Raymond Kraut Desert Ironwood 00 | The Music Emporium

Raymond Kraut's guitars are well known amongst the devotees of Somogyi-style luthiery. After attending Roberto Venn, Kraut apprenticed with Somogyi himself, soon striking out on his own and building a workshop in Arizona.

The Music Emporium's relationship with Ray's guitars stretches back to 2007, when we acquired one of his early modified OMs at the Newport Guitar Show. That instrument still starts up conversations in the back office at TME: its sensational tone, modern voice, and massive response were all the sorts of characteristics that present themselves infrequently in our business.

Demand for Ray's guitars surged in the years between then and now. And if anyone deserves the cliched accolades we've read in a hundred laudatory online write-ups, it's Ray. His ethos is now simplified: he builds what inspires him and offers completed instruments for sale. All guitars are priced the same way regardless of tonewoods or design. And if we're allowed a moment of indulgence ~ that model makes sense. These instruments are not about specs, they're about the excitement that comes along with the discovery of something new. These are guitars for the player who wants the work of a master--someone who's as skilled a visual artist as he is an instrument voicer.

We're thrilled to be able to offer this Kraut 00, built for display at the 2025 Fretboard Summit in Chicago. The body, fretboard, bridge, headstock veneer, and tuner buttons are all made from Kraut's favorite North American hardwood: Desert Ironwood. Native to the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, Desert Ironwood is prized for its incredible density and lustrous color, leading many instrument builders to compare it to Brazilian Rosewood. By any objective measure of guitarmaking, this 00 is nothing short of sensational.

If you'd like to know more about this guitar, we invite you to call us anytime. We are excited to have it, and we're sure a conversation about its merits will let you know whether or not it's right for you.

View this guitar on our website: https://themusicemporium.com/products...

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