Founded by luthiers and roots music fans Jeff Huss and Mark Dalton in 1995, Virginia’s Huss and Dalton is well known among aficionados of high-end flattop guitars as well as banjos. So visitors to the 2020 NAMM show were taken by surprise when the company’s exhibit included not only a selection of the expected acoustics, but also a couple of purebred rock ’n’ roll machines. Motivated by his love of the Allman Brothers, Dalton had wanted to tackle building a classic single-cut electric for a long time, and when he found himself learning how to program a new type of software for Huss and Dalton’s CNC machine, working with the complex compound carve needed for the instrument’s top proved to be a perfect reason to create one. Huss and Dalton sent us the resulting Statesboro SC Classic to check out, and while I had fun playing it through my Fender Pro Jr., I also enlisted the help of San Francisco Bay Area guitarist Tom Finch (of Big Brother and the Holding Company and several other bands) to try the guitar through a vintage Fender amp.
The Statesboro SC Classic is a gorgeous instrument. With its tobacco sunburst top, cream binding, chrome hardware, and “Triple Jones” fingerboard inlay, it pays homage to vintage single-cuts, while delivering a distinctive Huss and Dalton vibe. Sticking with a traditional approach to construction, the guitar body has a mahogany back, flamed maple top, mahogany neck, and Indian rosewood fingerboard. The guitar’s woods are top notch, and the craftsmanship conforms to the high standard that Huss and Dalton has set for itself with all its instruments. For the pickups, Huss and Dalton chose fellow Virginia company Lindy Fralin Pickups to design a custom pair of P.A.F.-style humbuckers.
The Statesboro is significantly lighter than many similar guitars, due in part to strategically drilled chambers in the mahogany portion of the body. The “Full-C” shaped neck felt great, and a width of 1¹¹/₁₆ inches at the nut is slightly wider than normal. Played through Tom Finch’s vintage Fender Vibrolux and an assortment of pedals, it had beautifully sparkling clean tones, great punch when heavily distorted, and lots of tonal flexibility between these extremes.
Huss and Dalton may not be the first company that comes to mind when you think of high-end electric guitars, but Statesboro SC Classic should definitely be considered by players looking for a great single-cut. As with Huss and Dalton’s acoustics, the guitar is rooted in traditional designs, but several elements and construction solutions provide distinctive touches. It’s definitely worth plugging in for a test!
SPECS: Single cutaway Honduran mahogany body with carved maple top. Mahogany neck. Indian rosewood fingerboard. 24.75-inch scale. 1¹¹/₁₆-inch nut width. Custom Lindy Fralin Pure P.A.F. pickups. ABR-1 bridge. Gotoh tuners. Made in the USA. $5,040. hussanddalton.com
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