1991 Schwartz 18" Custom

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1991 Schwartz 18" Custom

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Body size at lower bout: 18". Scale length: 25 5/8" Nut Width: 1 3/4"

Materials: Solid handcarved European bookmatched X-braced.spruce top; solid handcarved bookmatched figured European maple back, sides and neck; solid ebony fingerboard with pearl cloud style inlays; five ply top binding; three ply binding; triple bound back, headstock, fingerboard and f-holes.

Hardware: All original hardware including adjustable compensated rosewood bridge; solid handcarved ebony tailpiece; triple bound tortoise art deco pickguard; gold Waverly 16X1 tuners with butterbean keys; Bartolini floating humbucking pickup with volume control mounted to pickguard.

Notes: Sometimes it takes awhile for two good ideas to come together. The original Super 400 design of 1934 is one of the most graceful and desirable vintage guitars ever made. The finely carved top is X-braced for sustain and warmth of tone, and the smaller upper bout makes a body that is distinctly easier to hold, for players of all sizes. Regrettably, however, this legendary design was never offered in a cutaway version, as Gibson radically redesigned the model in 1939 with parallel bracing and a larger upper bout. And so it remained, for over half a century, until this remarkable instrument came to be.

Commissioned by Bay Area bandleader Tony Marcus, this guitar was built by the Chicago builder Kim Leland Schwartz. Like his Windy City predecessor Albanus, Schwartz produced a very limited number of exquisitely hand crafted instruments with designs of striking originality. An eclectic blend of distinguished features, the cloud inlays are adapted from the Epiphone Deluxe, the tailpiece, pickguard and peghead are creative extensions of traditional art deco designs.

Built from Tony's own stash of AAA figured maple, the back and sides are awash in luxuriant quilted flame, under a masterful prewar style amber sunburst finish. The voice is clear, open and incredibly powerful, a function of the unusually lightweight body, with less heft than many 17" guitars. For additional comfort, the body depth is slightly shallower than the Super 400, with interior volume compensated by a more pronounced arch on top and back. Fingerstyle players, or those with larger hands will appreciate the generous 1 3/4" nut width, and the floating Bartolini humbucker provides smooth, quiet response.

One of only two ever made in this style, this guitar was the subject of a feature article in the Feb. 1997 issue of Just Jazz Guitar magazine. Blending the best of old and new, this guitar is a true American original.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished as necessary; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original plush hardshell case.

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