Marchione Acoustic Steel String, 2015

"I developed my Steel String with insights I’ve gained over 25 years of building archtop and classical guitars. The design is my own, a sublime blend of grace and power with the tone and volume to fully engage you and your audience. Of course, the materials and craftsmanship rise above, well aged loft-dried tone woods, all hide glue construction, planed joints and premium bone or estate ivory fittings; but the feel of the guitar when played is what will fully captivate you, allowing your musical motifs to flow freely." -- Stephen Marchione

This is one truly exceptional acoustic guitar! Stephen crafted this stunning steel string drawing upon his knowledge and experience building fine archtop, classical and flamenco guitars. This preowned example is straight out of a collection with little playing wear visible - just some very fine pick scratches and minor chipping in the headstock area.

Marchione built this beauty so that the neck meets the body at the 12th fret, which in turn helps serve the guitar's wonderful rich throaty bottom end. This small body steel string is a powerhouse of full bodied complex character. Its sound is explosive, yet woody and warm, with a range of tone you can only expect from a guitar designed by such a knowledgeable and versatile builder as Stephen. The materials are exceptional. 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 Italian spruce top and the Bosnian maple sides and backs.

The playability is outstanding. Stephen carved the curly maple neck profile with the player in mind. It’s beautifully contoured with low action and impeccable fret work seated perfectly in the ebony fingerboard. This is certainly one of those guitars that draws you in and asks to be played. Comfortable to hold, beautiful to look at and a complete joy to play, I highly recommend this Marchione steel string for anyone who is looking for a very fine bespoke acoustic guitar.

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.