Scharpach SKD Kasha Design Brazilian Rosewood Cedar 2017

At The Fellowship of Acoustics, we are delighted to present this true beauty from master builders Theo Scharpach and Menno Bos. The SKD Kasha Design is an extraordinary example of modern guitar craftsmanship, where tradition meets innovative acoustic science.

Theo Scharpach is a renowned guitar builder who was born near Vienna but ended up in the Netherlands at a very young age. He is driven by the passion that every guitar is a unique instrument, from the selection of the right wood and the shape and size of the body to the final coating. Together with Menno Bos, he builds guitars of extraordinary class, and in this detailed process, nothing is left to chance.

This Scharpach SKD has been used by the famous English guitarist Steve Howe, known for his work with Yes, among others. He is an avid collector, and wrote the following about the guitar in his book The Steve Howe Guitar Collection:

“I sat down with it… and everything around me sort of stopped! Wow,… it played like a beauty, the cutaway is fantastic with no restrictions in your access to the top end.
It has an exceptional sound with wonderful dynamics. It has a delicate side, but is able to be powerful too.”

The guitar is built according to the revolutionary Kasha principles, developed by Dr. Michael Kasha, who applied scientific acoustic theory to guitar building. The result is an instrument with unprecedented balance, definition, and projection. The combination of Brazilian rosewood for the body and cedar for the top gives this guitar a rich, complex sound. The cedar provides a warm, direct response with beautiful openness from the very first stroke, while the Brazilian rosewood provides depth, complexity, and endless sustain.

The custom bracing, designed according to Kasha principles, ensures a perfect balance between strength and resonance. Aesthetically, this Scharpach is a feast for the eyes, featuring refined details such as the mahogany binding, multi-line purfling, and a beautiful herringbone rosette. The maple neck has a comfortable D-profile that fits perfectly in the hand, while the compound radius ebony fingerboard ensures effortless playing in all positions.

This Scharpach was built in 2017 as part of the Master Guitars series and is in excellent condition. Light signs of wear and a few very small dings can be found on the top, and a binding repair can be found on the side on the treble side of the lower curve of the body. Otherwise, the guitar is exceptionally clean and comes with CITES in a luxury Benedykt Art case.

Consignment.