Stephen Marchione OMC African Ebony, 2017

Stephen Marchione is a luthier in the truest sense of the word. What I mean by that is that he makes exceptional stringed instruments across the spectrum - archtops, solid-body electrics, semi-hollow electrics, flamenco and classical guitars, steel strings, and violins.

That's why I am thrilled to have one of his stunning acoustics in the shop, the Marchione OMC. Stephen says that it's the synthesis of more than 25 years of professional guitar making, and it is. But I think there's more to it than simply years of experience. He profoundly understands the traditions of guitar making and, at the same time, has the skill and insight from his across-the-spectrum experience to add innovation if the instrument can be made better for it.

For example, he builds his acoustics in the Spanish tradition, with the sides set into the neck. This build process allows flawless string action throughout the fretboard, rather than having the board sink into the body as it nears the soundhole. Stephen Marchione has been thinking about this design for ten years. And he is applying everything in his arsenal to make an exceptional instrument.

The design is artful - understated, elegant, perfectly imagined, and executed. Just look at how the curve of the treble bout continues so gracefully into the cutaway. And let's not forget to mention that it's all hide glue construction.

The materials are impeccable. Stephen mills his own backs and sides rather than purchasing blanks from an outside supplier. So he's able to maximize the tonal quality and the aesthetic of the master grade Swiss spruce top and the old growth African blackwood back and sides.

Putting it together, this exceptional OMC is a beautiful sounding guitar, rich and spacious, with a woody midrange presence characteristic of Stephen's fine acoustics. Sonically, African ebony reminds me of Brazilian rosewood with its rich and balanced presence. The flame maple neck is an inspired addition to this build; not only is it beautiful, but I feel it adds a certain throatiness to this guitar's voice.

One of the qualities that Marchione brings to the table is his laser-like focus on a guitar's playability. His years of providing fine guitars to some of the world's most discriminating musicians have honed his ability to make a guitar that is a joy to play. Low action, fine fretwork, impeccable setup; that is all in Stephens wheelhouse. To top it off, this OMC is fitted with a soundboard pickup specially designed by Eric Corpus at Dimarzio, one of the finest pickups I have ever heard.

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 MARCHIONE GUITARS
At one time in his life, Stephen Marchione spent six hours a day playing the guitar. Now he makes them—in fact, since beginning his career as a guitar maker in 1989, Stephen has created more than three-hundred guitars for some of the best guitar players in the world. The journey from high-school jazz devotee to “the finest young guitar maker working today,” according to Chamber Music America, was a rich and complicated one. After establishing his own brand and working for several years in New York, Stephen Marchione moved to Houston, Texas, where he builds his entire family of guitars, but Marchione has also studied privately since 1994 with Manhattan-based violin maker Guy Rabut. "I try to build one violin a year to keep my chops up" Says Marchione. He feels that building classical guitars and violins broadens his understanding of top thicknessing, tap tuning, and surface preparation. On the other hand, building electric guitars has taught him the importance of the fretboard in a player's appreciation of a guitar. Marchione is considered one of a very few leading-edge pioneers in the design of guitars that combine elements of both jazz and classical construction. This well-rounded approach contributes to the magic one finds in a Marchione instrument, a magic that is at once very broad yet truly individual.