When New York-based luthier Bill Kraus mentioned he was in town to visit, we were thrilled with the opportunity to meet another builder whose name we'd only seen on the guitar show rosters. Judging by his credentials (Bill completed the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery intensive course in 2003) and his beautiful website, we had a good feeling about the guitar he was bringing us to check out. To our delight, though, his koa and Sitka spruce 0000 quickly became the new shop favorite, with even the hard-to-please Nick calling it "without fault"!

Taking inspiration from Martin, this 0000 is perfect for anyone looking for the balance and clarity of an OM, but with added bass oomph and volume you get from that extra inch across the lower bout. Rippling koa on the back is beautifully matched by amber Sitka, and the tone is warm and even across the registers, with no notes overpowering others. Playability of the low profile neck is effortless and smooth, with classic 1-3/4" nut and 2-3/16" string spacing to equally facilitate both fingerstyle and pick use. An abalone rosette and gold Gotoh tuners add the perfect finishing touches.