I’m so honored to have recently become the steward of some truly spectacular tonewoods. I have two sets of what’s perhaps the rarest of all tonewoods, because it’s the rarest of woods. Pink Ivory is a sacred wood of the Zulu People of South Africa, and it is sustainably harvested under very strict permitting and regulation. I’ve had the pleasure of playing several Pink Ivory guitars by Bill Tippin, Mark Maingard and a Steve Klein-inspired/designed Ivory Moon collaboration, and all of them have a very distinctive and pleasing punchiness in the low-mids that I personally love. The tap reminds me of Ebony, with medium damping. The color of this wood is unreal — under finish it will be a vibrant salmon red color, and there’s some beautiful figure in these sets to boot. It’s so rare to find pieces of this wood large enough to make a guitar, I look forward to honoring this incredible material to the very best of my abilities.

I was also recently blessed to come into possession of six amazing new soundboard sets, acquired from luthier extraordinaire, Hank Mauel. Two stunning master grade Italian Spruce tops with fantastic silking and glorious bell-like tap, and four amazing Redwood sets from the legendary Carter trees — two “Singing Trees” or ST, and two “Lucky Strikes” or LS. While Lucky Strike gets all the praise, deservedly so, the ST tops also have incredible ring and sustain. All of these tops have been air-drying for 10-20 years. I’d say they’re ready!

2014 was a terrific year for Mountain Song Guitars, and I think 2015 will be even better! I look forward to working with some new clients this year on some very exciting new projects! And now, it’s time for a nap…