Country superstar Brad Paisley is a virtuoso guitarist, and while he often reserves his flashiest licks for his Telecaster, he’s also a tasteful and compelling acoustic guitarist. Having played a stock Santa Cruz D/PW model for some time, Brad recently approached the Santa Cruz Guitar Company about making him a custom guitar, and the result is the B/PW signature model, which we had a chance to check out in the Peghead Nation video studio.
In creating his signature model guitar, Brad didn’t seek to reinvent the wheel, asking primarily for a few relatively minor changes to the D/PW design that would benefit his playing style. Like a standard D/PW, the Brad Paisley model is built with a Sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides. But the top on the Brad Paisley model features heavy bearclaw figure and a darker tint in the finish, giving it a distinctive appearance. Brad also wanted a slightly wider neck, so the B/PW has a nut width of 1¾ inches. The guitar has also been upgraded with a set of Waverly tuners. With herringbone purfling, white multi-ring rosette, and zipper backstrip, the guitar’s basic appointments are reminiscent of typical style-28 features, but it also sports a custom cowboy hat inlay in the peghead and the Santa Cruz Guitar Company logo at the fifth fret on an otherwise plain ebony fretboard.
The Brad Paisley B/PW has the bass, punch, and volume that classic dreadnoughts are famous for combined with the tonal balance, dynamic range, and complexity that have become part of the Santa Cruz legacy.
SPECS: Dreadnought body. Solid bearclaw Sitka spruce top. Indian rosewood back and sides. Mahogany neck. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. 25.325-inch scale. 1¾-inch nut width. Waverly tuning machines. Made in USA. $5,950 (list)/$5,335 (street). santacruzguitar.com
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