Thorn Deluxe Koa - Preowned

This is a guitar that was originally sold by CR Guitars and has now cycled back to us - and we couldn't be happier to see it again. We'll be just as sad to see it go as we were the first time around, this time to someone lucky enough to take advantage of the price break due its being preowned and in superb condition. The photos you see here are the ones we took prior to the first sale but they are every bit as relevant as they were then, as is Craig's original POV below.

When we started this build, I asked Ron to put together a guitar with the kinds of options he personally favored.

When we talked, I said I wanted a guitar that really showed off what a Thorn guitar is all about - one that was overflowing with “Thorn-ness.”

Ron delivered. I’m thrilled.

This spectacular instrument has a black limba semi solid body, staple P90s, a superb Thorn Trem, and an insanely gorgeous koa top. (black limba is a variant of korina.) And the neck? Ron hand carved a  profile that is reminiscent of a late '50s LP but not quite as chunky or clunky. It just feels right in your hand. Like it was hand carved just for you. I love it.

Ron’s thrilled, too. Here how he describes the wood and sound of the guitar:

"It's a very dynamic top, tons of figure popping here and there as you move it around. It's tough to focus on one part of it as other figure is moving and jumping as you do. The chatoyancy is absolutely electric on this, photos can never catch it. Oh, and it sounds killer too. The semi-hollow and trem make for an amazingly "active" feel. Try it cranked thru a JTM-45 style amp...that's where the magic is!"

By the way, here’s what chatoyancy means: “the condition or quality of changing in color or luster depending on the angle of light.”

In plain English, I’d put it like this: This is just an awesome instrument. It’s very responsive to the player’s touch. Whatever you put in is what it puts out, only magnified.

For lovers of korina, this guitar has that mid range bite and presence that comes with that wood. If you’ve never played a great korina guitar, it’s a beautiful voice that really blooms when cranked.

The workmanship is unimpeachable, the inlays spectacular, and the fretwork a joy in the hand. And the wood.....absolutely stunning! Ron has a wood selection that’s simply beyond belief. Like I wrote above, the koa is just awesome. It has a rich Brazilian fingerboard.

And the sound? I’d add that I'm a huge fan of P90s, and these hand wound Staple Tops are just over the top. They are a perfect match for this configuration.

This fabulous guitar just drips Thorn goodness from every aspect. To be brief (I could go on and on): This is a very special guitar that is simply waiting to be plugged in and played.

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 THORN CUSTOM GUITARS
Raised in a family of carpenters, Ron Thorn had access to a home wood shop for as long as he can remember. Repairing, modifying and building guitars since age 13, his specialty became precision inlay work and by the mid '90s he became the sole inlay artist for the Fender Custom Shop, a position he is still proud to retain today. In 2000 Ron began putting the Thorn name on the headstocks of some of the many guitars he was building and today, with his father and the rest of “team Thorn” - John Gaudesi, Nick Viglienzoni, Tony Ramirez, Glenn Matejzel and Martin Bravo, Thorn’s Glendale, CA operation builds approximately 50 custom guitars a year. Those who know, know Ron as one of the most brilliantly talented luthiers and inlay artists of the 21st century. It is a reputation that has earned him a following that is best described as "near fanatical."