The Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III, the last iteration of the Howard Roberts models, appeared in 1991 and was built until the model was discontinued around 2010, though it went out of production between 2003 and 2005. The first Fusion models appeared in 1979. Howard Roberts was a prominent American jazz guitarist, session player and teacher, born in 1929 and died in 1992. As part of the key LA session crowd The Wrecking Crew, Roberts played on many recordings, TV show and movie scores.
Ebony
Here is a fantastic rarity, a Thompson & Odell Luscomb banjo in mostly original condition and built during the 1890s in Boston, Massachusetts. This specific instrument was part of the Akira Tsumura collection, and appears in Tsumura’s 1994 book ‘1001 Banjos’. This banjo has a story! J F Luscomb was a well known banjo soloist and composer in the 1880s and 1890s, and was granted a number of banjo-related patents that are used on this banjo.
The Eastman DT30OM is the second model in Eastman’s new Double Top line, bringing high end classical guitar technology to the steel string world – here in a classic Orchestra Model body design. The double top concept aims to allow a very thin, light and responsive top but with superior strength and stiffness. Here, thin layers of Sitka Spruce are bonded to a honeycomb Nomex core. Nomex is a Kevlar polymer and helps provide significant improvements in stiffness to weight ratios.
Here is an Eastman SB55DC /V Solidbody in Vintage Varnish! This definitely evokes the mid 1950’s slab bodied models, and with top quality hardware. Introduced in mid 2020 and now making its way to us, the Eastman SB55DC /V features a slab body and neck of lightweight Okoume Mahogany, sourced from Gabon, Central Africa. The fingerboard, head plate and truss rod cover are Ebony, and that’s it for woods used.
The new Eastman Romeo is a thinline archtop electric designed by Otto D’Ambrosio and features a solid Spruce top on laminated Mahogany sides and back for feedback resistance. Introduced during 2020 but in short supply due to COVID effects, the Eastman Romeo has an almost fully hollow body, but with a Mahogany block from the tail to the bridge. This block provides the necessary support for the bridge and stop tailpiece supports. The top is carved, solid Spruce and the back and sides are formed, layered Mahogany. The neck is Mahogany, with a bound Ebony fingerboard and Mother of Pearl dot position markers.