McCurdy Mercury “Sheryl Bailey” Model

Introduced in 2004, this is a semi-hollow body, two-pickup electric guitar. This compact electric guitar is 14'' at the lower bout. It features a solid ebony bridge and tailpiece for a surprisingly rich, complex sound in a durable package.

Rick McCurdy may be a new name to you - but he’s one of the great builders making great guitars during this golden age for players.

I've known Rick McCurdy for more than 25 years and have been a big fan of his incredible guitars. Rick comes out of the tradition of guitar makers who began their careers in NYC, the most prominent, of course, being Jimmy D'Aquisto and John D'Angelico. In particular what Rick shares with those famous NYC builders is that he has been working with professional guitarists since day one, which makes him especially sensitive to the needs of working guitarists.

Rick's guitars have evolved to not only look beautiful, but to be extremely comfortable and a complete joy to play. I have coined the phrase 'elegant tools' to describe Rick's instruments.

This guitar is based on the venerable ES 335 guitar, but is more compact, with a 14" lower bout, 24 3/4 scale, and a richer acoustic tone.

McCurdy has made the Mercury since 2004, but this particular guitar is the Sheryl Bailey model, made to that great guitarist’s specs. It’s no secret that many players have models made for them. But you may not know that in the real world, they may only play their “signature” model for a short while. With Sheryl Bailey, it’s different.  Her McCurdy hase been her primary guitar since the day he made it for her.

Rick also made a Mercury for Kurt Rosenwinkel who said of the guitar "Not only are the single notes powerful, but the chords have great complex sonority."

The hand carved top is very even grained sitka spruce, the back is beautifully flamed maple, also hand carved, making this guitar a true archtop. The neck is beautifully hand- shaped Honduran mahogany. It’s a  medium C shape with a nut that is just shy of 1 3/4, really a perfect neck that is fast and comfortable. The pickups are some of my favorites, a Duncan Seth Lover in the neck and an Antiquity in the bridge, with a five-way switch that provides a wide variety of tones from classic humbucker to coil tap.

McCurdy's mastery of craft can be seen in the details of this guitar, the joints, the pickguard and tailpiece, which are a pleasure to look at.

I found the acoustic tone on this guitar to be balanced and resonant, rich with harmonic complexities and subtlety. The electric tone just sings! Balanced and full, this guitar is perfect for straight ahead jazz and will easily give you the sweet tones of Pat Metheny or Sheryl Bailey, but it can also give you blistering fusion tones a la Robin Ford or John Scofield. It is simply one of the most versatile guitars you will find.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.

ABOUT MCCURDY GUITARS
For 25 years, Ric McCurdy has committed himself to designing and building for people who love to play fine guitars; guitars that respond to your musical knowledge, your skill and your touch; guitars that inspire you to continue to grow as an artist and musician. Ric McCurdy came to his life's work through a series of fortunate encounters with great people. Since setting up shop in the heart of New York City, he has built and repaired guitars for many exacting musicians like John Ambercrombie, Joe Beck, Sheryl Bailey, Jimmy Vivino, the Blue Man Group, John Fohl and Kenny Loggins to name a few. Ric had the good fortune to spend time with Bob Benedetto, who graciously shared a lifetime of his unique knowledge, and over the years he has had the opportunity to play, study, and repair many D'Angelico and D'Aquisto guitars, experience which helped him appreciate the acoustic potential of carved archtop instruments in the tradition of Stradivarius. After experiencing how a great archtop can sound Ric is always reaching for consistency of each note on the neck, with the same volume, richness and tone in every position and in every key. Ric has found through continuous experimentation that this level of musical output can be achieved while delivering to guitarists a level of comfort and playability which they have never experienced in any other guitars. Ric McCurdy's goal is for you to enjoy playing hour after hour, to own a guitar that maintains its stability but grows in volume, richness and investment value year after year. Playability and tone are what make it a McCurdy guitar.