Santa Cruz H

Smaller bodied all acoustic guitar which is Santa Cruz`s take on the Gibson Nick Lucas model.Top quality timbers throughout,a very nice piece of Sitka Spruce for the top.Beautifully bookmatched solid Indian Rosewood back&sides.One piece very straight grained Mahogany neck with Ebony fretboard,headstock facing bridge&bridge pins.Ivoroid bindings on neck/headstock&body front&back.SCGC logo on headstock in Mother of Pearl along with very tiny fret markers(classy).Standard black white black Santa Cruz soundhole rosette.Chrome mini Schaller machineheads(ok but nothing special!).Thin fretwire not to my taste but this is a standard model and not a custom job.14 clear frets to the body and the fretboard slightly over hangs the soundhole,and some squeezed out glue is visible if you look closely.Inside the guitar all visible braces are very smooth with the side supports showing avery impressive V profile.There is one small slodge of glue on the lower bout with some sawdust stuck in it(which you don`t expect on a guitar of this quality),but i`ll live with it.This guitar is extremely light and resonant.The nut&compensated saddle are bone.

The H is a classic finger pickers guitar,the balance between bass and treble strings is exceptional.The guitar was built in february 2002,so it is now starting to open up.The H also has a trick up it`s
sleeve,the bodies depth is comparable to a Dreadnought,so it`s got a fair amount of bass for strumming,making it in my opinion a perfect all round acoustic.I bought this guitar s/hand 14 months ago,and the action as supplied was way too high i was concerned that lowering the action to my liking would impede the instruments tone and volume,but i didn`t need to worry.the neck on this H is very slim,similar to a Yamaha LS500,so its great for lead playing.I recently spent an afternoon in Frailers guitar shop in Runcorn where the staff let me try whatever i liked which included 2 Martin OM28`s one 000 Clapton model a Fylde special two Martin Dreadnoughts D45 and a D35,various Taylors,two round shoulder Gibson`s a J45 and a J50. but the only guitar to come close was another Santa Cruz this one a D45 a model i`m not familiar with(possibly a custom guitar).Every body who has heard this H comments on how wonderful it sounds,so until i find better(and i may not)it gets a 10.

Action was way too high when purchased,and i suspect the guitar may have been left in a shop window for far too long on some sunny days,because there is some evidence of the bridge ever so slightly moving,but i did get the guitar at a knockdown price and Santa Cruz have reassured me over the bridge.i`m not a big fan of the Schaller machineheads but these can be changed if need be.The exterior of the guitar was perfect the interior not quite!

Too early to tell but Santa Cruz do have an awesome reputation to live up to.The nitro-cellulose finish will need tender loving care.This is a guitar to wallow in at home or for recording with,i have a wonderful old Daion Heritage 78 for live work or writing.I suspect this guitar will get better and better with use and age and although it is extremely light i`m pretty sure it`ll be durable

Excellent,very helpful with my queries and questions,and replied to my e-mails promptly.

I`ve been playing on and off for 23 years have owned and played many
various acoustics and electrics.This is the second US made instrument i have owned the other was a custom Walnut bodied hardtailed Strat,which a close friend bought off me and still cherishes.I took up guitar in the early eighties when the quality of Fender,Gibson and Martin was perhaps not at it`s highest,so i,like many others of my generation am a big fan of Japanese guitars.I gigged for several years with a wonderful 2tone sunburst Tokai Telecaster that no Fender at the time could match,how i wish i still had it.The same could also be said for the 79 Ibanez Artist AR250 with tri-sound switches on both pickups,endless tonal range superb build quality top notch woods,no Les Paul of the time could touch it.And then there is my pride and joy the Daion 78 Heritge,It`s 23 years old now and is getting better and better,i`ve got a funny feeling this Cruz is worming it`s way into my affections in the same way.which is no bad thing.

