Santa Cruz F

My Santa Cruz F is somewhat of a hybrid between the F and the newer FS with the cutaway. It looks like the FS (smaller headstock, logo inlay on fretboard) but has a Carpathian spruce top instead of a cedar top. Absoulutly beautiful Indian Rosewood back and sides.

I play both FS and with a pick and this guitar works very well for both but better with fingers. It is a bit mid-rangy sounding but that is ok as it has a lovely shimmery sound that works well with my fingers (I don't play with finger picks). It also works very well in DADGAD which I like. Overall a very lovely sounding guitar.

Perfect action and setup with a neck profile that fits like a glove for me. This is the most playable guitar I have ever owned. It was advertised by the dealer as a 3/4 nut but it actually is a bit underneath 3/4 and over 11/16th's, somewhere in the middle between the two. (I guess that comes with the territory with a hand made guitar). This fits me so well it's like I ordered it that way.

All good.

The people at SCGC seem very nice.

If you have the chance, check out a guitar with a Carpathian spruce top. It has the quick attack of cedar with the longer response of Sitka - really kind of unique, the best of both worlds. I hear that SGSC is making a lot of their guitars with Carpathian spruce these days.

1990 Maple Cutaway w/ Decco inlay in the fretboard. Maple neck with Brazillian overlay on the headstock. Has a Fishman Matrix under-the-saddle pickup. No pickguard on a choice spruce top.

Bought used - after it did not meet the (ridiculously low) reserve listing price, direct from owner.

This is the dream guitar I've been looking for. Played countless 614's and 615's and almost pulled the trigger...looking for that maple punch and high end quality axe with investment value. Was still looking when this beauty showed up. Amplified or unplugged, I'm in heaven. Replaced the bridge pins with fossilized mammoth and got even more clarity and sustain (thanks to custom fitting by Tim). Jazz like sound and great all the way up.
I use d'Addario PB mediums. Custom gauging may be in order as the mids are just a tiny bit brighter than the highs or lows.
I play soft rock. It effortlessly produces driving sounds when strummed and provides plenty of brilliance when solo-ing on finger-style pieces.

Set up well, as received. The back has beautiful figure and is matched well. Frets have been renewed once. All the bindings are perfect with no seperation anywhere.

I play this guitar every day. It goes "live" once a month or so and it has held up well. It is not as durable as my pick-up truck Ovation but then what is?
The electonics will be upgraded soon, but that topic is for a different review.

Richard Hoover checked this instrument out personally and gave me tour of the factory. When he took it out of the case, it was like he was re-uniting with a long lost friend. Any issues you can articulate he will try to address. He pointed out many unique features about this F that you'd never hear from a dealer or buyer.
The pin holes were slotted by someone and this made every string hole different. He brought out stock pins and showed how they'd never stay put.

I've been playing 30 years. I had to let go of a rare Martin to get this - and that was hard, but then letting go of any guitar is difficult. The SCGC F fits my playing style like a glove. The maple provides the punch, without any hint of thin-ness. Elegant and frill-less (except for the decco inlays) - the value is in the solid construction and attention to what matters: the sound. This is a 15 year old baby aging nicely. It sounds great sitting on my front porch or up on stage. Whenever I bring it out, jaws drop at just the stunning beauty of the wood - THEN they hear it and you get the "Oh my!" comments.
List on this guitar now is close to $6K. Never thought I would be the proud owner of something so special. This was the deal of the century.

go to kelvyn.com he is the exclusive on line santa cruz dealer.his site has all the specs and info. this is the golden age of guitar making and the scgc f model is beautiful. i like a guitar for looks, feel and sound. in that order. the santa cruz f works for me. it is extremely well intoned. it is bound top, back, neck and headstock. the ebony fingerboard is purfled. the back and bottom seam ar inlaid with marquetry. the neck is one piece. the top is tuned. look, i liked it so much i bought two. the sound is perfectly balanced and loud as i need. it is a real singing guitar. if you are shopping for breedlove, collings, larrivee, froggy bottom, martin, or the other fine makes, check out kelvyn.com for the santa cruz line. check out his usd models for HUGE savings.

