Time to read: about 3 minutes.
I purchased this guitar in November, 2012 from a collector's estate, where had been kept in a temperature- and humidity-controlled cabinet. The guitar was manufactured in 2000, and has serial number #696.
From an interview by The Fretboard Journal with Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitars:
Hornick and Traugott quickly proved their worth when they helped design a new model called the FS. It was introduced in late 1987 and was a variation of the F, designed specifically for playing fingerstyle. The new model featured a lightly braced cedar top, Indian rosewood sides and back and a very austere appearance, which set it apart from just about every other acoustic guitar on the market at the time.
“The ... FS was our first attempt to come up with a guitar designed for a specific style from the ground up,” Hoover says. “The FS was also the first guitar we designed collectively. We all got together and talked about the modern fingerstyle playing that was going on at the time and we brainstormed on what we thought the market would want. We thought the F body shape was a perfect place to start, and since New Age guitar was so popular, we tried to minimize the amount of metal and plastic on the instrument to give it a more organic feel.
“The FS had rosewood binding with cobalt blue purfling, no fretboard inlays, a cutaway and a pointed headstock inspired by the innovative guitars of Steve Klein. “We found that the pointed headstock kept the strings in a straighter line than our other headstock shapes,” Hoover says. “This style helped keep the strings from binding in the nut when going into the altered tunings that so many players were experimenting with.” The FS was a modest but steady seller, but its spartan appointments and elegant shape had a major influence on many luthiers.
This is the web page for the current model. This model has evolved slightly over the years. These are the images provided by the vendor:
Specifications
Body Wood Type: Indian Rosewood
Back Stripe: Brazilian Rosewood
Binding Brazilian: Rosewood
Top Wood Type: Cedar
Rosette: Blue Purfle Combo
Purfling: Blue Purfle Combo
Bracing/Voicing: Tapered
Other: Cutaway
Neck Peghead: Solid, FS Style
Peghead Binding: None
Overlay Material: Brazilian Rosewood
Headstock Inlay: SCGC Mini
Width at Nut: 1-13/16"
Neck Shape: Round, Cutaway
Fingerboard Side Dots: 2mm MOP
Inlay: None
Width at 14th Fret: 2-3/16"
Binding: Black
Scale Length: 25.375"
Finish: Top Clear Back & Sides Clear/Buffed
Neck: Clear/Buffed
Setup Pickguard: None
Tuners/gears: 510 Delta Gotoh Gold w/Ebony Button
Dimensions
Body Length: 20 1/16"
Body Depth: 3.375-4.375
Number of Frets: 20
Frets Clear of the Body: 14
Lower Bout: 15.875"
Waist: 9"
Upper Bout: 11.25"
Pickup
I had Santa Cruz Guitars add this pickup and refret the instrument. Santa Cruz is the next city down the California coast from Half Moon Bay, where I live.
K&K Pure Mini + Pre-Phase pickup -
Capos
I've used Shubb capos for years. I recently discovered partial capos, and they are natural for this guitar. In particula, the model C7B on strings 3, 4 and 5 gives a tuning like DADGAD, but up a whole tone, and the model C8B allows a dropped E when placed on the 2nd fret.
Strings
I called the manufacturer about recommended strings:
- Curt Mangan strings got strong endorsements (model 31356), but they are hard to find.
- I am concerned that additional coating of the Elixir nanoweb might dampen the high end.
- Seems like D'Addario EXP17 might be the way to go.