Santa Cruz 000

I bought a used 1999 12 fret 000 in near mint condition. It has a sitka spruce top and Roswood back and sides. Ebony fingerboard, bone nut and saddle. No electronics. Came with nice hard shell case.

I have played Martins, Taylors, Larivees, Gibsons, and a host of others and this one is the best sounding guitar of them all. It is very well balanced, has a mellow tone, and quite a punch for small bodied guitar. I play with Elixir nano-webs and the overtones are amazing. I play mostly fingerstyle in alternate tunings, and this guitar is great in DADGAD as well as other tunings.

The set up is great. I use light gauge strings and the action is nice. Fret board feels great, tuning pegs are very smooth. I like the neck width for fingerstyle play. Well braced, and looking around the inside with a mirror I cant see any glue squeeze out... quality work!

Excellent choice for playing a gig, though I am always afraid of scratching it by accident. Nice finish and solidly made.

Since I bought it used, I don't get the liftime warranty. However, I called company with the serial number and asked for some history. They were very nice and gave me the year, and what store the guitar was orginally made for. We chatted about the features of the guitar. It was like dealing with a mom and pop store.

I have played guitar since 1978. I also have a Martin 0028EC, and La Patre Concert Classical, and a PV Preditor Electric. I love my Martin, but think the Santa Cruz has a better sound, and is better balanced. I would definatly buy this guitar again if something happened to mine. I think that new it is an expensive guitar, listing for about $3600 now. However, I have seen used ones in near mint condition for $2400-$2600. Santa Cruz dealers do not discount much off the list price (maybe 10%), whereas they might discount 30% - 40% off other brands. That is why used is a good way to go.

This guitar was custom made for me in 1999 in the great coastal town of Santa Cruz (where else, right?). As with all conventional OOO's it's got 12 frets down to the body. I had the back and sides built with flamed KOA and an Adirondack spruce top. Steve Swan was the dealer who I went through and supplied the woods to Santa Cruz (Steve actually used to work there). The guitar also features gold waverly's and a real nice hardshell case. All features are very high quality as is the workmanship. It is a visual gem to look at.

The sound is as rich and articulate as one could hope for in a fingerstyle guitar. Chords and flatpicking are also a delight on this axe. The bass response is profound and the middles and trebles are well defined per the KOA. It is very well balanced tone-wise with surprisingly good volume and projection for a OOO guitar. Lends itself exceedingly well to mic recording. There are absolutely no negatives associated with the sound characteristics of this guitar.

The action is just about perfect for fingerstyle playing, it's not too low but low enough for extended chord work and complex fingerings without too much painstaking effort. The finish is superb with minimal sheen but far from a matte-like effect. Santa Cruz manages to finish a gutar but still giving a detailed look into the woods grain characteristic. A classy effect! The front and back are bookmatched nicely. A clear, high quality pickguard developed and put on by John Mellow is also a nice touch giving both protection and at the same time not detracting from the beauty of the wood. The neck is a standard Santa Cruz, plain and elegant. The saddle and nut are high quality and fit right in with the overall good looks of the instrument. The slotted peghead is beautiful and tastefully accentuated by gold waverly's (an upgrade).

This guitar can be played hard, soft or any old way you want. Live playing is a cinch but it's beauty makes one overly protective as a scratch would be a sin. As far as I can tell the finish is built to last but time will tell. All in all it's as dependable as a guitar should be and I'm usually pretty picky. I would easily use it as a solo fingerpicking guitar.

Can't really comment on this too much but was told by Steve Swan that if I ever needed a touch up or whatever just to bring it by and no problemo. Richard Hoover also seems like a reasonable guy to deal with, he answered an email of mine with concise and to the point information in a personable way.

I've been playing for 35 years. I also own a Taylor 814, a Gibson Mandolin, a 1921 Stella (KOA) and a customized Ultra Strat-plus.
If this were stolen or lost, I'd soon be on the phone with Steve Swan to order a duplicate. I love just about everything about it, to me it's a perfect fingerstyle guitar, and it looks and feels great. Favorite feature is the warm and articulate sound with associated good volume and projection. The cost of having it built custom was the sole detriment of the guitar but in the same breath, I'd have to say it's worth it and I got what I paid for. I compared it to Taylor Grand Concert, a custom Bourgeous OOO and some similarly sized Martins. They were all good but the Cruz stands out. Bottom line: I'm satisfied!

My 000 was made in 1998, it has 12 frets to the body, and a Sitka Spruce solid top. It has no on-board electronics, however I do use a Fishmna Rare Earth pick-up in it (to avoid cutting the guitar) and have been pleasantly surpirsed by the sound. The body and neck are Rosewood, with an ebony finger board. The neck has good width, a V shape and scale is 25.375. This is a classic 000, or small bodied guitar design. It came with a hard shell case. It has a simple, elegant look.

This guitar suits my finger style guitar work beautifully. I bought it for its sweet, pretty sound, especially when finger picked, and especially up the neck. Although I use it mainly for finger picking it is well suited for flat picking as well. It has a superb sound, and in fact is superior to any other 000 or OM I have heard.

The factory set-up was perfect. It had light guage strings on it when I bought it, but I switched to medium gauge strings because I prefer the feel. The guitar is hand made, and flawless.

I have only used the 000 regularly in performance for a year, although I've owned it for two. I determined not to cut the guitar, to add an under saddle pick-up, so did not use the guitar in situations where mic-ing it would be a problem. I since installed a Fishman rare Earth pick-up, becasue it was the least intrusive (no cutting), and have been very pleased with the sound. It does not capture all the refined qualities of the 000, but it does have a very fine sound. It works very well for finger style work, and flat picking.

The guitar has held up very well to constant road use. We are careful with it, but nothing out of the ordinary. It still looks almost as good as the day I brought it home. When I perform, I usually have multiple guitars available.

I have a life time warranty for the guitar. It has never needed any attention in two+ years. I have written to the company on a few occasions and always ahd a prompt, curteous and personal response.

I have been playing guitar for 38 years. I own a Larrivee Parlor Guitar, a Larrivee Jumbo and a Martin Backpacker - all of which I use for performance. I have been playng banjo for 3 years and I own a Vega Longneck banjo, by Deering - also used for performance.

I believe this Santa Cruz 000 is a beatiful guitar that I hope to pass on tofriend or family, one day. I am convinced it will last for generations, and provide superb sound for many many years to come.

I love the look and feel of this guitar and have been most impressed with its small size, great neck and pretty pretty sound. I wouldn't change a thing on it, and I would not add anything.