“Pound for pound…the baddest power trio on the planet.” (Monster)
The Warning | Mercury Lounge (NYC)
Goshawk | Butterscotch Blonde
Destined to become somebody’s best friend.
Warmth, sparkle, and copious spank. Singing sustain. Especially resonant Swamp Ash couples with flame roasted maple for this lovely light weight butterscotch blonde Goshawk™ 6-string solid body.
Patented precision machined Intonation Cantilever™ solo bridges. Advantage™ neck profile. Proprietary DiMarzio™ pickups with 10-way switching. Truly useful volume and tone controls. Carbon fiber pick guard.
Just the right amount of vintage.
Ready to rock any size venue. Dare you.
Dear Rick,
Just received it (3h ago) can’t stop playing your guitar 2 am in Los Angeles but 10 am in Paris… no sleep this night.
What an awesome instrument. Just everything about it, the sound, the possibilities, the beauty, and so easy to play… light, fantastic neck, just everything.
Congratulations! You did an artwork, I only regret that I did not have it before, years ago.
Thank you very very much and for the Strymon Iridium and Shure SRH1540s also.
I really believe this is an incredibly good instrument and I enjoy it so much!!! Almost explored every tuning that I am using, DADGAD, dropped D dropped G and standard. The African music sounds also extremely well (DADF#BE).
Wishing you the very best, Adam (Paris, France)
Magnets And Wire | Album & Documentary
“Hey!” I asked, “Would you guys be interested in recording an album? I have an idea in mind.”
A flood of yesses flowed in before I had a chance to explain…
I had developed independent friendships with each of them as individuals, but most had never met one another in person, just basic awareness as fellow artists via my website. All of them have been loyal long-time supporters of my craft. I knew this mix of personalities would be synergistic and supportive.
Even working professional musicians find it difficult to gain enough time and space to be able to record an album. The pressures of touring, teaching, writing, and performing are intense. And so many of my clients are passionate amateurs — in the purest sense — they make a living unrelated to music, yet dedicate their free time to playing. Many are highly skilled but have no outlet to record.
I want to change that.
To keep our focus tight and set logistically achievable goals, we established several criteria. Each participant will be featured on at least one song. Choose someone(s) to collaborate with or perform solo if you wish. Most importantly, recordings will be first or second take…looking to capture spontaneous magic.
Steve Sjuggerud contributed his time and resources with incredible generosity. He hosted us at his location Sugar Pointe, surprised everyone with custom t-shirts and a coastal waters sunset cruise, plus brought in supremely talented photographer Adam King (check out those photos!) and drummer Dan Ostrowski to add depth to our mix. Thank you, Steve. Thank you also to Steve’s wife Kassy, and his business partners Chris & Kelly Manus.
Killick Hinds generously contributed his audio recording and production skills, first in tandem with me on location, then in his studio mixing and mastering. His deft touch transformed the raw audio into a coherent whole — a difficult task because each song was an entirely different arrangement of room, mics, musicians.
I gratefully thank Chris Buono, Todd Haug, Ken Kinter, Gabriel Levi, and Ede Wright for flying or driving to Florida to contribute their beautiful art.
PS: This album is dedicated to SB. You have inspired many more lives than you could ever know.
Goshawk On Stage | Matt Richard
Matt rocks Purple Relic Gosawk™ in his band The Chee-Weez.
Attaching a pic from last night’s show. Goshawk in action in Baton Rouge, LA. It’s officially my new #1. The Goshawk inspiration continues. I don’t recall the last time I wrote and conceptualized new techniques and melodic ideas which such freedom. Playing the Goshawk (and the 24 fret Spearfish) bring me back to a time akin to when I first started playing, around age 14-16. The guitar was like this massive book I couldn’t wait to open and explore every minute I could. I’ve been playing for almost 30 years (who’s counting?), and I’m back there again. Thanks for re-lighting my fire to write and record this record. (Matt Richard)
Raven | 7-String ER
Bespoke for Victor in Chicago. Swamp Ash, carbon fiber. Element™ single billet aircraft aluminum neck. Patented Intonation Cantilever™ bridges precision machined from stainless steel, bearing bronze. DiMarzio™ exclusive pickups with 10-way switching.
Speechless, Rick!!
I absolutely love what you did with the body shape. It has its own character vis-a-vis the Fathom™ and others.
Nailed the finish, too. Just like the majesty of a raven’s feathers in sunlight! How’d you manage it?
You’ve outdone yourself with the Raven. I have a multitude of things I could say, but, pending a more detailed report, I’ll just say that the instrument excels on every level.
What’s most impressed me in these early stages is the playability. It feels even more comfortable to play than the Spearfish — that same Element™ feel, but perhaps just the right amount more tightness in the bends and vibratos. Just perfect. And the extended-range functionality is just insane in the best way.
I like to play any new guitar un-amped for a fair bit to get acquainted with the feel, the sound of the pick contact, and the natural resonance of the guitar, and the Raven impresses in all respects. In particular, the setup is fantastic — low to the deck, but not to the detriment of the satisfying, almost springlike attack.
On a different note, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the subtle changes in the finish under different lighting. I’ve also found myself staring at the guitar a lot: even if it weren’t an absolute sound machine, it’d function just fine as a standalone marvel of design!
Stay tuned for a more detailed update later, but in the meantime: thank you. This instrument is a joy. (Victor, Chicago)
