J.D. Bisignani in his Hawaii Handbook from Moon Publications adds to the story of Joseph Kekuku: "Driven by the faint rhythm of an inner sound, he went to the machine shop at the Kamehameha School and turned out a steel bar for sliding over the strings. To complete the sound, he changed the cat-gut strings to steel and raised them so they wouldn't hit the frets. Voilà! Hawaiian Music as the world knows it today." 

     Mark Thibeault and Jason Friesen already have a great reputation for their reso-phonic square necks,  but I've been picking up more & more of a buzz lately with regards to their Weissenborn-style instruments.  Per Mark Thibeault; "We talked with some top players and collectors of this style of instrument and with their input we made a few changes that resulted in an even bigger sound. We thinned down the bridge and fingerboard to make the top more responsive and we now use a lighter hand-rubbed satin finish on all our Hawaiian guitars making them more resonant. A harder saddle material provides a good solid transfer of vibrations from the strings to the soundboard delivering increased punch and clarity. Rayco Hawaiian guitars are played by IBMA and Grammy awards winning musicians and producers such as Rob Ickes and Randy Kohrs."

*  precision Waverly tuners with ebony buttons
*  raised bone nut
*  highly flamed solid Hawaiian koa construction
*  Adirondack spruce braces
*  radiused top & back for maximum strength-to-weight ratio
*  "rope" marquetry and rosette
*  mother-of-pearl fingerboard markers
 

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Discounted Sell Price: $4099.00 Can$ (approx.$3350.US$) including hardshell case
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Current as of February 2009
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