Sonas

This instrument is made from an urn. Yes, really.

"Sonas" started with the concept of using wooden urns to build instruments and other guitar accessories out of the wooden urns that would otherwise be used to hold ashes, and I started with this particular urn after seeing that pretty scrollwork and the lovely forest scene with the maple and the stag carved on the front. I knew it had to sing.

This instrument utilizes black antique-style hardware and a rosewood trimmed four coil humbucker. The tone and volume knobs are recessed into the trim. A set of locking tuners can be found up at that flame-torched headstock.

The tone? Woody, or course, but also deep and bright yet compressed all at once with an acoustically mid-scooped profile. It wasn't what I expected, to be honest, but it works surprisingly well with heavy strings, so I chose an meaty set of strings for this one. This has 62/48/36/26 gauge strings tuned to Low Taro (CFCF) which oddly balances out the warm, vintage response that humbucker provides. The overall effect is that this guitar puts out a very wide range and that tone control is going to be a big player.

Serial number 2603058, handcrafted in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Releasing March 21st.