Rye Bear OM Acoustic Guitar with Engelmann Spruce and Madagascar Rosewood

Spec Sheet for Rye Bear OM Acoustic Guitar with Engelmann Spruce and Madagascar Rosewood

Case for Rye Bear OM Acoustic Guitar with Engelmann Spruce and Madagascar Rosewood

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From the hands of Rye Bear comes an OM that feels less like a simple instrument and more like the result of a lifetime spent listening to wood, resonance, and silence. Raised in rural New South Wales and introduced to woodworking through his father, a traditional boat builder, Bear began building guitars at just fifteen years old under the guidance of master luthier Graham Caldersmith. After a seven year apprenticeship immersed in acoustics and the science of tone, Bear developed his own voice as a builder, creating instruments known for their remarkable clarity, sustain, and projection.

The Rye Bear OM opens with an Engelmann spruce top whose pale, luminous grain seems to hold light beneath the finish. Engelmann has long been prized for its sensitivity and sweetness, and here it gives the guitar an effortless response that blooms at the gentlest touch. Beneath that top lies Bear’s distinctive Paulownia carbon falcate bracing, a modern design that uses carbon reinforced curved braces to keep the top light, alive, and incredibly responsive. The result is a voice with uncommon openness, where every note rises quickly, hangs in the air, and fades only reluctantly.

Madagascar rosewood back and sides bring depth and richness to the instrument, with dark, dramatic figuring that gives the OM a sense of quiet elegance. The laminated sides construction adds strength and stability without sacrificing resonance, allowing the body to speak with extraordinary focus and projection. The guitar is tuned with a finely balanced resonance profile, from the warm 94hz air resonance to the 170.5hz top resonance and the fully coupled back resonance at 215hz, giving the instrument a voice that feels alive across every register.

Visually, every detail is deliberate and refined. Madagascar rosewood binding frames the body with graceful contrast, while the soundhole is bound in matching Madagascar rosewood for a look of complete harmony. The Madagascar rosewood headstock veneer is accented by black, maple, black pinstripe purfling that adds just the right touch of understated sophistication. The padauk bridge offers a vivid note of color against the darker woods, bringing warmth and character to the design.

The Honduran mahogany neck is finished in a sleek black satin epoxy that feels fast and natural in the hand. Its comfortable C profile, paired with a 13 fret neck joint, gives the guitar a unique balance between the intimacy of a short body join and the reach of a traditional OM. The Madagascar rosewood fingerboard features a graceful compound radius that shifts from 16 to 20 inches, making every position feel effortless whether you are playing delicate fingerstyle passages or broad, ringing chords.

Every detail of the playing experience has been carefully considered. Stainless steel frets with hemispherical fret ends glide beneath the fingers with a smoothness that feels almost seamless. A 1 3/4 inch nut width, 2.28 inch bridge spacing, and 25.4 inch scale length create a platform that is spacious without ever feeling cumbersome. Black Gotoh 510 tuning machines complete the instrument with impeccable precision and a modern, understated look.

At 6 pounds, 10 ounces, this Rye Bear OM carries a reassuring substance in the hands while remaining alive and resonant against the body. Housed in its included Visesnut case, it is an instrument built not only to be admired, but to be played deeply and often. It is the kind of guitar that seems to breathe with the player, offering new colors, new overtones, and new inspiration each time it is picked up.

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