Buckskin redwood and Ancient kauri enhance the line with beauty and tone, and a new orchestra model pairs Adirondack and East Indian rosewood.

Our first round of Bedell Spotlight Series guitars was offered in January, and the response was fantastic, even better than we might have imagined.

The goal, as the name implies, was to put the player in the spotlight. The coronavirus crisis has obviously kept working professionals off the road and off the stage, but they’ve been using the unexpected downtime to get acquainted with just what these guitars can do.

Unlike many Bedell instruments, all of the Spotlights feature contemporary sloped cutaways, which add a visual flair to traditional shapes, while allowing hot pickers to make full use of the fretboard, exploring the amazing avenues of sound available with top shelf, all solid, sustainable exotic tonewoods like Honduran mahogany; figured koa and East Indian Rosewood; and unique Brazilian rosewood from Bedell’s extensive library.

Now, we’re introducing a new trio of Spotlight Series guitars, including two singular dreadnoughts and the first orchestra model in the line!

The latter, a Limited Edition Orchestra Cutaway Adirondack-Figured EI Rosewood—balanced, versatile and lean—echoes its larger inaugural cousin while bringing in a new voice. Body shape is one of the key influences on the tone and presence of a guitar, and the tighter waisted, smaller bodied format offers a wide dynamic range with a focused, centered sound under all that Adirondack muscle.

Fingerpickers in particular will love this model, with its classic combination of 25.5” scale and 1 and ¾” nut.

As noted, all Spotlight instruments were created with the needs of the stage and studio in mind. Elegant without being flashy, they each feature hypnotizingly beautiful woods that speak for themselves. All feature premium L.R. Baggs Anthem electronics with at-your-fingertips soundhole access for total control under the bright lights or the keen eye of a producer. And, in addition to the defining cutaway, all feature fast, easy Nashville neck profiles carved with the modern musician in mind.

Of course, no clear-cut woods are used in any Bedell guitar. Our rigorous Tonewood Certification Project ensures that your instrument is kind to the earth as well as kind to your hands and amazing to the ear.

The new dreads in the series include the Limited Edition Dreadnought Cutaway Buckskin Redwood-Esperanza Brazilian and the Limited Edition Dreadnought Cutaway Adirondack-Ancient Kauri—both stunning examples of the art of luthiery straight from the shop in Bend, Oregon.

The former adds a new topwood to the series, and how! Buckskin redwood is entirely sustainable, the result of long-felled victims of windthrow in winter storms lying dormant for ages on the forest floor, where Mother Earth naturally seasons and dries the mighty logs.

The resulting old growth redwood is stiff and resonant with tight vertical grain and a tone similar to cedar, but with headroom closer to Adirondack. You can drive these guitars hard if that suits your style, and the staggering Esperanza Brazilian rosewood will just blossom, with rich, round bass and crystalline, ringing trebles.

Buried under New Zealand soil for over 50,000 years, Ancient kauri is commonly regarded as the oldest wood in the world. Forget tone for days, we’re talking tone for eons. No Ancient kauri trees are cut for harvest, merely lifted from their age-old digs in prehistoric bogs.

The jewelled wood is like nothing you’ve ever seen or heard, with a sweeter, brighter edge than mahogany and a long shimmering sustain. It’s paired here, like most Spotlight guitars, with one of the world’s most desired topwoods, Adirondack spruce sourced from the rural wilds of New York State. It’s perfect for the “ancient tones” of bluegrass or the next Top Ten hit.

Take your pick and take your turn in the spotlight!