HG Marrow Mk-1 Prototype
Scale: 25"
Body: African Mahogany
Top: Amboyna Burl
Fretboard: Ebony
Radius: 12"
Neck: Mahogany/Maple
Fretwire: Medium Nickel/Silver
Inlay: Brass
Pickups: @reno.fin custom wound humbucker
Controls: 1 Volume 1 Tone
Finish: Satin Oil
Hardware: @meraguitars
Submarine III Headless system
The HG Marrow Mk-1 Guitar Story
I had the opportunity to build the Marrow while attending the Summit School of Guitar Building on Vancouver Island. The first of my own original designs, this guitar will always be very special to me. What started as out as one of the first sketches in the notebook of an aspiring builder has become a fully realized instrument.
The design for this instrument is intentionally striking. I wanted to push myself to create a very unique, almost organic looking shape. An apparent feature of the design is simply it's size.
The guitar is very compact, even for a headless instrument. This is not by accident. Being a tall and slender fellow myself, I have always found that more traditional guitar shapes look a bit awkward on me. With this in mind, I wanted to build a guitar that someone similar to me would love the look and feel of. The smaller size also makes the guitar incredibly light and compact. Weighing in at only 4.3 lbs this guitar is extremely resonant. You can really feel everything you play through the body. It is also easy on your shoulders, something to consider if you play long sets.
The other intent for this guitar was to create a unique sounding instrument, something that would push musicians out of their comfort zone and allow them to approach the instrument without preconception of what they should play. In practice I have found this approach to be very effective. Playing a guitar that lets your own unique voice stand out rather than your influences is a powerful writing tool, allowing you to really stand out in the crowd.
