After many months of prototyping, Composite Acoustics is set to officially unveil their Tim Stafford signature model guitar on May 3. This has been Tim’s primary guitar on the road with Blue Highway for the past year or so, and he has used it in the studio on several projects as well.
Stafford has worked closely with the folks at CA Guitars to create a dreadnaught body instrument, made from their durable, carbon fiber composite material, which could offer the sort of tone, response and playability that bluegrass pickers demand from their guitars. Tim was also concerned that his signature model have on board electronics that would convey a warm, natural acoustic sound to the sound system.
Specifications for the Tim Stafford model include:
- light blue shell flame rosette
- four leaf clover headstock inlay
- enlarged 4.5" diameter soundhole
- upper bout sound port
- Gotoh 510 open back gears
- CA Performance Tuned bracing
- a specially voiced Fishman Aura pick-up system
- high gloss Carbon Burst paint finish
It will carry a $2968 price tag.
As you might expect, Tim is very pleased with the guitar…
"I believe the signature model is the best new CA I’ve played. It plays like a dream, and the sound port gives it more punch and volume out front, as well as adding something like ‘self-monitoring’ to the instrument–you can hear the guitar more clearly as you play it, from your vantage point behind the instrument. This is a bonus for singers; it sounds like a superior new guitar, straight out of the box. I was talking with someone after I had gotten the first prototype of the signature model which I played at Merlefest last year; they gave me a 4-leaf clover as luck for the new model. I put the clover against the black carbon top and it was just brilliant; that’s when I began to think this would be a nice cosmetic touch for the model. Mostly though, I hope it brings luck to whoever buys one!"
There is no information up yet on the CA web site, but look for it to appear soon after the official launch event at Artisan Guitars in Franklin, TN on May 3. Tim will be on hand to demo the guitar and talk with customers and the press.
