I visited Santa Cruz Guitar Company yesterday and met with founder Richard Hoover, who toured me through the factory and showed me the progress of the new 35th Anniversary "Cowgirl" guitar, which will debut next week at the 2011 Summer NAMM show in Nashville. The guitar, which was in two pieces and awaiting some finishing before the neck and body were joined, looks like it will be a stunning example of the quality and attention to detail that this boutique company with some 13 employees puts into every instrument they make.

The Commemorative 35th Anniversary guitar is a master-grade Brazilian rosewood OOO with an Adirondack spruce top and tasteful bindings, appointments, and inlays. This showpiece model will be one-of-a-kind, but
Hoover has also designed an accompanying series of ten 35th Anniversary Commemorative guitars with cocobolo back/sides and Italian Spruce tops.

If you've always wanted to own a Santa Cruz guitar this could be your chance, as the company is going to hold a contest in advance of their 35th Anniversary Celebration this fall, and the winner will receive one of this series of ten guitars. How cool is that? Details on how to enter the contest will be available on the Santa Cruz Guitar Company website (www.santacruzguitar.com) as soon as the guitars are introduced at NAMM. I'm looking forward to seeing the 35th Anniversary guitar next week, and good luck to all who enter to win it! —Art Thompson

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