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Description

Offered for your consideration is this amazing Grand Concert from the multi-talented Tony Vines. Tony isn't "just" a master luthier; he is also a song writer and performer too. He plays the guitars he builds an this perspective helps him make extremely fine instruments. This relatively early example of his work has just blown me away.​​

The Vines Artisan is 14-fret, Grand Concert instrument. This 2005 guitar has a German Spruce top, with the back, sides and binding made of African Blackwood. The sleek, low profile neck is a five-piece afair utilizing a combination of Mahogany, Maple and Rosewood. The fretboard is Black Ebony without inlays. It has a 25.7" string scale, a 1.75" nut and 2.25" string spacing. The belly-style bridge and headstock overlay are made from Macassar Ebony and it has brass bridge pins.

African Blackwood looks to be a species of Ebony, but it's actually a member of the Dalbergia (Rosewood) family. It is extremely hard and dense, even more so than Ebony or Brazilian Rosewood and it is extremely expensive because of the small size of the trees. It produces guitars with a voice that is powerful, clear and complex, as this lovely Vines Artisan demonstrates. I loved the tone of this instrument as soon as I took it out of the shipping carton. Even with it's existing strings it sounded magnificent; full, balanced and clear sounding with a tight bass response. Please listen to the brief sound sample provided. It was recorded strung with my usual Elixir Phosphor Bronze light gauge strings, but this is an instrument that could likely benefit from a slightly heavier gauge of string. Whatever you use, this guitar sounds fantastic.

And it plays divinely too! It is currently set up for fingerstyle play with 12th fret string heights of 5/64" on the low E side and 4/64" on the high E side and it plays effortlessly. The two way truss rod works smoothly and easily, so if raising the action a touch is a breeze if that is desirable.

The guitar has just two cosmetic issues worth mentioning. The first is a tiny pen-tip sized ding on the top in the area where your right elbow would lay, just below the bridge (see photos). The other is a bit of a shadow stain around the bridge which Tony tells me is from the natural oils in the Macassar Ebony very slowing seeping into the surrounding tonewoods, a lesson learned early in his career. These small issues aside, this guitar remains in fabulous condition, frets included. It comes in it's original premium Cedar Creek case, also in superb condition.

Tony advises that a new guitar like this one with these tonewoods would command a lofty price of approximately $15K. Here is an opportunity to sample the incredible work of Tony Vines for a third of that sum. What a magnificent instrument. Make it yours today!

Capital Guitars

Capital Guitars

2005
Tony Vines
Excellent
Original Hard
15 Years
Capital Guitars
Charlie Hughes
518-222-6099
Online Only
7:05 AM
We monitor email nearly 24/7. Should we be tardy in responding to your phone calls or voicemail, please shoot us an email at capitalguitars@gmail.com

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.