Toby

"Toby" is an all mahogany Concert sized guitar based on a 1915-1920 American guitar I have that was probably a Tonk Brothers or Sears catalogue guitar. "Toby" has a 624mm scale, 335mm lower bout and 12 frets clear of the body and the bracing is my X braced style. Toby is also available in the more original ladder braced style (see "Jack the Lad" below). The wood is Cuban mahogany and it sure looks mighty pretty - the top and back are from the same log and look as though flames are erupting across the top and back. It has a great voice and projection, and a tone that is balanced across the stings with very good sustain. This is the perfect small blues guitar. It doesn't have the growl of the original yet, but give it 80 years in smoke filled bars and it might sound like this one ...

You can listen to some recordings of me playing.two tunes on a Cuban mahogany "Toby". The first is Davy Graham's "Anji" and the second is my own composition "Candi's Rag".

"Jack the Lad" is a ladder braced version (as is the original) that makes for a very versatile guitar but which definitely has the honk and growl of the original. great for blues and ragtime playing. "Jack the Lad" comes as standard in Euro spruce top with Sapele back and sides and a Spanish Cedar neck. You can listen to some recordings of me playing by clicking on the highlighted links. First two tunes inspired by the great guitarists John James and Pete Berryman on my European Spruce/Sapele "Jack the Lad" (pictured above). The first is "Mammy O'Mine" and the second is the Scot Joplin rag "Weeping Willow". Lastly "Jess" a medley of "Blackwaterside", "She Moved Through the Fair" and my own composition"Jess" played on my daughter's Lutz spruce/Cuban mahogany "Jess's Jack" in DADGAD tuning.