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2009 Victor Baker 14 Custom

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Serial #: 222, Dated 4/7/09, signed by the maker

Width: 14" Depth: 2 7/8" Nut: 1 23/32" Scale: 24 3/4"

Finish: Violin finish, nitrocellulose type.

Materials: Solid carved figured tiger maple back, sides and neck; solid hand-carved quartersawn bookmatched spruce top; solid ebony fingerboard, bone nut.

Hardware: All gold hardware includes Seymour Duncan Seth Lover, Gotoh Delta 21x1 tuners, solid brass tailpiece with removable ebony cover, solid ebony compensated adjustable bridge; ebony volume and tone knobs.

Notes: New York luthier Victor Baker's archtop guitars are meticulously constructed entirely by hand, and rarely seen on the vintage market. This Custom 14 is crafted of all solid woods, bookmatched, quartersawn and hand carved throughout. Built expressly for the working player, the compact Venetian cutaway body is fitted with a built-in humbucking pickup for greater sustain and feedback resistance, in the style of the Wes Montgomery L-5CES. The solid spruce top is X braced, like the Gibson Johnny Smith, for warmer tone. And the streamlined soundholes and ebony hardware echo the clean lines of Jimmy D'Aquisto timeless classics.

This gleaming example is carved of tiger flame maple of spectacular intensity, with a bookmatched, quartersawn, fine-grained solid spruce soundboard. The headstock overlay is tiger maple as well, with tortoise and pearl inlays and an ebony truss rod cover. At just 4lb. 15oz. the guitar is phenomenally light in weight, with a compact design that slips easily in the overhead bin. The neck features a flat D profile that is slim and effortless in the hand, with smooth low action over brilliantly polished medium fretwork.

The Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup faithfully amplifies the warm acoustic voice, with volume and tone controls discreetly tucked aside the bass soundhole. And in an ingenious design innovation, the polished brass tailpiece has a solid ebony cover, held in place with four powerful magnets. The instrument in immaculate condition, and appears virtually unplayed. A versatile wonder, and a great traveling companion. One only, call now.

Setup: Trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

Case: Original deluxe arched plush lined hardshell case.