Rozawood / Tony Rice Tribute / 2021 / Nitrocellulose Lacquer / Guitar
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The second ''Tribute Guitar'' we built as an honor to one of the greatest acoustic guitar virtuoso well known across the genres like Bluegrass, Jazz, Country and New Acoustic Music - Mr. Tony Rice, is a replica of his famous large soundhole 1935 Martin D-28 (#58957).
There are a lot of rumors (true or not) that tell stories about this guitar from which a history book could be written. While probably nobody knows all the relevant facts from the period between April 1935, when she was originally sold to a shop, and 1959, when Clarence and Roland Whites bought her in very poor condition with her significant and most notable feature (the enlarged soundhole to almost 4 & 5/8" in diameter carved by an unknown whittler) - the rest of her history is generally well known.
It was in 1960 when a 9-year-old bluegrass performer named Tony Rice – a recent transplant to Southern California and a guitarist in a family band, just like Clarence White – spotted the guitar backstage at a music show that was being broadcast over a local radio station. “It was the first time I’d appeared anywhere,” Rice recalls. “I saw that old D-28, and it didn’t have a name on the headstock, so I asked, ‘What kind of a guitar is that?’ and Clarence said, ‘It’s a Martin.’ I’d never seen one like that. I thought all dreadnoughts were D-18s! So I asked, ‘Is that a D-18?’ He said, ‘No, that’s a D-28.’ I’d never heard of a D-28. The only thing I knew was that it looked like hell but it sounded like a million bucks to a 9-year-old kid!”
So, either Tony Rice played this guitar already as 9-year-old in 1960, he became its owner 15 years later, in 1975.
As one of the best bluegrass guitarists, Tony Rice kept this guitar all his life and made it world-famous. And so, when "Tony Rice" or "larger soundhole" dreadnought is mentioned now, everyone knows what's talking about...
Our replica, as a tribute to one of the greatest bluegrass guitar player ever, includes CITES certified Brazilian Rosewood back & sides and headplate, Adirondack top and (as each guitar in our Artists' Tribute line) hand-cut and engraved portrait of Tony in mother of pearl, snakewood and recon stone to the headplate.
(Extracts from the article in the Fretboard Journal #5 used)
Materials
Top: Adirondack
B&S: Brazilan Rosewood
Neck: Honduran Mahogany
Binding: Plastic
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony
Headplate: Brazilan Rosewood
Nut & Saddle: Bone
Pins: Ebony with pearl dot
Dimensions
Body Shape: DREADNOUGHT
Scale: 644 mm 25 & 11/32"
Neck Profile: Hybrid V/C
Nut Width: 43 mm 1 & 11/16"
String Spacing: 57 mm 2 & 1/4”
Design
Finish: Nitrocellulose high gloss body & headplate, satin finish neck
Colour: Natural
Rosette: Multiple b/w “28-style”
Position Marks: None
Inlays: Pearl Tony portrait on peghead, herringbone top and b/w back purfling, zipper backstrip
Tuners: Waverly relic nickel, oval knobs
Pickguard: Slim plastic tortoise
ROZAWOOD, a.s., Czech Republic 
The ROZAWOOD workshop is the vision of luthier Roman Zajíček, who is known as one of the finest guitar makers in Europe.
Many European players and guitar sellers consider Roman among the “top 5” guitar makers worldwide. His instruments are known for their impressive tone and impeccable workmanship.
Roman, engineer of profession, loves music above all. His quest for beauty of acoustic tone led him to building instruments himself.
Roman built his first instruments in 1979. His reputation of a man with deep sensitivity for wood and tone began to spread among high-end instrument lovers with every guitar he created. ROZAWOOD was born and after some time, when Roman built guitars all by himself, his activities outgrew him. In 2003 Roman found a partner to finance and manage his ongoing activities and the new ROZAWOOD workshop was established.
Roman is part of the impressive history of Bohemian instrument making, which is considered to be the longest in the world. A nice exampleis C.F. Martin who originates from the town Markneukirchen, not so far from where Roman lives and works. This region is still the cradle of many high-end instrument makers, mostly working in small shops. Although the professionally marketed American luthiers are better known, some of these Bohemian luthiers are impressive instrument makers equal and sometimes better craftsmen than their American colleagues. Roman’s knowledge of traditional violin construction combined with his technical insight and experience as guitar maker made him one of the finest luthiers of Europe. His unique construction design resulted over the years in a wide range of fine high-end acoustic instruments of highest quality and impressive acoustic sound.
All our production, made from special selected solid tonewoods and other top quality materials only, is purely handmade in any detail. Even today very rare handcut pearl inlays are standard in our workshop. We use tap-tuning for every our instrument as a standard too – every top is tuned by tapping on and subsequent corresponding adjustment.
Every instrument is during all building process checked by Roman personally (if even is not built whole by Roman only) and for quality confirmation is signed by Roman after all.
ROZAWOOD is not a factory or a manufacture, but an art workshop where only skilled and trained luthiers put their best efforts into every unique ROZAWOOD instrument …
Roman is a member of the Guild of Prague Luthiers.
Please contact us for any demand or question you have ...
