The most popular guitars in our catalog have always been Grand Concert models; our sweet spot seems to have just developed there organically. As with the classical guitar evolving in an endless pursuit of tone, balance, volume, and playability, the Grand Concert/000 steel string has evolved in continual pursuit of those qualities. Regardless of the endless attempts by modern builders to rename guitars, the instrument has traditionally been defined by the size of room it can be played in effectively.
“Grand Concert” is the steel string translation of the classical instrument. I would agree with the vast majority of those who would say that the 15” wide Grand Concert is most successful in achieving those traditional goals. Bluegrass cannons they are not, but unless a player has a need to really drive the guitar hard, no other size is more well-rounded.
The Froggy Model M came out of our desire to offer something in a 14 fret Grand Concert that was not just another “OM” guitar. The popularity of our H-12 was for thirty years more than twice that of its 14 fret sister, the H-14. In designing the Model M, the intention was to offer something more tonally complex and rich and a bit more inviting to the hands to play. The shape and the 25.1” scale length are both aimed at those goals.
Wood selection and nuanced proportions have very clear and telling effects on guitars of this size. Our ability as a shop to vary each and every component in every instrument we build limits the number of guitars we are able to build, but it is essential to our ability to create a guitar that is especially pleasing to the person it is built for.