I can’t believe I’ve gone nearly a hundred days of my 365 without posting a photo of a guitar!
I got the Santa Cruz Vintage Arist just before Christmas in 2006, after taking possession of a certificate to get one made for me at cost price from my mate Alan, who won it from erstwhile Santa Cruz dealer and shareholder, Kelvyn. I met Richard Hoover at a trade show in Germany and he and I discussed specs. As I was then a volunteer moderator on the Santa Cruz guitar forum, Richard helped me pick out something from his secret stash, so I ended up with some of the finest mahogany they had, coupled with a very special sitka spruce top from a tree dubbed ‘the grey ghost’ that they kept special. The result is an absolutely phenomenal mahogany/spruce dreadnought with an old sound.