Santa Cruz H Cutaway Custom AAA Sitka Rosewood Winter Namm 2009

This Santa Cruz H Cutaway is a true one of a kind. It was built as a showpiece for the 2009 NAMM International Winter Market, designed to show off the versatile H body shape in a cutaway together with a custom Amber sunburst finish. It still comes with its original provenance letter from Santa Cruz Guitar Company, confirming its unique nature and the materials used.

Santa Cruz Guitar Company has been building acoustic guitars by hand in Santa Cruz, California, since the mid seventies, and its instruments are known among players and collectors for their exceptional sound and craftsmanship. For a NAMM showpiece like this one, the workshop selected some of its finest materials: a sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides and a pattern grade mahogany neck that was air dried for maximum stability.

The rosewood back and sides give the guitar a rich, complex tone with a deep low end and shimmering overtones, while the sitka spruce top keeps the sound clear and powerful when you dig in. The scalloped X bracing lets the top move freely, which adds resonance and sustain, and the ebony fingerboard and pyramid bridge help every note sound clear and defined. With the cutaway, the upper frets are easy to reach, so the guitar invites you to explore the whole fingerboard.

The custom Amber sunburst makes this guitar instantly recognisable, with a warm, glowing top framed by ivoroid binding and herringbone purfling. Details such as the faux tortoise celluloid pickguard, ebony bridge pins with mother of pearl dots and the ebony peghead overlay complete its clean, elegant look.

This 2009 H Cutaway is in very good condition. There is a noticeable small ding in the top near the cutaway, and there are some signs of play in the form of small scratches and little dings spread across the guitar. The guitar has most likely had a neck reset at some point, as there are some visible traces along the neck joint. It comes with a hardshell case, its original Santa Cruz provenance letter and a TFOA Passport.

This guitar has been carefully inspected for condition and playability, then set up to our Gold Standard by a luthier. We make sure it arrives in your hands exactly as it should: sounding its best, playing effortlessly and ready to be enjoyed from the very first note.