Huss and Dalton D-RA

Solid AAA narrow-grain Sitka Spruce top with lots of "bearclaw" figure. Bookmatched Indian Rosewood (gorgeous) back with abalone back seam. Flamed Maple binding on peghead and neck, pearl necklace inlay on fretboard and peghead. Abalone soundhole rosette and top trim, Ebony bridge, Rosewood bridge pins with Martin-style pearl dot inlays. Gold Waverly open-back tuners (the best ? forget Grovers and Schallers). 1-pc. quarter-sawn Honduran Mahogany neck. Faux tortoiseshell pickguard. This model is not in production anymore (too expensive) but can be ordered. I wrote Tim at H&D, and to have them duplicate this guitar starting from their base D-RH model would cost over 5800.00. No electronics or PU.

It's awesome, just awesome. The dynamics are superb. Essentially made for heavy-duty flatpicking, but you can strum it, hammer it hard, fingerpick it, and this guitar responds to every nuance. It seems to like it more the harder you pick and strum it, in fact. Big and powerful but never muddy when strummed like a lot of Martins, balanced sweetness when fingerpicked, this guitar does anything you want. It would not be my favorite if I was a light fingerpicker, but I f/p pretty firmly.

This is my all-time favorite dreadnaught guitar, and I've owned just about all the famous brands (such as CFox, Martin D-35 and D-41, various Guilds, old Gibson J-50, Gibson CL-40, Santa Cruz, Taylors, Froggy Bottom, etc.) The sound is very balanced across the strings, with a lot of brightness and color in the sound, but not gelded like most Taylors. Chest-thumping bass, very warm mids and clear round highs. It rings like a piano, just keeps ringing and ringing. It doesn't have as deep a "woof" as some Martins, but the woof normally means muddier tone.

Slight vee in neck shape, which I normally don't like, but on this one it is great, because the vee is very subtle. Plays like butter, in every position. Fast as lightning, you can play it all day. What more can I say? (And the worst guitar I own has a good neck) Only my CFox Sonoma SJ has a better neck for me. H&D individually checks every string's length with a strobe and individually compensates it. I defy anyone to find a place this guitar doesn't play in tune, anywhere on the neck, even when the strings are coming apart. You really are getting into Olsen territory with this piece. It is closer to perfect than any guitar I've ever owned. No glue sloppiness, etc. Look inside with a mirror - perfect.

Tough, reliable, but not too heavy. This is a professional quality instrument. Any guitarist on earth, Clapton, anybody, would be fine with this guitar at a gig or anywhere else.

Everyone raves about their customer service, but I haven't dealt with them much. They have, however, been helpful and friendly when I called and answer emails within a few hours.

On all of their standard series models (like this one), H&D carves a 25' radius built into the guitar top, which means the top is not flat but very slightly domed. You can see this by looking at the guitar side-on, This radius is achieved by milling an arch into the braces and preparing the sides with the same radius to accept the soundboard. A positive by-product of the radiused soundboard design, besides it?s load-bearing properties, is a boost in the mid-range. This gives H&D guitars a more balanced tonal quality than traditional designs (e.g., Martin), but doesn't sound color-less like a Taylor. I can't afford to replace it, but I would if I could.