Somogyi Modified Dreadnaught 1996 Natural

Ervin Somogyi has been building guitars for over 40 years and has gained the reputation as one of the top acoustic guitar builders in the world. The current price for this guitar ordered new from Ervin Somogyi would be $38,600.

This guitar is one of three Modified Dreadnaught guitars that Ervin built in 1996 for the California Guitar Trio. Featuring the wedge body design and the Novax fanned fretboard, these 3 guitars were the very first of what has become the currently popular wedge/fanned fretboard design. These 3 guitars were featured in an article in Guitar Player Japan magazine.

I am the original owner and played the guitar on hundreds of concerts and many studio recordings with the California Guitar Trio. The guitar was recently completely restored and refinished by Ervin Somogyi's former apprentice Raymond Kraut, and Addam Stark who finishes Ervin's guitars. The guitar originally had a Fishman pickup with a preamp on the side of the guitar. Ray converted the holes for the preamp into a sound port. I had the guitar refinished because I had played the guitar so much I had worn the finish off the top of the guitar. When I first received the guitar back in 1996, the intonation was not quite right, so I returned it to Ervin and he filled the original saddle slot and cut a new slot and installed a new saddle to correct the intonation. Ervin installed the traditional sized saddle to accommodate the fishman pickup.

I was hoping to hang onto this guitar, but I am selling it because of financial necessity.

The guitar is like new, exceptionally set up and very easy to play.

SPECIFICATIONS
Guitar: Somogyi Modified Dreadnaught
Case: Calton Flight Case Green
Cutaway: Florentine (sharp)
Total Length: 42 3/4"
Body Length: 20 3/8"
Upper Bout: 11 7/8”
Waist: 10 1/2"
Lower Bout: 16”
Depth, Wedge design: 2 3/4" to 4 5/8"
Nut Width: 1 3/4"
String Spacing: 2 3/16”
Scale Length, Novax Fanned Fretboard: Treble 25”, Bass 26”
Electronics: L.R. Baggs Anthem
Fingerboard: Ebony
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer Back, Sides and Top
Frets to Neck: 14
Frets Total: 22
Inlays: Wood segmented rosette, abalone shell inlay on fretboard
Luthier: Ervin Somoygi
Website:
Neck Truss Rod: 2 way adjustable at headstock
Nut: Bone
Pick guard: none
Rosette: Wood segmented rosette
Saddle: Bone
Serial #: 170
Shape: Modified Dreadnaught
Style: Steel-6 string
Tuners: Silver Schaller
Where Made: Berkeley, California
Wood-Back: East Indian rosewood (Dalbergia Latifolia)
Wood-Binding: Indian Rosewood, Ebony purfling
Bridge: Ebony
Headstock: Indian Rosewood
Neck: 1 piece Mahogany
Sides: East Indian rosewood (Dalbergia Latifolia)
Top: European Spruce
Year Made: 1996

The Somogyi Demo recording posted below has no EQ, no reverb, no compression.  Recorded with a Sonic Port VX microphone into my laptop.