Raymond Kraut OM European Maple

Raymond Kraut on this guitar:
"This instrument was designed to be for the player. The European maple is very light weight and responsive. It’s paired with a European spruce soundboard that I personally picked to have an optimal amount of stiffness and weight. That’s one of the main ways I achieve the responsiveness necessary for my style of instrument. That combination allows me to voice the guitar in a way that will create a very lively instrument that can handle many different styles.

"The dynamic range is broad and allows even the lightest touch to produce a complex and stimulating sound. If you choose to drive the guitar more aggressively, it can handle the increase of energy without breaking up and sounding washed out.

"This voicing technique is what really makes this instrument a valuable tool for a musician who plays in any style of music.

"I built this instrument with a 25" scale length - which I find to be optimal for both playing comfort and tension on the guitar soundboard.

"I used a 20" fingerboard radius to allow for maximum flexibility in style and comfort. The pairing of the scale length and the fingerboard radius combine to give this guitar the sort of ease of playing you'd find on an electric.

"One of my goals in creating an instrument is to visually inspire the musician. Some of my most powerful memories have been at museums while viewing pieces that altered my perception of the possible. That sensation is what I strive to achieve in each of my own instruments.

"It inspires me because it makes me think differently. It brings out thoughts and ideas that I had previously never considered, and it clears all the ambient distractions. My hope is that musicians will see and play my instruments, and have the opportunity to be as inspired as I’ve been."

Ray Kraut is one of the finest builders on the scene. And one of the most meticulous builders out there. Our new Raymond Kraut OM has simply taken my breath away.

It’s simply an astounding acoustic guitar, both visually and sonically. Every aspect of it is created to draw the player in. It’s stunning to look at. I love Ray’s modern take on the headstock and rosette. But as much as it wants to be stared at and admired, it also wants to be held and strummed and be inspiring to you, the player.

This superlative OM is incredibly expressive, able to handle the lightest touch and yet be able to bloom when forcefully played.

I’ve always been a huge fan of maple acoustics when crafted by a builder like Ray who understands the wood. When done with care and insight, a maple guitar has a woody, rich character with a strong but not overly bright fundamental. It carries the music and the player along to a place of rich honesty; all the notes have meaning, from top to bottom. It’s a powerhouse of tone with rich low end and those thick trebles that I like so much.

Imagine a guitar that is able to go from the style of James Taylor all the way to Elvis Costello with deft and remarkable character.

Playing it is pure pleasure. To me, one of its greatest benefits (and I echo Ray’s POV here) is the way he’s shaped the neck. It’s simply one of the best feeling necks I’ve ever played on an acoustic. Perfectly shaped and profiled with the modern player in mind.

A superlative instrument: Stunning looks, perfectly balanced sound and amazing playability. All here in one luscious flat top.

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 KRAUT GUITARS
Ray Kraut’s passion for responsive sound and artistic innovation in guitar building developed under a two-year apprenticeship with Master Luthier Ervin Somogyi. Through Somogyi’s famed voicing techniques and building styles and with Lewis Santer’s (Somogyi’s shop manager) daily instruction on repair and building techniques, Kraut mastered a unique voicing and visual style that reflects the quality of his luthier education. Kraut is recognized world wide for the quality of sound, craftsmanship, and art of his guitars and is annually invited to the most recognized luthier exhibitions such as the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, the Montreal Guitar Show, the Woodstock Guitar Show, The North West Musical Instrument Show, and the Luthiers Showcase Exhibit at the NAMM show. Today, Kraut lives in Eugene, Oregon where he builds twelve custom guitars annually. His guitars are collected world wide, from Japan to Europe, and across North America. Each guitar is entirely unique and expresses the relationship Kraut builds with each of his clients.