Kenn's Collection:
Northwood Dreadnought

While I have never been a Dread player, there have been many instances of late that required a more traditional and generally BIGGER sound. I have always loved the sound of both Clarence White and Tony Rice. Since they both played the same guitar, a 1935 Martin D-28, I decided this guitar should be a tribute. John McQuarrie was the obvious choice to build a guitar of this caliber.

I asked John to lighten up the bracing as much as possible. The Guitar weighs in at 4.2 Pounds. It is probably the lightest,and most resonant Dread I have ever played.

For the Top I chose a beautiful piece of Wintergrain Engelmann. As you can see, it has lots of color and figuring. This is some very special top wood...equal or better than most mastergrade Adirondack I have played. John selected an Indian Rosewood set with a nice purple tint.

The body depth is pre-war Martin at 4-7/8" for extra bottom end crunch. We also enlarged the sound hole 1/2 inch.

I sent John a gorgeous piece of Spalted Maple for the Headplate, Heelcap, and Endpiece. Bindings are Flamed Maple w/Herringbone top Purfling and Rossette for added vintage vibe. I also requested Gotoh 510 machines and a a K&K pickup system.

This guitar turned out even better than I could have imagined. The sound is huge with amazing clarity throughout the entire sound spectrum. And, it has plenty of the mid-range Honk that vintage Dreads are known for. Hats off to John McQuarrie at Northwood for another epic guitar!