A more effective Soundboard is the key!

Flattop guitars are not actually flat but have soundboards that are nearly so. Profiled bracing forces the soundboard into an arc with a radius of 30 to 50 feet. Carved Archtop guitars typically have a radius of 25 to 28 feet. Dandy Hybrid guitars have soundboards at a 16 foot radius with bodies profiled to match… a much deeper “dish” that projects sound more efficiently!

Floating fingerboard

Conventional Flattop guitars have fingerboards glued down to the guitar body. Dandy’s bolt-on/ mortise/tenon neck allows the fingerboard to float above the soundboard allowing the guitar body to resonate more freely.

Zero fret

A slotted string guide positions strings correctly over “fret zero” for near perfect intonation and maximum playability. One Dandy owner remarked “it plays like butter”!

Two types of Dandy Hybrids

Floating Bridge Dandies have a compound system for string attachment. The Ebony floating bridge transfers sound and accomplishes compensation while a secondary “Anchor” pin bridge secures the strings to the guitar body. These instruments deliver sound at high volume and a somewhat dry tone and are best for cross-picking, finger style and straight line solos. Old-timey ballads and blues numbers render very well. The Floating Bridge type shines in the hands of more accomplished and aggressive players.

Conventional Bridge Dandies offer the overtones characteristic of Flattops but with a boost in volume and individual notes are more noticeable within chords and by themselves seem more vivid… a result of the high dome soundboard and the floating fingerboard! Dandy Hybrids open new worlds of playing styles for flat pick and finger-style players alike!

Take a listen!

Our Demo page will offer comparisons to other instruments and performers playing the Dandies in different styles.

Other Features

• Zero Fret

  - having strings originate at a “nut” is a tradition that upon close examination only makes sense for folks who are playing very aggressively. With Zero Fret, a string guide locates the strings laterally and the Zero Fret gives perfect intonation at this end of the instrument. In order for Zero Fret to work, headstock angle is increased to 18 degrees. The Zero Fret is of stainless steel.



• Gun Oil finish

  - unlike the cold, glassy look of nitro-cellulose lacquers, our gun oil finish brings out the natural beauty of the wood. And down the road, you can easily freshen up your instrument. Application is a snap... all that's needed is a cotton ball and a 4"X4" piece of cotton cloth.



• Tone wood

  - All solid wood, no veneers are used.



• Tuners

  - We use GoToh 18::1 and think they are great!



• Custom Necks

  - Our one-piece necks are mortise/tenon bolted and we can build to your specifications.



• Bling Free

  - We let other builders inspire with fantastic inlay work. Sound and simplicity is what we're about!