Chartwell Guitar

2022 Ramon Zayas Indian rosewood and spruce #18

Woods: Indian rosewood back and sides and Englemann spruce top. Top is very dense, with strong medullary rays, running counter to vertical grain. Spanish cedar neck. Rosewood bindings.  Light French polish shellac throughout.

Specs: 650mm scale, 52mm nut, 43mm string spacing at nut, 57mm at saddle. 4mm bass string height at 12th fret. Sloan tuners with ebony buttons. 12 hole tie block.  Road Runner case.

Condition: new

Comment: Ramon Zayas is a newly emerging luthier and high quality repair person; this is his 18th guitar, built in the traditional Spanish tradition. I obtained it from him at the recent Florida State festival, where he displayed next to my booth. It was played nearly constantly in our two days together and was admired by all. We agreed it may have opened up in just those few hours, as the players gave it a workout.

The guitar delivers the kind of intimate sound color one would expect but I sense there is more power in the guitar than comparable fan braced, solid top instruments. It could be  the fine Englemann spruce top with a nearly microscopic grain, or the unkerfed linings that create greater rigidity in the rim of the guitar, preserving the top vibration just a bit more than if kerfed. Ramon is a student of the technical aspects of tuning a top and his judgment about how to thin a top to its maximum performance is more likely the advantage this guitar possesses.

Ramon will soon be known as a quality builder. In just his first full year of work he already has a wait list. I would expect this price to soon seem a bargain.