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Stonebridge OM-34-SR
- spruce top
- rosewood sides and back
- mahogany neck
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This one is a bit of a surprise guitar. I was in a music store in Fredericton NB last December (06) looking to purchase a guitar cable, when I noticed a Stonebridge guitar hanging on the wall. I hadn’t heard of Stonebridge guitars and so naturally I was curious. I took the first one off the wall and sat down to play – immediately I knew there was something special about the guitar. It was an OM – 34-SR which has a smallish, thin body (spruce top, rosewood sides and back). Usually I don’t like these guitars as they don’t produce a lot of sound…they often sound, well… smallish and thin. This one, however, was so lively and responsive that I couldn’t put it down. My manager Dave came in, listened for about a minute and said, “We have to buy that!†And we did. I’ve never made a spontaneous purchase like that ever. I took it home and haven’t had a moment of buyer’s remorse. The guitar itself lacks a little in the bottom end, but over-all it’s just a perky little thing that just makes you want to play.
A couple months later, after a concert in southern Ontario, a fellow named Roger Schmidt walked up to me and informed me he was the owner of Stonebridge Guitars. Needless to say, I was quick to inform him I had just purchased one of his instruments and eagerly conveyed my enthusiasm for the instruments. It turns out that Roger is an accomplished finger-stylist himself. He has made his living in the wholesale music instrument business and recently had secured the rights to a Czech Republic handmade guitar and re-branded it as Stonebridge for the North American market. I ended up spending a good part of a day at his house trying many of these wonderful instruments. Remarkably, they are consistently wonderful; all have that immediacy and lively response that I appreciate in Darryl Perry guitars – but surprisingly, they are rather inexpensive compared to the boutique luthier prices we are accustomed to in North America. I would classify the Stonebridge guitars to be in the same league as the boutique luthier guitars but with a price range of $1,700 to $2,200 rather than the $4,000 to $10,000 range one expcects to pay for a comparable high-end instrument.
Check out www.stonebridgeguitars.com
Ryan Guitars
I first met Kevin Ryan in Sante Fe, New Mexico about ten years ago. We had a mutual friend in Lou Bruno, owner of a design and marketing firm who has, on several occasions, brought me to Sante Fe for concerts. (Lou designed the cover for my Romantics & Mystics album.)
