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Ken Whisler is a lifelong native of Kansas City, Missouri and is both a luthier and a performer, having started his studies at age 8 with respected jazz guitarist Jack Randall. His studies later led him to the classical guitar where he became a private student of Mark Bentley, and he latter attended UMKC Conservatory of Music where he studied with Douglas Niedt. He participated in masterclasses with such greats as Christopher Parkening, Pepe Romero, Eduardo Fernandez, Frederic Hand, David Russell, and Ben Verdery. Ken also was the winner of UMKC’s Concerto/Aria Competition.
This particular guitar has a bit of a back story to it. Ken contacted us and let us know that he used it himself for a couple of years (in addition to his guitar activity, Ken is also a music minister in a 130-year old gothic cathedral and he stands when playing - hence the strap buttons). The back and sides are finished in oil which is very durable, but the top is French polished in shellac for optimimum tonal quality. The materials sourced for the instrument, namely the Indian rosewood back and sides, the ebony fingerboard and the Englemann spruce top - all came from the Paul Jacobson. Of note - Ken uses the Jacobson system for scale. Although we measured it out at 646mm (323mm at the 12th fret), he tells us it's 650mm taking into account the compensation at the nut and saddle. The guitar is in excellent conditon with almost no wear at all and playability is a breeze partly thanks to the large frets. Note: the guitar was strung up incorrectly at the time we took the photos, we've re-strung the bass strings so that the string spacing at the bridge is now even (the bass strings were strung "backwards" in the 12-hole system). It's currently in performance-ready condition and ready to be played by its next owner!
