I love the look of sapwood on Cocobolo. Then again, I love everything about Cocobolo!
Cocobolo #1 -- '02 814c Custom "TaylorStock". My T-Stock order was pretty tame compared to others that came out of that event. Sitka top with incredible silking, Cocobolo back & sides with 3-piece back, Maple binding. Pretty much the Fall Limited offering for that year (Though I didn't know it at the time!), other than the Koa Torch inlay on the headstock and a V-profile neck -- Very comfortable. This guitar is still my first grab when recording. Incredibly balanced and easy to record.
The Front...
...And now the back...:
Cocobolo #2 -- Came less than a year later. 2003 912ce Custom Shop -- Cocobolo back & sides (Again, a 3 piece back), Engelmann top, Maple binding, 1-7/8" nut width. A beautiful instrument. I'll be honest with you, it took a few years for the voice on this guitar to mature and become what I consider worthy of keeping. I played the heck out of it to get it to open up, but it was a stubborn beast, sounding stiff and flat acoustically. In the past few years, it has developed a warmth and character to match the laser focus of the tone and is now an excellent sounding guitar. The wide nut has always been really comfortable and easy to play. It is on the docket to get sent into El Cajon for an ES retrofit sometime this year (It currently has 1st Generation system).
Front:
...And the back...:
Cocobolos #3 & #4 came and went. Very pretty but didn't trip my trigger sonically, so they hit the road. Maybe a coincidence, but they didn't have any sapwood on them either...
Cocobolo #5 -- Came in 2008. This custom/BTO features the GS body shape, another beautifully silky Engelmann top (Coco/Engelmann is just a killer combination!), Koa binding and rosette, and a blank fretboard. In going around with the factory on backwood ideas, they came up with an interesting option -- a four piece back to create the chevron-like pattern of the sapwood. After convincing me that it wouldn't impact tone, I gave it the thumbs up and the crew in California created this beauty. Tonally, it is incredible and banjo killing loud to boot. Infinitely versatile and incredibly comfortable to play, this is my primary church guitar and back up to the 916 for the secular gigs.
Front...:
... The back...:
...And a close up to show the detail on the back, including Koa micro-strips between the outer edges of the sapwood and heartwood pieces...:
