2019 Marchione OMC - Swiss Spruce & Flamed Maple #120613

Stephen Marchione brings a jazz musician’s ear to the bench, along with an eye for wood developed through his studies with violin makers in New York. Both traditions feel close at hand in this 2019 Marchione OMC. There is a touch of archtop elegance in the sweep of the Florentine cutaway, where a slender line of ebony binding separates the golden Swiss spruce top from the flamed maple sides. The back is especially beautiful, with broad ribbons of maple shifting from cream to amber across the center seam. That same curl carries up the back of the neck, while a simple ebony rosette lets the fine grain of the spruce speak for itself.

What we love about this guitar is how much of its voice comes through at a whisper. The Swiss spruce responds beautifully to bare fingers, and the maple lends each note a clear center and a sweet, woody edge. For fingerstyle playing, that means a melody can sing above a moving bass while the quieter notes in between remain easy to follow. It is a lovely quality for exploring jazz harmony, where changing a single note can color an entire chord. Under a flatpick, there is a lively snap to the attack that gives Gypsy jazz rhythm its bounce. Behind a singer, a few softly brushed chords take on enough body to carry a verse.

The OMC sits comfortably against the player, with a body measuring 19 inches long and 15 inches across the lower bout. Its depth tapers gently from 3 7/8 inches at the tail to 3 3/4 inches at the heel. The neck meets the body at the 14th fret, and the cutaway gives the fretting hand room to follow a phrase well up the ebony fingerboard. A 25 1/2 inch scale pairs with a 1 3/4 inch bone nut, while 2 1/4 inches of string spacing at the ebony bridge offers plenty of room for the picking hand. A bone saddle, bone bridge pins, and black Sperzel tuning machines complete the appointments.

This 2019 Marchione OMC is in very good condition. The photos show light finish scuffs, including superficial marks on the face of the headstock, along with a couple of small dings in the spruce top and ebony binding. The setup is excellent, and the guitar plays beautifully. It weighs 4 pounds 10 ounces and comes with a Calton flight case.

Other specifications include:

• OMC
• Swiss Spruce Top
• Flamed Maple Back & Sides
• Florentine Cutaway
• Ebony Body Binding
• Ebony Rosette
• Ebony Fingerboard & Bridge
• Bone Nut, Saddle & Pins
• Black Sperzel Tuning Machines
• 14 Fret Neck Joint
• 25 1/2” Scale Length
• 1 3/4” Nut Width
• 2 1/4” Bridge Spacing
• Body Length 19”
• Lower Bout Width 15”
• Heel Depth 3 3/4”
• Tail Depth 3 7/8”
• Calton Flight Case
• 4 lbs 10 oz
• #120613

Product Images