2019 Matthew Chaffin "640" SP/CSAR

For this beautiful instrument, Matt built our first guitar to features spruce for the soundboard with CSA rosewood back and sides, and it came out stunning. He's appointed it with some other lovely details like the maple head veneer, and rosette design featuring a "square wave" motif, which was a favorite of Domingo Esteso. The sound is at once firm and refined, clean and stable, at times reminiscent of a Hauser style instrument, yet also open and charming, with an eager willingness to be pushed hard. Despite its ability to achieve great volume, balance between bass and treble remains excellent, with neither ever overpowering the other. Playability is also top-notch, with its smooth neck shape and easy action allowing for long playing sessions without exhausting the hands. The guitar is easy to play (thanks partly to the 640mm scale length) and has all the power any concert player could need. We're excited to be representing this fine maker here at GSI, and find this particular guitar to be a remarkably mature, tastefully restrained example of modern American luthiery.