Novax Expression 1998 Natural - fanned frets, Bartolinis, boutique luthier, custom

Fantastic guitar.

Ralph Novak custom boutique luthier built "Expression" model - fanned frets... custom bartolini pickups... mahogany neck... wenge fretboard (fantastic - smooth, buttery)... nice wood inlay... walnut body (I think) with lacewood stripe... beautifully figured and shimmery/ 3D lacewood top... I tried capturing it but was unable to - pix don't do it justice... signs of wear on body under neck pup, see pix... two light scratches on top where I polished too aggressively... will very easily buff or even rub out... all top notch components... patented individual bridges/ saddles... and the fanned frets.

Five-way rotary... tap or phase or - I'm not sure but a nice variety of sounds... right now the selector is scratchy when changing positions... otherwise electronics are perfect. Has pull pot on tone to engage built-in 9 volt powered preamp.... makes it louder of course but also very very articulate. As in really really articulate.

Did I mention how articulate it is?

Very resonant, very live guitar. Loads of great bass response. Can sound very acoustic. Very very easy to play.

Body is slim. Overall guitar is very lightweight... Neck is slim profile and 1 3/4 wide. Very playable. I usually only like fat chunky necks and somehow I still like this slim profile... probably the string spacing...

Recently put Elixer 10s on it, cleaned and oiled fretboard...

If fanned frets scare you, dont let em. Close your eyes and play and nothing changes... your hand already fits it. Check out the Novax website for lots of details... John Mayer is a fan, etc...

But I believe the fanned fret hype is true regarding intonation and clarity of strings... unusually articulate sound. There's that word again. Frets have no signs of wear.... not sure they're stainless steel but surprisingly no wear given the wear on the body...

Includes original NOVAX soft bag - well padded, great quality...

All in all a phenomenal and rare guitar. Superb craftsmanship.

They don't come up for sale often. Last one on ebay was kinda crummy and sold for 1500 recently... This one made in 98. New, it'd be over $3400.

I pack lovingly and always insure for full value. I have over 300 transaction on ebay, maybe 100 sales over the past 10 years - with 100% perfect fb. New to Reverb. Thx.