*NOTE: Due to the implementation of Brazilian Rosewood in this build, this guitar is only available for shipping within the Continental US. No exceptions.

This absolutely mesmorizing Santa Cruz OM Grand is a showcase of Brazilian Rosewood! Featuring a beautiful Tier 1 Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, estimated to be somewhere between 350-600 years old, this guitar puts this gorgeous example of Brazilian Rosewood on display both visually and sonically. The top of this guitar is a premium piece of Old Growth German Spruce, a perfect sonic match for this guitar's shape and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Adorned with Brazilian Rosewood binding, Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and bridge, a Brazilian Rosewood rosette and headstock overlay, this guitar has Brazilian Rosewood almost everywhere you could put it! Be sure to check out the video from Peghead Nation showcasing the premium tone this guitar produces.

This guitar is the epitome of an heirloom instrument. This guitar is available for immediate shipping and is not on display in our store. This guitar has been removed from its case to be photographed and immediately returned to the case inside the shipping box and will remain untouched. Please message with any questions that you may have. This guitar is sure to provide many lifetimes worth of playing enjoyment and inspiration.

Here's what Peghead Nation had to say about this specific guitar:

"For the better part of five decades, Santa Cruz Guitars has created some of the best custom steel-string guitars ever made. Rooted in tradition, but also innovative and original, Santa Cruz has a loyal following that appreciate the company’s commitment to tone, playability, and use of the finest materials available. While Santa Cruz offers an assortment of standard models, it’s rare that a guitar leaves the shop without some modification, usually specified by an individual customer or dealer, and occasionally, the company’s builders decide to do something special on spec. I recently had a chance to check out an OM Grand made with spectacular Brazilian rosewood before it was sent off to The Music Loft, in Wilmington, North Carolina. 

Introduced about a decade ago, the OM Grand has a solid place in the Santa Cruz line. Aptly named, the model is essentially a traditional OM with a slightly enlarged body, similar to the M or 0000-size instruments made by Martin and other manufacturers. Standard OM Grands are built with Indian rosewood back and sides and traditional prewar-style appointments, but for this special guitar Santa Cruz substituted a set of stunning Brazilian rosewood estimated to be between 350 and 600 years old. Cut from the stump-area of an old-growth tree, the wood is dark, dense, rich in color, and the back’s lower bout area has dramatic figure. This is the kind of Brazilian rosewood that makes wood freaks weak in the knees, and it’s very rare to see this level (which Santa Cruz calls “Tier 1”) on a contemporary instrument. The Santa Cruz team also used Brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard and bridge, body and fingerboard binding, rosette, and peghead overlay. 

Rather than loading the guitar up with inlay or elaborate appointments, Santa Cruz decided to leave it relatively simple, so as to not to distract from the woods. The guitar has the small 2-mm. dot position markers in the fingerboard that are standard for the model, multi-layer “purfle combo” top purfling, a narrow black strip between the two back halves, and a small teardrop pickguard. For the top, Santa Cruz used gorgeous old-growth European spruce with incredibly even color and beautiful cross-grain patterns. 

The Brazilian rosewood used on the back and sides alone makes this a one-of-a-kind instrument, and its exclusivity is guaranteed by the fact that the combination of materials and features pushes the instrument’s list price to $31,012. We’re deep in dream-guitar territory here, though there are, of course, OM Grands made with less costly materials that start at a base price of $8,430. 

I’ve played several OM Grands over the years (I demoed a 12-string version back in 2019) and have always been impressed with their tone and playability. Naturally, my expectations were raised once I learned about the details of this particular instrument, and indeed, it would be easy to run out of superlatives when describing the guitar. Fundamentally, it has the balanced, even-voiced tonality OMs are known for, but with a little more of everything; especially in terms of bass response and volume. The guitar has incredible singing sustain and the rich, almost reverb-like overtones associated with fine Brazilian rosewood guitars. In the video, I play fingerstyle in DADGAD and CGDGCD tunings, and I strum and play single-notes in standard tuning, and in each setting, the guitar delivers a beautiful, shimmering sound with excellent response and an expansive dynamic range. 

So yes, Santa Cruz has made another instrument that won’t leave my memory any time soon. Guitarists in the market for a top-tier “one guitar that does it all” instrument would do well to check out an OM Grand, and while this particular instrument raised the bar considerably, a large portion of its qualities are available at prices more in line with other high-end flattops. 

SPECS: OM Grand body. Old-growth European spruce top. Hide-glued, Adirondack spruce X-bracing. “Tier 1” Brazilian rosewood back and sides. Mahogany neck. Brazilian rosewood fretboard and bridge. 25.375-inch scale. 1¾-inch nut width. Gold Waverly tuning machines."

From Santa Cruz Guitar Co.:

"SCGC’s OM Grand is a bigger, lusher, louder sister to their extremely popular OM model.  In comparison, the OM Grand embodies the same elegance, only in increased quantity of volume, projection and bass.  More isn’t necessarily better, though in the context of a band’s competing acoustic instruments the ‘more’ of the OM Grand assures the guitar’s rightful dominance in the ensemble.

At the 2012 NAMM Show in Anaheim, SCGC’s longtime friend and dealer, Harry Tuft, asked Richard about building a special guitar to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his shop, The Denver Folklore Center. In honor of this prestigious accomplishment, and the historical impact Harry’s shop has had on the folk movement in this country, Richard was thrilled to accept. Harry wanted a custom OM guitar with a larger body size for an increase in power in a body shape reminiscent of C.F. Martin’s historic 0000. Harry further customized his guitar to his playability needs and aesthetic values, including inlays commemorating his milestone 50th anniversary.

In preparing the templates for this new body size, Richard saw this enhanced sized OM as a fine addition to the stellar line-up of SCGC standard models, and the concept of the OM Grand was born. The strength of the OM Grand isn’t limited to sheer volume. In the sometimes restrained presence of solo fingerstyle playing, the inherent power of this guitar will generate a forceful bloom, requiring less effort with no loss of nuance. The best available tone woods are selected, voiced and tuned, as they are on all SCGC models."

Specs:

• Model: OM Grand
• Serial Number: 413
• Top Wood: Old Growth German Spruce
• Back & Sides Wood: Tier 1 Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
• Body Binding: Brazilian Rosewood
• Fretboard: Brazilian Rosewood
• Fretboard Binding: Brazilian Rosewood
• Bridge: Brazilian Rosewood
• Rosette: Brazilian Rosewood
• Bracing: Scalloped
• Bracing Material: Adirondack Spruce attached with Hot Hide Glue
• Back Strip: Thin Black
• Purfling: Purfle Combo Top Border
• Peghead: Standard Square
• Peghead Overlay: Brazilian Rosewood
• Headstock Inlay: SCGC Logo
• Scale Length: 25.375"
• Neck Shape: V with Volute
• Side Dots: Mother of Pearl
• Inlays: 2mm Dots
• Width at 14th Fret: 2 3/16"
• Nut Width: 1 3/4"
• Body Finish: Clear High Gloss Nitrocellulose
• Neck Finish: Matte Nitrocellulose
• Pickguard: Tortoise
• Tuners: Gold Waverly
• Bridge Spacing: 2 3/16"
• Case: Santa Cruz Ameritage Custom Case Included