 The FX-Herringbone Deluxe on the left and the F-White Lady Custom on the right. The cutaway on the FX 12-fret body allows for better access to the upper reaches of the fingerboard, but does not have any effect on the sound. I think of the F and FX as sister guitars, one is a 12 -fret version of the other and except for the location of the body/neck joint are identical. Their tonal envelopes are also similar except that the larger air chamber of the FX adds a little more bass to the equation.
Closeup of lion headstock on the FX above. |
The F is my
most universal guitar in that it supports both a heavy
touch with flat-picking or a lighter touch with
fingerpicking, depending on the setup. With medium
strings, it sounds more like a D. With
light strings and low action, it has the crisp,
brilliance and balance of an OM (on
steroids). The shallow body depth of 4 1/4 inches makes
the guitar feel smaller in the lap than its full 16 inch
wide lower bout would suggest. These two guitars pictured are an FX Herringbone Deluxe in curly maple (left) and a White Lady F (right) with the medium sunburst finished top on a Brazilian rosewood body. Again, each has custom features which depart slightly from the Styles descriptions, but that is the beauty of working one on one with the builder. It is simple to have the guitar look and feel like you, the player, want rather than having to take something generic off the shelf and making do.
Flamed maple sides with optional Brazilian rosewood bindings with herringbone top trim. (Return to MODELS page.) |
