The Happy Traum Signature Model HT/13
Design Your Own
Below are the standard specifications for this particular model. Like all SCGC guitars, this model comes available with a long list of custom options that can be added for no additional charge. Click here to see all the options available to you, and design your own.
Happy Traum taught the world how to play guitar. This includes Richard Hoover, who learned from Happy’s “Fingerpicking Styles for Guitar” when he was just a teenager, years before the two would forge their friendship. To be able to build a signature model decades later for such an icon in the guitar world is not only an honor, but a privilege that Santa Cruz Guitar Company takes very seriously. As Happy himself so eloquently put it, “like all musicians, guitarists form a personal, loving relationship with their instrument. Years of bonding with the particular feel and sound of the wood allow you to predict what the guitar is capable of producing, its strengths and limitations, its dark lows and brilliant highs and, above all, the satisfying feel of the vibrations of the wood against your body. When a dear friend whom you admire has put his heart and soul into building an instrument especially for you, it adds immeasurable to its quality, imbuing the guitar with a spirit that goes far beyond wood, strings, frets and bracing.”
Happy Traum was taking full advantage of Santa Cruz Guitar Company’s custom shop capabilities long before it became their norm. His first Santa Cruz was a Cocobolo/Adirondack H/13 model with a custom neck and finish; years later he worked with Richard once again to design an all Mahogany OM with wood bindings, abalone appointments and custom inlay. When Richard proposed they collaborate on an official Happy Traum Signature Model Guitar, they combined the tonal, aesthetic and playability elements that Happy enjoyed in both custom builds to come up with a winning recipe, now forever known as the HT/13: Genuine Honduras Mahogany back/sides paired with salvaged, old growth Redwood and Adirondack bracing/hot hide glue in a small but deep bodied guitar delivers a bright, rich and clear tone with quick responsiveness, hearty low end and exceptional volume. The guitar is tastefully bound in ivoroid with abalone appointments and a custom top finish, rendering the HT/13 as stunning to behold as it is to play.
In Happy’s own words: “Luthiers are a unique breed of human being: philosopher-craftspeople who are sensitive to and highly knowledgeable in the intricacies of grain, color, shape, thickness, bracing and, above all, tone. Richard Hoover is, to me, in the top echelon of this rarefied world, acutely aware of the origins, history and sustainability of the various woods he works with. He gleans and scavenges them from abandoned railroad tunnels, sunken logs, long-forgotten furniture and ancient, prehistoric boards dug up from the depths of the tundra. He and his talented staff then assemble gorgeously crafted instruments with a keen eye for detail and coaxing the best sounds possible from them.”
Body
Wood Type
Mahogany
Back Stripe
S29
Binding
Ivoroid with Ivoroid Tail Wedge
Top
Wood Type
Old growth Redwood
Rosette
Abalone
Purfling
Abalone
Bracing/Voicing
H 13 Scallop/Tapered
Neck
Peghead
Slotted
Peghead Binding
Ivoroid
Overlay Material
Ebony
Headstock Inlay
Santa Cruz Ivoroid Script Logo
Width at Nut
1-3/4″
Neck Shape
V
Fingerboard
Side Dots
Black
Inlay
42 style with Happy Traum Signature at 18th
Width at 14th Fret
2-3/16″
Binding
Ivoroid
Scale Length
25.375
Finish
Top
Custom Finish
Back & Sides
Tobacco/Buffed
Neck
Tobacco/Matte
Setup
Pickguard
Tortoise
Tuners/gears
Waverly Nickel w/ Ivoroid
Richard Hoover on the Happy Traum Signature Model HT/13:
Today we made a dream come true! The Happy Traum Signature Model completes the circle begun in 1969 when I snuck into George Brown’s Newsstand to get the new Ramparts Magazine.
My hometown of 17,000 then was in the middle of the Great San Joaquin Valley and a vast cultural void. Ramparts was the only, bomb in every issue, alternative press I could access. Instead, I found a book that changed my life.