the f body is designed to give even balance across the register, making it desirable for fingerpicking ragtime.

richard hoover, the scgc master luthier , is a perfectionist.

me personally, would never take this axe to a gig. that's what my gibson j185ec is for. the scgc f is for home and the studio. it is vintage craftsmanship.

kelvyn guitars offers PERSONAL LIFETIME SUPPORT in addition to the scgc warrantee. you gotta see this promise on the kelvyn.com website. kelvyn's selection, prices, and service guarantee made me a proud scgc f owner.

most of my peers play an electric/accoustic out and a vintage accoustic at home.

Standard Santa Cruz Model F 2002 edition
It is a "mini-jumbo" shape with the standard fittings (no custom work done). Sitka Spruce Top; Indian Rosewood side/back. No electronics. Shcaller tuners.

Comes with case. Case is excellent. Light, but sturdy with very comfortable handle.

You can find a detailed list of the specifications on the Santa Cruz site (http://www.santacruzguitar.com/scgc_cat_f_specs.htm).

I compared this guitar with Martin D41/45 and was very surprised at the results. This guitar is the best acoustically sounding guitar that I've EVER heard. Has the most deep mid-low that I've heard. Overall sound is very balanced. After trying out the Model F, the D41/45 sounded like it was missing the mids.

My style is mostly strumming with finger/flat picking. Could not get the guitar to "buzz", except with EXTREMELY hard strumming. This guitar is like a "swiss army knife" because it can do it all - very versatile. Sound is just "buttery" and smooth.

Factory set-up is excellent.

Top panel has a flawless spruce top, perhaps the best I've seen. No notches, with the most evenly spaced lines - I didn't even realize that it was 2 pieces until I contacted Santa Cruz because the book-matching is so good.

This guitar seems very durable. As far as I can tell, Model F seems very durable and reliable. Top coating feels like it's a little "thin" and may need a little more care.

Contacted company only via e-mail. Response was satisfactory. Recommend calling them directly.

I have been playing guitar for over 7 years, and perform "live" almost weekly. My Model F is replacing a Takamine EG334. Most definitely would get another Model F. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Compared this guitar with: Martin D-41/45; Taylor 612CE, 814; Collings 00028.

Recommend installing Fishman Rare Earth Blend pick-up to reproduce acoustic sound.

1998, made in California. All solid wood -- Rosewood back and sides, Spruce Top. Cutaway with Deco Inlay.

The unique sound of this instrument is overall very good. Since it is very easy to play, it makes me sound better. Compared side by side to my wife's Lowden played by an accomplished and strong player, I prefer the sound of her specific Lowden, which seems to be an exceptional model. But for my playing (hack), the Santa Cruz works much better.

Overall excellent fit and finish with one exception -- the bridge pins seem to sit too far into the bridge making them hard to remove when changing strings. . .

Everything seems solid, but time will be the true judge.

Haven't had to deal with company

I have been attempting to play for years. I traded a Taylor Dan Crary to get the Santa Cruz. I spent about five hours in the shop playing every guitar in the store -- this included Froggy Bottom, Collings, Bourgeous, Breedlove, Larivee, Taylor, a pre-war Martin, and Lowden. Some of the other instruments cost significantly more than the SC. Some had Brazilian Rosewood (the SC does not). I even had my wife play the five guitars I liked the best while I had my eyes shut, so I could hear the differences in a blind test. Then I played while she listened. We both prefered the SC, and it was by far the easiest for me to play, but I should state that I am a weak player. My guitar playing has improved tremendously since I bought this baby. I really just enjoy picking it up and practicing. I have been trying to learn fingerstyle for years, and I can actually now play a few songs. The fretboard is wide enough to allow for easy access to individual strings, but not so wide as to cause strain when reaching for the lower E string. It is easy to wrap the thumb around to grab the bass of an F chord, ala Travis. Expensive, but worth it.