2011 Michael O’Leary SHORT SCALE

Cedar/Lattice Braced
Top: Cedar/lattice braced
Back and sides: Rosewood
Scale: 630mm
Tuners: Graf
Origin: Ireland
SOLD

It is not so easy to find great short scale guitar built by superior luthiers, so this 630mm guitar represents an opportunity in that sense. A fine short scale guitar that, due to its lattice braced design, still produces superb volume and projection.

Michael has been building in Ireland for many years now, and when I visited him, and his family, his love for his craft was immediately apparent. You can enjoy an interview I filmed with him in the ‘videos’ section of this web site. A humble and immensely likable man, he evolved his own personal take on what a lattice guitar should sound like, and has produced lovely results time and again with his delightful instruments.

Michael’s theory is that the tonal colors and character emanate largely, but not completely of course, from the upper portion of the soundboard, and so he braces this area in a more traditional way to obtain a lovely traditional voice. The lower portion of the soundboard is lattice braced for power and projection. This combination, power combined with a more traditional voice, is highly appealing to most players. Combine this with a short scale, and a fine set of Graf tuners, and you have a very playable, lovely sounding, yet powerful concert level guitar.

In good condition with some areas of light playing marks on the top, it is a fine, and very well priced example of Michael’s work, and worthy of strong consideration if you are remotely thinking of a shorter scale instrument.