The Santa Cruz H is one of the company’s most iconic models. Originally based on a rare vintage 13-fret Gibson Nick Lucas, the original guitar has inspired an entire line of H models, and the standard version now features a 14-fret neck. We recently checked out a new Santa Cruz H13 (which is close to the original design), and in this video I had the chance to take a look at the 14-fret version that has become the standard model.
The H model has evolved slightly from the original design, but it still has dimensions similar to a 00, though with a greater depth, which creates more internal air volume. Standard specs for an H call for Indian rosewood back and sides and a Sitka spruce top, but as a reminder that Santa Cruz is a custom maker, our demo guitar was built with gorgeous flamed mahogany back and sides and an Adirondack spruce top. Matching flamed mahogany is also used for the faceplate of the guitar’s solid peghead, which is left completely plain, devoid of any inlay or logo. In a similar minimalist approach, Santa Cruz has kept the ebony fingerboard plain, with the exception of the “SGSC” logo inlaid at the 12th and 13th frets. The guitar includes Santa Cruz’s original-shape bridge, ivoroid binding on the body and neck, black and white purfling, an abalone rosette, and an OM-style small teardrop pickguard.
With its slightly deeper body than most 00/000-size guitars and their variants, the H still feels compact to hold, though the picking-hand arm position is a little more like that of a dreadnought. A first strum reveals why the H design has found so many fans: the guitar’s volume, punch, and overall power feel as if a larger instrument has been shrunk in size without affecting its tone. With its relatively narrow neck (1¹¹/₁₆ inches at the nut) and long scale, the guitar is great for strumming chords, where the mahogany’s tonal clarity and Adirondack spruce’s typical dynamic range yield a highly flexible sound. Single-note lines display a similarly powerful character, and its sensitive response gives it a capable fingerstyle voice. Santa Cruz founder Richard Hoover says that early in the H model’s development, the versatility and clarity of a good OM was a goal, and based on the performance of this guitar, this goal was not only reached, but expanded into a slightly more dreadnought-like voice, ultimately creating one of Santa Cruz’s signature sounds.
The Santa Cruz H model has proven to be a great design that has spawned many variations, each with their own distinctive feel and tonal flavor. Though this particular instrument has different woods than the standard version, Santa Cruz has a large list of custom woods and options that are included in each model’s base price, so “standard” describes a lot more than one set of specs. Players looking for a mid-size guitar with a big personality would do well to check out an H model!
SPECS: Santa Cruz H body. Adirondack spruce top with Adirondack spruce bracing. Flamed mahogany back and sides. Mahogany neck. Ebony fretboard and bridge. 25.375-inch scale. 1¹¹/₁₆-inch nut width. Waverly tuning machines. Made in USA. $10,208.34. santacruzguitar.com
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