Simon & Patrick Showcase Folk Rosewood SF 2013

For ultimate tone, many consider rosewood to be the premier material for acoustic guitar construction. The Simon & Patrick Showcase Folk features solid rosewood back and sides and a pressure tested Spruce top. The Showcase series is Simon & Patrick's top of the line, but still surprisingly affordable.

This guitar is an "SF" factory second, and there is a scratch at the end of the headstock (see photo). Other than that, it's perfect and you get a great new guitar at a savings.

The Simon and Patrick Showcase Folk features:

• Made in La Patrie Quebec
• Pressure tested solid spruce top
• Solid rosewood back and sides
• High gloss thin finish
• Set Hondouras mahogany neck
• 1.72" nut width
• Ebony fingerboard and bridge
• Graphtech nut and bridge saddle
• Dual action truss rod
• Cleartone coated strings
• Deluxe TRIC hardshell case
• List price with bag $1199

Simon & Patrick guitars are typically fairly understated, but for the Showcase line, S&P did add a little pizzazz to the mix. High gloss polished finish, more detailed binding and sound-hole trim, and a stylized headstock give the Showcase folk a more deluxe look. The gold plated open back tuners also look pretty cool too.

Rosewood is typically reserved for most manufacturer's top end guitars, and for good reason. Compared to the laminated cherry or mahogany, Rosewood has a depth, volume and bloom that is hard to beat. Even though this is a more compact shape, there is ample bass and volume to hang with much larger guitars. The notes are round, full, and dimensional; and where the folk body size lacks extended low end, it makes up for it with a tight punchy midrange.

The Showcase Folk is both sensitive and dynamic, and whether flat picking, strumming or finger picking there is a wide range of colors at the player's fingertips. Play it with a pick and the sound is tight and focused. Finger picking reveals a sweet clean tone with nice depth, and back-handed strumming brings out a broad, expansive tone that is surprisingly full. Like other fine guitars, the Showcase Folk can take on a number of musical personalities all based on how the player interacts with the guitar.

When selecting an acoustic guitar, there really is no substitute for high quality materials. More so than in an electric guitar, the quality of the materials and construction are essential to the sound of the guitar. It's not just for looks. With the Showcase series, Simon & Patrick offers players top notch materials and construction at a price that's within reach of the serious hobbyist or gigging performer.