Artisan Master SFC ~ "Oscar"

Carve Top: Polexia Koa
Body: Lacewood
Neck: Brazilian Rosewood
Fretboard & Headcap: Snakewood
Purfling: Onyx
Firesuns: Onyx "Fire" / 14K Gold Centers
12th fret inlay: "Oscar" in 14K Gold
Logo: 14K Gold w/ Onyx trim
Pickups: Thorn GT-90s (More on those below )
Bridge: Thorn 1-pc. Tremolo
Appointments: Snakewood & BRW - (THG out did themselves with those tuner buttons!!!)
Color: Top - Natural / Back - Light Brazilian Burst

I've been chomping at the bit to introduce this one. When the term "Exotic Wood" is used, this guitar should be mentioned in the same sentence . What a variety of simply beautiful lumber, all complimentary to each other. The Snakewood and the Lacewood both have that stunning reptilian ray fleck. The koa is outstanding with figure on every square mm. The BRW neck is a great quartersawn piece too, nice tight grain.
The onyx and gold is a classic and classy combo - black and gold, just right to sit against the reds and golden ambers of the various woods. I am extremely pleased with the overall look and vibe of this one, it's a looker no doubt, but done-up in a stylish manner.

Onto the tonage.
Some may have noticed the staple top pickups and are screaming "BUT! BUT! You said you wouldn't offer them in anything but the Junior Ninetys!"
Here's the rub, these are not the Jr-91 or Jr-92 pickups as found in the Junior Ninety guitars. They may look similar but are completely different under the hood. I designed and machined every component for the Jr-90 pickups. They were voiced specifically for those guitars. The different string spacing and pole heights were also exclusive to those guitars. There were 10 parts to the bobbin assembly alone. Needless to say, they were extremely custom and even more so, they were extremely labor intensive.

Enter the GT-90s...John, Nick and myself have been working on these since we realized there was a demand for this style of pickup once the Jr-90s took off. After many months of R&D, prototyping and having custom molds made, we are only a couple weeks away from offering the GT-90s both as an aftermarked pickup, and as an option in new Thorn Artisans. They have a similar sound to the Jr-90s, but are constructed "easier"- allowing us to offer them at a reasonable price. They retain the classic P-90 growl combined with the Jr-90 grind.
Stay tuned for an official introduction by Nick.

So, there you have it - another "named" Thorn for Jo and another AM for the records...thanks Jo, I hope you love it!

Ron