Tom Blatz is a luthier in New York who has worked on my guitars for almost 20 years. This is a guitar he built from scratch based on a design collaboration. I wanted an acoustic that would be optimized for tapping. I wanted to have a huge sound with lots of low end, 8 strings, an “electric” style bridge. Mr. Blatz did some things in the design which we think have not been done before. There were specific techniques he used to enhance the resonance of the instrument. The standard tuning I use is F#-B-E-A-D-G-C-F (all fourths). The body is BIG, definitely bigger than your average acoustic guitar. Although it projects well for tapping, so far I have used it mainly for picking and fingerpicking. I recorded with it on my album Bolero, the title track. In the beginning, the first statement of the theme (rubato) was played on this guitar. I think at one point I played it lower than a guitar is supposed to go, thanks to the two bass strings. To play that part, I picked with my thumb. Also, in the latin section of Bolero, I played a solo on the Blatz guitar using a pick. I have always loved acoustic guitars, since my early days playing folk.
I have this great Ovation. Ovation guitars sometimes have a tendency to sound a bit thin to me, but not this baby! It has a deep, fat tone, and it is VERY LOUD! The dynamic range on this axe is awesome. I found it used in a music store in Arizona, at a very good price. It had apparently sustained some pretty bad damage. It looks as though the neck had broken off. You can see where it was re-glued. But the person who fixed it really knew what they were doing, and probably got it sounding better than when it left the factory. It has some cosmetic defects from the repair, which is probably why the price was so low. But to me, it had the best sound of all the guitars in the store, so I bought it, and I really love it. It’s a great guitar to take out on the trail, cause it’s pretty light.