Ruby

Ruby is VC Guitars’ top of the line archtop model, containing all the features loved by many: hand-carved and graduated top and back, high grade spruce top, beautiful flamed maple back and sides, elaborate body and neck binding. But it doesn’t end there of course, as there are plenty of custom options we can discuss, as on any of my guitars. Body size (16”, 17” or 18”), different body depth, inlays, pickups, colour finishes…you name it, we make it happen. As ‘standard’, Ruby comes with a floating pickup and pickguard-mounted controls, but top mounted pickup/controls are certainly possible. Ruby represents the best and most elaborate I can make.

Standard features include:

-solid hand-carved european spruce top

-solid hand-carved flamed european maple back and solid sides

-flame maple neck

-fully bound body, neck, f-holes, headstock and pickguard

-handmade ebony bridge, pickguard and tailpiece

-floating Benedetto pickup with volume and tone control mounted on pickguard

-lacquer finish

-hardshell case

Jade

Maybe you don’t care for all the fancy woods and inlays and just want an instrument that plays and sounds good? Meet Jade! 

Jade is a simplified version of the Ruby model, less ornate, but made with the same care and attention as its fancier sister. I use slightly less figured woods for the body, and Jade has less elaborate bindings all around. Tonally, the guitar is the same as Ruby, only the exterior is less fancy. To make it your own personalised instrument, a lot of options are available of course, just as on Ruby. As standard, Jade also comes with a floating pickup and controls mounted on the pickguard, but a top mounted pickup is of course possible. Pictured is an example of a Jade model with some custom options (Sunburst finish, top mounted pickup, bound f-foles, neck and headstock)

Standard Jade model:

-solid hand-carved european spruce top

-solid hand-carved lightly flamed european maple back and solid sides

-maple neck

-bound body

-handmade ebony bridge, pickguard and tailpiece

-floating Benedetto pickup with volume and tone control mounted on pickguard

-lacquer finish

-hardshell case

Sapphire

With Sapphire, I wanted to take the archtop in a different direction, and try to move away from the traditional punchy, percussive and ‘harsher’ sound, with a different bracing style and larger soundholes. The end result is a cross between the archtop sound when played hard and the warmer tones of a flattop acoustic with a softer playing style, or even fingerstyle. The standard version of Sapphire is made with high grade and beautifully figured woods, but very sparse appointments, no body, fingerboard or headstock binding, to let the beauty of the woods shine. Options like wood bindings, inlays or various colour finishes are of course possible, as is the choice of a pickup system suited to your playing style.

Standard Sapphire features:

-solid hand-carved european spruce top

-solid hand-carved highly flamed european maple back, solid sides

-maple or mahogany neck

-ebony fingerboard, bridge and tailpiece

-lacquer finish

-hardshell case