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Launched last year to European markets, the MasterDesign guitars have garnered rave reviews overseas; one model (TSR-2) has even been selected as 2008’s “best electro-acoustic over £500” by UK-based Guitar & Bass Magazine.
To design its MasterDesign Series, Tanglewood commissioned Swedish master luthier Michael Sanden, and his knack for elegant, clean aesthetics is instantly recognizable in the new guitars. The instruments feature Sanden’s trademark “paintbrush stroke” ebony bridge, an unadorned headstock, and a single stylized “T” inlay on the 12th fret of the ebony fingerboard, and a zero fret.
“To have a custom builder as respected as Michael be involved in the development of these guitars is a privilege,” says Erik Lind, product manager for Tanglewood Guitars at Musiquip, the company’s US distributor. "Michael produces 30 to 40 guitars per year, and each one is a stunning piece of art handmade to the highest quality. We’ve managed to maintain that direction with the Tanglewood MasterDesign Series, while giving a wider audience the chance to experience Michael’s designs.”
The MasterDesign Series comprises 6 guitars: there are three different shapes (Auditorium, Grand Auditorium and Super Jumbo), and each shape is available with either Mahogany or Rosewood back and sides. The guitars’ tops are Sitka Spruce; only high-grade, solid woods are used. Each of the guitars is fitted with a B-Band A1.2 active pickup system, with all controls and the battery compartment contained discreetly inside the body.
Suggested retail prices of Master Design Series guitars range from $1999 to $2099 for mahogany models, and from $2299 to $2399 for rosewood models.
For more information:
Tanglewood Guitar Company UK