In the upper racks, next to the Police Gazette and Swank was a book with a picture of Mississippi John Hurt on the cover. How the heck did adults even know who John Hurt was, I wondered. This turned out to be Happy and Artie Traum’s Fingerstyle guitar method with Tablature, a way to see how to play guitar just like my musical heroes on the old records.
The dream that’s come true is mine. That instructional book from Happy Traum made a bond between me and my guitar that has become the determining factor in my life’s direction. Its influence has affected my choices in education, my circle of friends, my career as a guitar maker, my good fortune in marrying up and the lasting and fulfilling friendship with Happy and Jane Traum and their gifted family.
I’m far from alone. Happy is the musician’s musician, having supported and launched a hundred stellar careers. From the beginnings in Washington Square, through Woodstock (the state of mind), and with many of today’s vibrant new acoustic artists, you’ve heard Happy’s personal rock-solid guitar and vocal presence at least 10,000 times. The number of times you’ve heard his influence in the recordings of others is incalculable.
Thank you Happy and family for your service to others and for your profound influence on me and the values of Santa Cruz Guitar Company. I hope that we have captured some of the spirit of your fine legacy through the loving creation of your signature model. May everything go your way!
Big love,
Richard Hoover
Santa Cruz, California
May 2021
Design Your Own
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Woods
Tonewoods - Back & Sides
Indian Rosewood - no extra cost
African Blackwood - $2,300 upcharge
Brazilian Rosewood Tier 1 (old growth, limited) - $14,500 upcharge
Brazilian Rosewood Tier 2 (old growth, limited) - $10,500 upcharge
Cocobolo - $1,400 upcharge
Figured Mahogany - $1,200 upcharge
Flamed Maple - $1,400 upcharge
Koa - $2,700 upcharge
Mahogany - standard
Old Growth Mahogany (1930s) - $2,500 upcharge
Quilted Sapele - $1,700 upcharge
Sycamore - $1,200 upcharge
Walnut - $1,200 upcharge
Tonewoods - Tops
Adirondack - no extra cost
Ancient Sitka Spruce (3,000 years, limited) - $6,000 upcharge
Bear Claw European Spruce - $400 upcharge
Bear Claw Sitka Spruce - no extra cost
Canadian White Spruce - no extra cost
Carpathian - $400 upcharge
Cedar - no extra cost
European Spruce - no extra cost
Figured Mahogany - $400 upcharge
Koa - $800 upcharge
Mahogany - no extra cost
Moon Spruce - $400 upcharge
Old growth Adirondack - $1,800 upcharge
Old growth Sitka Spruce - no extra cost
Redwood - standard
Sinker Redwood - $400 upcharge
Tunnel 13' Redwood top (limited) - $1,400 upcharge
Neck Woods
Flamed Mahogany - $600 upcharge
Flamed Maple - $600 upcharge
Mahogany - standard
Bracing
Bracing Pattern
Adirondack bracing with hot hide glue - standard
Sitka Spruce bracing - no extra cost
Additional Body Modifications
Please Select
1929 Style Specifications - no extra cost
Left Handed - no extra cost
Neck Customizations
Nut Width
1-3/4" - standard
1-11/16" - no extra cost
1-13/16" - no extra cost
Custom nut width - please inquire for pricing
Bridge Spacing
2-3/16"- standard
2-1/4" - no extra cost
2-5/16" - no extra cost
Custom bridge spacing - please inquire for pricing
Neck Profile
Round neck profile - $500
V-neck profile - standard
Custom neck profile - please inquire for pricing
Scale Length
