REVIEW > SANTA CRUZ
150 PREMIER GUITAR MAY 2011
combination of voice and guitar or even
6-string alone.
Hoover and Santa Cruz worked from
a proven template when designing the
Cowboy Singer. It’s clearly inspired by
Martin’s enduring 00 shape, which dates
back to the 1870s. But it’s likely more specifically modeled after the 00-17, a gloss-fin-ished, all-mahogany version of the 00 that
Martin sold during the Great Depression.
While the Cowboy Singer looks understated in the tradition of those instruments, it is certainly not austere. The
buffed nitrocellulose finish is absolutely
glassy and flawlessly applied. That’s a
wonderful thing, given the gorgeous grain
of the mahogany and the beautiful cocoa-hued sunburst.
Elsewhere on the Cowboy Singer,
things are equally luxurious and low-key. Mahogany body binding subtly but
effectively highlights the Cowboy Singer’s
classic lines and proportions. A small tortoise pickguard is a nod to Martin’s early
mid-century 00 and 000s, as is the pyramid bridge. The slotted, ebony-capped
DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE USA
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