One of two final Legends in Lutherie Model 1s are available for purchase! Don't miss your chance to own a part of history!
The story of the Legends in Luthier project goes back to NAMM 2013 at a dinner between Rick Turner and Brendan Smyth of Heartbreaker Guitars. Rick and Brendan had been designing Limited Edition Model 1 Guitars for a couple of years at this point. The response from the players was immediate. They loved them. Some of the Limiteds included, “The Santa Cruz Series”, The “RT-50” and “The Icon Series.”
Rick and Brendan discussed the idea of doing a very unique, limited edition project of a Model 1 paired with an incredible acoustic guitar built with matching wood and specs. The list of acoustic luthiers was short, but at the top of the list was Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitar Company. Rick and Richard had been friends almost 50 years and their shops were a few miles apart in Santa Cruz, California. At the time Heartbreaker Guitars was not a Santa Cruz Dealer. A few years later, HBG got on board with Santa Cruz Guitar Company. Rick and Brendan pitched the idea to Richard Hoover right away, but the timing wasn’t right. Richard liked the idea, but not only wanted to establish a working relationship with Heartbreaker, but he also wanted to have a very thoughtful project that included some very special and rare wood.
Fast forward to 2018. More discussions were bearing fruit on what this project might look like. By the time 2019 rolled around, Richard had come across some very historic wood that needed to be earmarked for a very special project. Enter “Legends in Lutherie”. The wood seemed a perfect fit for the project Rick Turner and Brendan Smyth had been discussing for years. It finally happed! In the Summer of 2019 the ground work had been laid for the Legends project. The Redwood selected was reclaimed from a bridge in Yosemite National Park built in the 1920’s. The bridge was badly damaged in the Rim Fire of 2013 and had to be rebuilt. Richard Hoover was able to get the wood and show it to Rick and Brendan. This was unequivocally the wood they were all dreaming of. Dubbed “Yosemite Redwood”, this was the top wood that would don the historical project of Legends in Lutherie. Rick and Richard decided on Master Grade Honduran Mahogany for the back/sides wood and they were off and running. Once the project was off the ground, it took about 7 months to complete.
Call Heartbreaker Guitars today for all of the details on this incredible collaborative masterpiece! •
Top Wood
Yosemite Redwood
Back Wood
Yosemite Redwood with Mahogany Core
Neck
Multi Layer Laminated: Acacia/Mahogany
Fingerboard
Ebony with "Legends" inlay
Bridge
LR Baggs
Nut Width
1 11/16"
Scale Length
24 3/4"
String Spacing
2" at Bridge
Cutaway
Yes
Strings
D'Adarrio NYXL
Tuners
Gotoh 510 Gold with Ebony Buttons
Accents
Tortoise
Binding
Tortoise
Purfling
Midnight Rope
Pickup
RT Hum Cancelling and Piezo
Construction
Handmade by Rick Turner and Richard Hoover
Made In
Santa Cruz, CA
Case
Rick Turner Hard Shell
Serial #
5431
Warranty
Limited
Heartbreaker Take
A one-of-a-kind masterwork!
