World renowned master luthier, Richard Hoover has been practicing the craft of guitar building since the 1960s and founded the Santa Cruz Guitar Co. in 1976. Since then he has perfected his techniques producing instruments for many of the greatest musicians alive.
Whereas some companies like Taylor or Yamaha set out to produce and sell the most number of guitars possible each year, Richard Hoover and his team set out to build a small batch of the best guitars possible. They accomplish this with attention to detail on each instrument. Selecting the finest tonewoods from the best sources. Working the materials to achieve the greatest sound for each given guitar sound board.
The magic of Richard’s building techniques lie in his unique build choices differentiating him from other builders and Santa Cruz Guitar Co. from other guitar companies. Their guitars are lighter weight that other brands, from having a smaller heal block to thinning the wood for resonance but giving it an egg shell like shape to give it strength and longevity.
Another important aspect of his artistic vision that makes his instruments super comfortable and playable is the round radius he chooses for the fret-board. Being a 14” radius, the fret-board is more similar to an electric guitar shape making it easy to access the notes. Combining that with their Pleck machining that achieves computer precision intonation up and down the neck, you have a super sweet playing instrument.
Beyond the mechanical innovations, Richard Hoover values sustainability in his sourcing of materials often reclaiming woods from furniture and sourcing materials from managed groves.
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To see a list of instruments currently on order click here.