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Dated: Decmber, 2007, signed by the builder. Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 22 1/2" Nut width: 1 1/8" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .83/.88

Materials: Solid carved spruce top, solid carved black walnut back, sides, and headplate, solid one-piece mahogany neck, solid rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot fingerboard inlays; tortoise shell bound body and neck.

Hardware: All original hardware includes nickel Grover Sta-Tite 18:1 open back tuners, Allen cast aluminum tailpiece, compensated adjustable ebony bridge, 3-ply beveled black pickguard, floating Kent Armstrong Handwound Adjustable PAF humbucking pickup, with thumbwheel volume control and 1/4" endpin jack.

Notes: Oregon luthier Paul Lestock has made a reputation for building top quality handmade instruments at prices real musicians can really afford. His artist roster includes the likes of Mike Marshall, Radim Zenkl, John Carlini and others, and his guitars and mandolins are renowned for their lively responsive acoustic tone. Acoustic archtops have been a longtime focus for Paul, and this Arrow Tenor Cutaway is a tribute to the legendary instruments of the Jazz Age.

Championed by luminaries like Tiny Grimes, Eddie Condon and Mike McKendrick of the Louis Armstrong band, the tenor guitar also remained popular with country and novelty acts like the Delmore Brothers and the Hoosier Hot Shots. Given a huge boost in the 1960's by Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio, the instrument remains popular with jazz revivalists, in Texas and Celtic fiddle backup, and has been adopted by contemporary performers like Neco Case and Ani DeFranco.

Those who've searched for quality tenor instruments already know how rare it is to find a true all carved, luthier built archtop, hand crafted in the USA. This rare example is built with a hand graduated, tap tuned Sitka spruce soundboard, with traditional parallel braced tone bars, and a gorgeously figured body of lustrous solid black walnut. Its vintage style sunburst lacquer finish is all original, as is its hardware, including the floating Kent Armstrong Handwound Adjustable PAF humbucking pickup, with its thumbwheel volume control mounted under the pickguard edge.

At just 3lb 8oz, the guitar is exceptionally light in weight, and its comfy 14" body rests nimbly on the lap or the strap. The original fretwork is in excellent condition, with smooth low action over a gentle C profile neck, and a fresh high precision setup. The graceful Venetian cutaway affords access to the uppermost fingerboard, and the instrument possesses a bright clear voice, with excellent balance, snap, and projection, both unplugged or through the amp. A pair of short hairline cracks neat the bass f-hole have been soundly cleated and resealed, with a few incidental lacquer nicks visible here and there, and the instrument remains well protected in its original black Cordura lightweight rigid foam case.

This unique instrument was custom built for Northwest guitar legend Ray Wood, and proceeds from its sale benefit Weiser Friends of The Fiddle, a non-profit organization supporting music of the American West. A rare find, and a true delight for one lucky plectrist indeed. One only: call now.

Setup: 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. The instrument is strung with medium gauge 80/20 bronze wound strings, with action adjustable to player's preference at the compensated bridge.

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