From Bob Gramann: "Fruits and Nuts" is one of my named artist series, so named because of the Mulberry back and sides and the Walnut neck and trim. Mulberry is a family (Moracae) relative of Osage Orange, one of my favorite tonewoods. The wood structure looks similar, but the yellow color is missing in this Mulberry wood. When I first strung this up, I was amazed at the tone and volume. This is a fine sounding guitar! Mulberry is hard to get in sizes appropriate for acoustic guitars, so there won't be many of these.
I have found that Osage Orange is more stable than most ebonies, and is pretty hard. This makes it a good fingerboard and bridge wood. Over time, the orange/yellow color will fade to a golden brown. No tropical forests were harmed in the making of this guitar."
I have found that Osage Orange is more stable than most ebonies, and is pretty hard. This makes it a good fingerboard and bridge wood. Over time, the orange/yellow color will fade to a golden brown. No tropical forests were harmed in the making of this guitar."
The #143 model is built on Bob's "York" (00) body style and has the following features:
-Solid Englemann Spruce top
-Solid Mulberry back & sides
-Osage Orange fingerboard & bridge
-Persimmon pins
-All North American woods
-1 and 13/16" nut, 24.9" scale length
-All North American woods
-1 and 13/16" nut, 24.9" scale length
-Hard case included
Bob Gramann is a respected luthier throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Based in Fredericksburg, VA, he has been building guitars since 1992 and has been a player for over 40 years.
Built with the fingerpicker in mind, each of these instruments sings louder than than its size. The top braces on all are scalloped and the bridges are carved to be light to allow the top to respond quickly to both high and low notes. The saddles are tall allowing easy picking and a strong response to a soft touch. The models are named after rivers in Virginia.
Bob says: "Most important is achieving such a rich, full sound that it is loud enough for performances without amplification. Amazingly, even tiny adjustments can enhance both tone and volume, producing a responsive instrument that feels good to play. Building these 'live' guitars has become almost an obsession. Any idea for a new feature or an improvement means I have to build a guitar to try it out. I build only a few instruments each year, so I have always tried to build something I would want to play. So far, I feel successful. And, I feel honored by the great players that have bought my instruments."
For more information, visit www.bobgramann.com
