Richard Smith is one of the finest fingerstyle guitarists playing in the tradition of Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, and for many years, he has played instruments built by Southern California luthier Kirk Sand. In this video, shot in the Peghead Nation studio as part of the Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop, Smith demonstrates his signature model nylon-string and plays his arrangement of Reed’s “East Wind.”

Based on Sand’s standard acoustic-electric nylon-string, Smith’s signature model has a regular soundhole (many of Sand’s guitars have no soundhole), and is designed for both amplified and acoustic settings. The instrument is built with Indian rosewood back and sides and a spruce top. Sand’s guitars can be ordered with a variety of pickup options, and the guitar Smith is playing in this demo is outfitted with a Barbera undersaddle transducer.

To see Richard teach his version of “Nine Pound Hammer” and discuss classic Chet Atkins-style thumbpicking techniques, enroll in Peghead Nation’s Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop today. richardsmithmusic.com

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