2023 Santa Cruz 1934 D Mahogany – Premium Custom Build

For your consideration, Garrett Park Guitars presents this 2023 Santa Cruz 1934 D Mahogany — a masterfully built, old-world inspired dreadnought that carries forward the legacy of the 1934 herringbone design with a host of premium, player-focused appointments. This instrument offers a rare blend of vintage tone, modern refinements, and commit­ment to craftsmanship typical of Santa Cruz’s finest offerings.

At the heart of this guitar is a top crafted from vintage 1930s old-growth Adirondack spruce paired with 1930s master-grade mahogany back and sides. This cherished wood combination provides the tonal foundation — a responsive, open-voiced character anchored by warm, woody overtones that bloom with depth and articulation. By building with master-grade, decades-old tonewoods and using traditional hot-hide-glue construction, Santa Cruz evokes the look, feel, and musical spirit of vintage pre-war instruments.

The build exhibits thoughtful upgrades and custom touches that distinguish this guitar from a standard 1934 D: from the tortoise binding with deluxe purfling detail to the through-saddle bridge and Waverly gold open-back tuners with snakewood buttons. The setup favors player comfort and tonal nuance, making it equally well-suited to fingerstyle, flatpicking, or singer-songwriter accompaniment. The result is a mature, refined voice that responds dynamically to the player’s touch — a guitar that feels as alive under the fingers as it sings in the air.

The dreadnought body, with its 14-fret architecture and thoughtfully voiced bracing, delivers a balanced and powerful tonal spectrum: smooth, rounded lows, a rich midrange, and trebles that shimmer with clarity without harshness. The feel is rooted in tradition yet ready for today’s varied musical demands — studio, stage, or living room.

Playability is exemplary. The neck — a solid-square peghead Mahogany neck with a soft V profile — offers a familiar, comfortable grip, and the nut width blends vintage feel with modern playability. The fingerboard and bridge are ebony, with a clean, understated aesthetic that keeps the focus on tone rather than ornamentation. The finish is understated but elegant: a thin, vintage-tinted top varnish with clear/buffed back and sides, letting the natural character of the woods shine. Overall, this Santa Cruz carries with it the gravitas of a fine traditional dreadnought — with enough finesse to satisfy discerning contemporary players.

This 1934 D Mahogany comes in its original hardshell case and remains in pristine, virtually mint condition. For guitarists seeking a hand-built, heirloom-grade dreadnought that bridges old-school sensibility with modern excellence, this instrument represents an outstanding opportunity.

Specifications

Model & Year

• Model: 1934 D Mahogany – custom spec
• Year of Manufacture: 2023
• Serial Number: 7867

Body

• Back & Sides: Vintage 1930s master-grade Mahogany
• Back Strip: Zipper
• Binding / Purfling: Tortoise binding with BMB (black/mahogany/black) side purfle
• Body Shape: Dreadnought, 14-fret to body

Top

• Top Wood: Vintage 1930s old-growth Adirondack spruce
• Rosette: Vintage-style Ivoroid / Herringbone border
• Purfling: Herringbone
• Bracing / Voicing: Scalloped “Advanced X” bracing (Adirondack, hot-hide glue)

Neck

• Wood: Mahogany
• Peghead: Solid square peghead
• Peghead Binding: Black
• Headstock Overlay: Brazilian Rosewood veneer
• Headstock Inlay: Ivoroid script logo
• Shape / Profile: Soft “V” neck profile
• Nut Width: 1-3/4″
• Scale Length: 25.25″

Fingerboard & Bridge

• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Fingerboard Binding: Black
• Bridge: Ebony through-saddle bridge (string spacing 2-3/16″)
• Saddle & Nut: Bone

Hardware

• Tuners: Waverly, gold open-back with snakewood buttons
• Pickguard: Tortoise, Dalmatian-shape (custom spec)

Finish / Color

• Top Finish: Vintage-tinted varnish
• Back, Sides & Neck Finish: Clear / buffed nitro-cellulose

Set Up / Strings

• Strings: SCGC mid-tension (per custom spec)
• Action / Setup: Set up for balanced response and dynamic range — vintage-style tension and feel

Condition

• Cosmetic: Virtually mint — no play wear; finished with care, with fine-grain visibility through thin nitro finish
• Structural: Excellent — no cracks, repairs, or issues of any kind

Case & Accessories

• Case: Original Santa Cruz-branded, embossed leather hardshell case