Faith Signature 000 - PJE Limited Edition

Only 10 of these Patrick James Eggle Limited Edition Faith 000 models were made. And they became available to the guitar buying public from July 2009. The guitar comes with a 'Faith' logo, Hiscox, ABS, light flight case.

The specs are as follows:
Top Wood - Solid AAA-Grade Sitka Spruce
Back Wood - Solid AAA-Grade Indian Rosewood
Side Wood - Solid AAA-Grade Indian Rosewood
Binding - Selected Solid Koa
Bracing - Spruce (Piano Grade)
Rosette - Paua-Shell Abalone
Neck - Solid Mahogany
Neck Finish - Satin
Neck Joint - Bolt on at 12th Fret
Fingerboard - Ebony
Fingerboard Radius - 310mm ??? 12.2 inches
Fingerboard Inlays - M.o.P. 'F', at the 12th Fret, only
Fret Qty. - 17
Machine Heads - Gotoh SEP 700 06MN
Trussrod - with Carbon Reinforcement
Nut/Saddle - TUSQ / TUSQ
Nut Width - 45 mm ??? 1.77 inches
Bridge - Ebony
Bridge Pins - Ebony with MOP Dot
Strings - Elixir PB Nanoweb 12-53
Finish Type - AC Lacquer Body / Satin Neck
Case - 'Faith' HIscox UK Hard Case
Upper Bout - 275mm ??? 10.8 inches
Waist - 224mm ??? 8.82 inches
Lower Bout - 384mm ??? 15.1 inches
Depth = 80mm ??? 3.15 inches (front) ??? 104mm ??? 4.1 inches (rear)
Scale Length - 654mm ??? 25.7 inches
Body Length - 521mm ??? 20.5 inches

This is a 12 fretter, which gives a shorter, stiffer neck, that apparently sends more energy through the bridge, rather than through the neck, itself. The 12th fret join allows for a longer body too, which produces a stronger, fuller tone. Loosely based on the Martin 000-28VS and designed by Mr Eggle himself, this 000 was handmade in the Czech Republic.
The first time I played the 000, I thought, what a great fingerstyle guitar. It???s warmth and presence felt so smooth, with that style of playing. On my next visit, unplanned, I played the 000 with my plectrum. And wow! what a sound. It didn???t have the massive bottom end or expansive tone of the jumbo but it managed to be ringing and very warm, both at the same time. An intimate tone, that was still very vibrant, with plenty of volume. Far fuller than most of the 000s and OMs, I have played and owned, over the years. This 000 is slightly more controlled somehow, than both my Northwoods, yet to my surprise, it not only finger and flat picked a treat, it also strummed out chords wonderfully.
To my ears, some guitars one buys, sound a certain way, in the shop but sound very differently, back home. Not this one though. It???s tone is quite individual. It almost has the warmth and body of a classical guitar, yet with the sparkle you get from steel strings

Came very well set up, with pretty much, flawless finishing.
Cosmetically, there is a slight shade difference, between the 2 sides of the rather lovely, golden coloured soundboard. But the only thing I don???t actually like cosmetically, is the Patrick James Eggle signature on the headstock. It???s not overly large but it???s just not necessary, as he???s already signed it on the internal label and to my view just the Faith ???f??? logo is all that was required.

This is a very solid, proffesional standard guitar. Great for playing at home or on stage.

Not needed yet.

I???ve been a fan of the usual, low-mid priced Faiths, for some years now, having owned three of them. But these Signature models are a very different breed. The level of finishing and material quality, which was already very good on the standard models, has taken a number of steps, upward. The spec may seem conventional, with the sitka spruce/Indian rosewood combo but these are both AAA grade and you can hear, feel and see the difference. Add to this, the koa binding, with sympathetic purfling and it all comes together to create a lovely guitar.
I have had 12-fretters before and rather appreciate the tonal benefits they bring. But there is no doubt that that 2 fret difference in neck length, from the body to the nut, can feel slightly constricting, when you???ve not played one, for a while. Having said that, adjustment doesn???t take long at all, and in all my songs, I think I only go above the 12th fret in one of them. And I???d already found a very workable, alternative chord, when I owned a, now much missed, Stanford RD5 Vin.
On the internal label, it states that my guitar is number 4 from 10. Which is nice. I can???t help thinking though that Mr Eggle may think twice about making any more signature models. Because to my mind, they at least match the equivalent models in his own range, but at less of a financial outlay. But it has to be said that the combination of Faith, Eggle and that mysterious, Czech guitar company, has produced a top value, top quality guitar.