Chartwell Guitar

2020 Dan Kellaway

Woods: highly figured south American rosewood laminated back and sides and western red cedar top. Mahogany neck. Nitro lacquer throughout.

Specs: 650mm scale, 53.5mm nut, 43.5mm string spacing at nut, 57mm at saddle.  4mm string height 12th fret bass, 3.5mm treble. Armrest, 12 hole tie block, TKL case.

Condition: new

Comment: Dan’s guitars have a unique voice. All of his lattice braced work has a distinctively deep bass resonance and this guitar is perhaps the most balanced of the five I’ve had in the shop. The trebles are very strong, but they need to be because of the macho mids and basses. This is an enormously powerful guitar and it is colorful as well. No instrument I’ve played has a longer sustain; the lamination and thus the heft of the instrument gives it the big, round, wet sound so immediately noticeable. But what has always hooked me on the Kellaway sound is a certain woody whisper of an afternote. Like a  wine that leaves its lasting impression on the palate, his guitars are recognizable for this characteristic. Hopefully the sound samples will prove my point. There are some irregularities in the back profile that don’t affect the stability or longevity of the instrument. The lamination makes it ironclad.