Rowan Custom Guitars

A few words about the Texas Twister

I would like to talk about the new Texas Twister model that I recently brought to market.  As I look at the so called "boutique" guitar market I am concerned that a large majority of the builders more or less ignore the lower end market and build mostly upper end guitars which sadly many working musicians just can't afford. Even if they can afford them, they are unwilling to take them to a gig for fear of having them get damaged or stolen.  I, like other builders, offer higher end guitars but I also offer more affordable ones too.  Just because the guitar is offered at a lower price point does not mean that I didn't put just as much thought and care into its construction as one costing much more.  I spent considerable time looking for the right component parts and materials that would allow me to produce a lower cost guitar that is at the top of the list when it comes to bang for the buck.  I chose Spanish Cedar for the body as it has basically the same tone qualities as Mahogany but at about one third the cost.  Another concern was since it is locally available to me I don't have freight charges to deal with so again, this removes cost from the guitar without affecting its quality.  Likewise with the neck material.  I use locally available hard rock Maple which is supplied to me right out of the kiln so I don't have to order a large stock of material and wait for it to dry out.  Again, a cost savings that doesn't affect quality.  Well actually I guess maybe it does as I get to hand pick what I buy so yes it does affect the quality. IT MAKES IT BETTER!

 Lets talk about the top of the Twister for a minute.  It is made of Flame Maple and it is 1/8" thick.  I could have done the same thing many other builders do and use a piece of maple 5/8" or 3/4" thick to make the top but why?  All you can see is the top surface and the remaining (very expensive) figured wood is buried from sight to gain what?  Some say they make the top thicker to "enhance" treble frequencies.  I say turn up the treble knob on your amp and accomplish two things at one time.  Save your money and extend the resource.  Oh yeah, the treble frequencies will be "enhanced" also.  The figured Maples are getting very expensive because the supply of it is dwindling.  I feel it my duty as a builder to use the resource wisely so I have chosen to reduce the thickness of the tops of my guitars to accomplish this.  If you think I'm kidding just look at what PRS calls a "10" top today compared to what their 10 tops were several years ago.  I'm not bad mouthing Paul.  I'm just pointing out that he has had to adjust his grading system based on what is currently available and it's not going to get any better.

Getting back to the neck for a minute, let me talk about the neck-body joint.  I am using what I call a "deep set" neck pocket which prevents the neck from moving side to side.  The neck is supported equally on both sides and is set into the body 1-1/2" vertically and 3" in the horizontal plane.  The bottom line is that once the neck is installed into the body, it is not going to move. Period!  Oh yeah, did I mention it also has a double action truss rod?

Back to the body.  I could have built this guitar as a slab solid body and saved myself a lot of work but nooooooooo.  I had to chamber it so it would be easier on your shoulder and be very resonate too.  Are you starting to get the "bang for the buck" idea?

No cheap electronics.  No cheesy hardware.  No short cuts.  A quality, no frills hand crafted guitar made right here in the USA.  If you are a hard working professional musician or just a weekend jammer I believe you will be hard pressed to find a better guitar for the money anywhere.

Remember, next time you visit your local music store, ask to see one of my guitars, and if they don't carry them just simply ask "why not, I hear they're the most reasonably priced boutique guitars on the market."

Thanks ya'll,

Michael Rowan