Known primarily for his handmade archtop guitars, John Buscarino is just as masterful at building flat tops, both steel- and nylon-string. Rudy is actually more of a classical player himself, so he was delighted to get to play his first Buscarino classical and to have it in the shop.
This Cabaret Custom model has a 14" body, built with a double top of Bear Claw European spruce on the outside and Western Red cedar on the inside. The back and sides are Yellow Heart, with flamed koa binding on the body. It has a one piece mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard, and a Bolivian rosewood headstock veneer. Classic round sound hole rosette, and floral cut-out side port. After getting in touch with John to get some more details on this guitar, he told us that he built it with his proprietary Implant pickup (basically a transducer ribbon buried underneath the bridge). At some point, the owner swapped it out for an LR Baggs RT system. The tuners are Rodgers copies made by Gotoh. This guitar is in excellent condition and plays beautifully. We learned from John that to build this model today, the price would start at $11,000.
Comes with original hardshell case. Serial #CAG0458201.
From the Buscarino website:
"The Cabaret is the perfect blend of traditional classical guitar and an acoustic archtop guitar. Specifically designed to meet the needs of the jazz or fingerstyle player, the Cabaret is based on the Herman Hauser I classical guitar design. The Cabaret incorporates traditional classical building methods with the modern innovations necessary for today’s jazz and fingerstyle playing. The graceful cutaway facilitates greater access for playing the upper register of the fretboard. Its carved back, unique among nylon-string guitars, enhances the lower midrange while aiding in projection. The two-way adjustable truss-rod gives easy access at the headstock for a perfect set-up. Special pickup systems are available for amplification of that beautiful acoustic sound."