New 2003 USA made with meticulous care. Solid spruce top and solid rosewood back and sides. Beautiful nitrocellulose lacquer finish, with a satin neck. Schaller tuners. Neck is slim at the nut, comfortable for me, if a little too slim for fingerstylists. That's OK, I'm not a fingerstylist. Came with a nice hard case. As a straight acoustic, I bought it for tone, beauty and feel, so features weren't high on my priority list.

I like to play it at home; just wanted a nice, rich tone for enjoyment. This guitar has a big sound for a small bodied model, it's bass response is quite impressive and it's sweet, sweet, sweet.

Action from the factory is excellent, a shade too low to play hard, but perfect for me. The spruce top is an amazing example of the species, with lots of pretty cross-grain and very tight, uniform grain all the way across the top. No flaws. The guitar exhibits care in material selection, craftsmanship and design. Immaculate interior; what's not to love here?

Everything about the guitar seems to be built to last a lifetime.

Dealer was excellent and that's a good reflection on the company. Helpful, knowledgable, enthusiastic. All you could want and more. Only contact with the company was a confirmation of my warranty.

I've been playing for 35 years. I own an electric guitar company, so I guess you could say I own a lot of other gear! I've been searching for an acoustic that would serve as a lifelong companion guitar and this was the best combination of sound, feel, looks and value I could find. I played dozens and dozens from a variety of manufacturers over the course of the last few months. There are surely other great guitars (and lots of good ones) in this price category, but on the day I was ready to buy one, this one jumped out at me and I HAD to own it. Buying a fine acoustic guitar is an interesting experience. I don't know if I'd buy another one of these if it were stolen, because every guitar is a unique instrument. I've played other brands that I've liked. But I know for certain that if I were searching for another acoustic to buy, I'd search for another Santa Cruz and it would be at the top of my list for guitars to compare.

H model, bought used in 2002. Parlour-sized-top with added depth, rosewood back and sides, sitka spruce top, ebony fingerboard, mahogony neck, Schaller mini-tuners, ebony-faced peghead, ivroid all the way around the guitar. Standard, simple, yet elegant.

The sound of this guitar is very interesting, suprisingly good, suprisingly loud, crisp yet with plenty of low end for it's size. Not boxy compared to other small-bodied guitars.

The guitar was bought used. Someone had filed the the slots on the nut too low causing a buzz with certain cords. This was repaired and now works fine. Otherwise, the workmanship on this guitar is excellent. The nut width is 1-11/16" (I wish it was slightly wider), and the neck is moderately thick, comparable to Martins, not Taylors.

So far, so good. The quality of Santa Cruz guitars lives up to their reputation.

Great

H model, bought new in late 2001. Small-bodied model with rosewood back and sides, sitka spruce top and ebony fingerboard. Schaller mini-tuners on ebony-faced peghead. 1 11/16" width fingerboard. Ivoroid binding and zipper-style backstripe add simple, yet elegant look. Secure, well-built hardshell case included.

Tone is clear, full and equally balanced between treble and bass strings. Although one of the smaller-bodied guitars offered by manufacturer the guitar is suprisingly loud and can keep up with many larger guitars. This model is perfect for a balance between fingerpicking and flatpicking.

Action was medium-low at purchase yet rose somewhat over the next few months. This was attributed to low-humidity climate guitar is in and was rectified with use of room humidifier to augment soundhole humidifier used since purchase. Guitar stays in tune quite well with Elixir Lights being used for strings. Fit and finish are both excellent with no noticeable flaws.

Except for action rising slightly (as stated above) the guitar has been very reliable. No further problems should occur as long as the guitar is properly humidified as it continues to be broken in.

Company sent t-shirt when asked by dealer and at no charge. Lifetime warranty to original purchaser. No warranty work needed at this point.

Tried several acoustic guitars over several months' time and in fact was looking for a lower priced model. After playing this particular guitar and comparing it to even more expensive models from this manufacturer and other manufacturers decided this was the best to be offered. Overall tone and projection and playability are second to none and craftsmanship is as should be expected in this price region...highly recommended.