2014 Gerber SJ German Spruce / Honduran Rosewood Natural, Near Mint, Original Hard, $5,499.00
Sometime ago, a customer whose opinion I respect very much told me about the fine work of a young luthier from Ohio by the name of Ryan Gerber. He told me that this young man's guitars were amazing and that they reminded him of the instruments made by Jim Olson and Kevin Ryan, but were priced at a fraction of the cost of either of those fine brands. I finally came across an example of Ryan Gerber's on the used market and bought the superb guitar that is offered here, a Gerber SJ built in 2014. The influences of guitars from Olson, Ryan and Charis are evident in this beautiful SJ.
Some of the key specs for this incredible acoustic include: a 19-3/8" long body with a Florentine cutaway, arm rest bevel and a 15" wide lower bout; a German Spruce top mated to back and sides made of Honduran Rosewood; a 25.5" string scale; 1.75" nut; 2-5/8" string spacing; a bridge carved from Honduran Rosewood; a multi-piece neck made of layers of Peruvian Walnut, Bubinga and Yellowheart; an Ebony fretboard; headstock overlays of Cocobolo (front) and Macassar Ebony (back); Macassar Ebony binding on the body and neck; Yellowheart purfling; an exotic multi-piece rosette constructed of Spalted Maple, Yellowheart, Ebony and Spruce; Gold EVO fret wire; and Gotoh 510 tuners with 21:1 gear ratios.
This guitar plays and sounds as good as it looks. With a great setup and 12th fret string heights of 5/64" on the low side and 4/64" on the treble side it plays smooth as silk. It is very responsive too; finger or flat pick it responds immediately to whatever level of attack you apply. The tone is HUGE, with lots of projection and note to note clarity and separation. Listen to the included Soundcloud sample and I think you will agree that this guitar's tone has the rich character of guitars costing two or three times as much.
This guitar, serial number 16, was built in 2014. It's condition is near mint with only extremely light evidence of previous play and the frets show no observable wear. It comes in it's original Ameritage case with humidification, also in near mint condition.
Equipped with these options, a new example of this Gerber guitar will cost over $7K at today's prices. Even at $7K this guitar would be a steal, but you can get this lightly played example for significantly less. I'm sure that early in their respective careers the instruments made by Jim Olson and Kevin Ryan were much less expensive than they are today. Get an early and near mint guitar by this gifted luthier while his work is still affordable. If this example is any indication, we will be hearing much, much more from Ryan Gerber and Gerber Guitars. Wow!
Capital Guitars
Capital Guitars accepts payment via PayPal, credit cars via PayPal, wire transfer, or via bank check. Guitars ship only after payment clears. See something you wish to purchase? To pay via Paypal, just click the 'Buy Now' button, or send an email to capitalguitars@gmail.com indicating the guitar you wish to purchase, where you live (for calculating the shipping cost and NYS sales tax if applicable) and confirm the email address you use for Paypal. We will send you a Paypal invoice referencing the specific guitar being purchased. Just follow the prompts in the Paypal email to pay for your guitar. Once we receive your cleared payment we will contact you with tracking information and a paid invoice. That is all there is to it! Shipments to locations within the State of New York are subject to imposition of applicable New York Sales taxes. Trade proposals involving quality gear are welcomed! Email me a pic or two of your proposed trade and a brief description of its condition and we will let you know what we can allow you in trade. We also do LAYAWAYS! All layaways require a non-refundable up-front payment equal to 20% of the purchase price. Your deposit holds the guitar for you, with 60 days to pay the balance. Contact us via email for more details.
Shipping to Continental US addresses is via FedEx Ground, with flat rate shipping of $60 to Eastern time zones, $70 Central and $80 Mountain/Pacific. Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii is $100. A phone number at the shipping destination is required. Other shipping services, including express services and international shipping are available at our discretion, just contact us for a quote.
Refunds of the original purchase price less shipping and a 10% restocking fee may be requested within 48 hours of delivery. Exchanges within one (1) week of the original date of purchase may be made for an item of equal or greater value at the discretion of Capital Guitars. Where permitted herein, items must be promptly returned at the buyer's expense, in the same condition as received with all accessories and paperwork included. Sale items, purchases that are made via layaway, those involving trades and/or international shipping are considered final except upon an error by and at the discretion of Capital Guitars. All deposits are non-returnable. Our apologies, but we are a very small operation and returns are extremely time consuming and costly.