendly conversation with someone that cares and who has actually had their hands on this exact item? Contact us now!
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Santa Cruz Guitars

"Gone, Baby, Gone"

This one is sold. Don't miss the next one. Some things never even make it to the site so stay up to date on our used collection.

We get in many oddities, rare and vintage products, most of which go fast. If you're on the hunt for something specific, something unique, or something priced right, let us notify you on our used collection before the items even hit the site.

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What We Think


Condition: Used, Excellent

H13s are already a shop favorite--imagine our delight when this gorgeous figured specimen came through the door!  The H13s offer unreal presence and complexity in such a small body.  Body depth and scale length say dreadnought while the body width and curvature say OO.  Whether you're a fingerpicker looking for huge presence and projection unavailable in even OMs or a flatpicker looking for focused, concentrated response that eludes even most slope shoulders, this is the clear choice. Everyone from Blind Blake to Maybelle Carter to Andrés Segovia would have been thrilled to get their hands on a H13 like this--you'll be just as thrilled to find just how superlative an instrument it is!

 

Manufacturer's Description from Santa Cruz

What’s up with thirteen frets? The historical precedent for this classic shape was the Gibson "Nick Lucas Special" from the 1920s and '30s, 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, our reason for using it does.

SCGC’s concept for the H-13 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.

Santa Cruz Guitars

About Manufacturer

Interested in building your custom Santa Cruz with us? Email us at acoustics@soundpure.com, or call us at (919) 682-5552! Richard Hoover began building guitars and carved-top mandolins in 1972. By 1976 his focus was on the modern steel string guitar. The task of becoming a master at all aspects of guitar making is a lifelong pursuit, and Richard has patiently refined his craftsmanship and knowledge as his company has grown. It was and is Richard's intent to translate his skills and sensitivities as an individual builder to an exceptional team of craftspeople, each of whom could become an expert in their specialty. Richard's style of allowing his craftspeople to interpret his vision has propelled Santa Cruz Guitar Company to the forefront of modern guitar making. Each Santa Cruz guitar receives an extraordinary amount of individual attention due to our "bench style" of building, which necessitates that each worker not only perform his own specialty, but also review the work of those who have completed stages before him. Over half of all the instruments that we build are custom orders, reflecting to a high degree the personality and unique playing needs of the buyer. Every guitar top is graduated and tuned by hand to attain maximum resonance and sustain, ensuring a high level of consistency of sound within each standard model line as well as the ability for custom voicing. The balance, tone, volume, and response of a Santa Cruz guitar are established before the guitar is strung. By limiting the number of instruments built, we can practice a style of lutherie born from a genuine love of the guitar, as opposed to a production line approach that might favor greater numbers at the expense of our attention to detail. We believe that our approach ensures that every Santa Cruz guitar is exceptional. Our intent is to create a uniquely sophisticated instrument that will inspire and challenge its owner throughout a lifetime.

Specifications

Completed in 2013

Serial Number: 1414

Full Body Sunburst

Top Wood:  Italian Spruce

Back Wood:  Figured Mahogany

Scale:  25 1/4"

Nut Width:  1 3/4"

Frets To Body:  13

Serial Number:  1414

Neck Wood:  Mahogany

Bracing:  H13 Scallop/Tapered

Headstock Shape:  Square

Headstock Overlay:  Rosewood

Headstock Inlay:  SCGC Logo

Tuners:  SCGC Nickel

Inlays:  Dots

Rosette:  Violin Purfle Combo

Purfling:  Herringbone

Body Binding:  Tortoise

Backstrip:  S29

Pickguard:  Tortoise Style

Nut Material:  Bone

Saddle Material:  Bone

Bridge Pins:  Ebony

Neck Profile:  V

Body Depth:  4.875"

Lower Bout Width:  14.5"

Upper Bout Width:  10.375"

Waist:  8.75"

Case:  Hardshell Case Included

Related Videos

Santa Cruz Guitar Company | Richard Hoover Among Giants

LR Baggs Presents Santa Cruz Guitar Company. This short film narrated by Richard Hoover, founder of Santa Cruz Guitar Company, documents the culture of their boutique lutherie and a mission to provide exceptional instruments for musicians that truly change the world.