Brook Taw Custom

This deep-bodied custom build of the Taw is something of a signature Shoreline piece. It was originally built to a customer's specifications, years ago when our shop was in San Diego. On the day it arrived, I was at the Pacific Beach post office to pick up my shipment of guitars, when I ran into my friend Wayne Preis, the owner of webstrings.com, an accomplished musician in his own right. I had been bragging to him about Brook guitars, and he insisted that I open the boxes right there in the parking lot, just so he could get a chance to play one. The other guitar was a lovely walnut Torridge, but when he picked up the deep-bodied Taw and played it for a few seconds, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "This is the best guitar I have ever played."

Now, guitars are like wines or cars or anything else; one man's "best" is another man's "meh". But Wayne certainly had a point. This guitar takes the best of what Brook offers—the unique sweetness, solid intonation, and refined aesthetic—and fills it out with just a little bit more breathing room (an extra 1/4") and tone in the body. Needless to say, we went on to order many more of this build, and when we're lucky enough to have one on the wall in the shop, it is invariably one of the 2 or 3 favorites among the best players who walk in. I'm tempted to say it's Brook's best guitar, but either way, it's a remarkable instrument.