A division of Circle Strings in Burlington, Vermont, Iris Guitar Company is a small team of highly-skilled and seasoned luthiers who are dedicated to building modern instruments that capture vintage-inspired tone and aesthetics. Iris guitars are handmade using a combination of state of the art techniques and old-world craftsmanship. The Iris DF Smeck is based on the classic Roy Smeck design. This is a big 12-fret dreadnought with a 25" scale. Like the DF, the DF Smeck is wide across the lower bout—16-1/4" to be exact. And its body is deep, too—4-5/8" at the end pin! This guitar is designed to sound monstrous, and oh boy does it deliver! This DF Smeck (#1503) features a natural satin finish, a Sinker Salmon Sitka Top, a slotted headstock, a Firestripe pickguard, and a 1-3/4" nut width. It is a powerful dreadnought, and the 12-fret design helps to tighten the bass and give it a more open sound. It is crisp and clear with nice balance, and the Sinker Salmon Sitka gives it a wider dynamic range and the sweetness of old wood. It comes from logs used for salmon trap corrals in Tenakee Springs, Alaska. These old-growth logs were soaked (and more iortantly preserved) in the sea for decades, making Sinker Salmon some of the finest-sounding, lightweight, and stable Sitka out there. Even though you can't hear it, we think the Firestripe pickguard is absolutely necessary. While there's not any real "bling" to this DF Smeck, it has a distinguished elegance that stands out. Dimensions: Depth: 4-5/8" Body Length: 20-1/4” Total Length: 39-1/4" Upper bout: 11-1/2” Lower bout: 16-1/4" Waist: 10-3/4” Specs: Top: Sinker Salmon Spruce Back & Sides: Mahogany Braces: Scalloped Adirondack Spruce Bracing Pattern: X-Brace w/ 2 Tone Bars Neck Joint: Bolt on Mortise & Tenon Nut: Bone, 1-3/4" Spacing Saddle: Bone, 2.275" Spacing Scale Length: 25" Fingerboard & bridge: Indian Rosewood Top Binding: Ivoroid w/ Black/White/Black purfling Back Binding: Ivoroid Pickguard: Firestripe Finish: Open Pore Natural Satin Nitrocellulose Finish Tuning Machines: Golden Age Relic Brass w/ off-white buttons Case: Hardshell by TKL