25.375" scale length - standard
Additional Neck Customization:
Solid peghead - $400 upcharge
Slotted peghead - standard
Low profile neck - no extra cost
Custom Wood Parts
Custom Wood Overlay
Ebony Overlay - standard
Brazilian Overlay - $200 upcharge
Cocobolo Overlay - $100 upcharge
Koa Overlay - $100 upcharge
Snakewood Overlay - $200 upcharge
Custom Wood Overlay - please inquire
Custom Wood Fingerboard
Ebony Fingerboard - standard
Brazilian Fingerboard - $300 upcharge
Cocobolo Fingerboard - $300 upcharge
Custom Wood Bridge
Ebony Bridge - standard
Brazilian Bridge - $250 upcharge
Cocobolo Bridge - $250 upcharge
Snakewood Bridge - $250 upcharge
Binding Options
Body Binding
Ivoroid - standard
Black - no extra cost
Tortoise - no extra cost
Brazilian Rosewood - $600 upcharge
Cocobolo - $550 upcharge
Koa - $550 upcharge
Maple - $450 upcharge
Snakewood - $600 upcharge
Indian Rosewood - $450 upcharge
Mahogany - $450 upcharge
Figured Mahogany - $450 upcharge
Sycamore - $450 upcharge
Walnut - $450- upcharge
Backlit tortoise - $350 upcharge
Fingerboard Binding
Ivoroid - standard
Black - no extra cost
Tortoise - no extra cost
Brazilian Rosewood - $300 upcharge
Cocobolo - $275 upcharge
Koa - $275 upcharge
Maple - $250 upcharge
Snakewood - $300 upcharge
Indian Rosewood - $250 upcharge
Mahogany - $250 upcharge
Figured Mahogany - $250 upcharge
Sycamore - $250 upcharge
Walnut - $250 upcharge
Backlit tortoise - $250 upcharge
Peghead Binding
Ivoroid - standard
Black - no extra cost
Tortoise - no extra cost
Brazilian Rosewood - $300 upcharge
Cocobolo - $275 upcharge
Koa - $275 upcharge
Maple - $250 upcharge
Snakewood - $300 upcharge
Indian Rosewood - $250 upcharge
Mahogany - $250 upcharge
Figured Mahogany - $250 upcharge
Sycamore - $250 upcharge
Walnut - $250 upcharge
Backlit tortoise - $250 upcharge
Unbound - no extra cost
Inlay Options
Body Inlays
42-style body in abalone (rosette, top purfling & fingerboard extension) - $2,000 upcharge
45-style body in abalone (rosette, top purfling, fingeboard extension, back border, side border & tail wedge) - $5,000 upcharge
Abalone back border - $700 upcharge
Abalone back strip - $200 upcharge
Abalone snowflakes in bridge feet - $250 upcharge
42-style body in blue paua (rosette, top purfling & fingerboard extension) - $2,400 upcharge
45-style body in blue paua (rosette, top purfling, fingeboard extension, back border, side border & tail wedge) - $5,500 upcharge
Blue paua back border - $840 upcharge
Blue paua back strip - $300 upcharge
Blue paua snowflakes in bridge feet - $300 upcharge
Tail wedge in ivoroid - standard
Tail wedge in abalone - $400 upcharge
Tail wedge in wood to match bindings - $400 upcharge
Rosette
cowboy rope - no extra cost
herringbone - no extra cost
ivoroid - no extra cost
purfle combo - no extra cost
1929 style ivoroid (with tortoise) - no extra cost
Brazilian Rosewood - $375 upcharge
Cocobolo - $375 upcharge
Koa - $375 upcharge
Maple - $375 upcharge
Snakewood - $375 upcharge
Figured Mahogany - $375 upcharge
Walnut - $375 upcharge
Abalone - standard
Blue paua - $400 upcharge
Top Purfling
cowboy rope - no extra cost
herringbone - no extra cost
S29 / H/13 style - no extra cost
purfle combo - no extra cost
Single black - no extra cost
Abalone - standard
Blue paua - $840
Fingerboard Inlays
2mm dots in ivoroid - no extra cost
2mm dots in mother of pearl - no extra cost
2mm dots in abalone - no extra cost
42 style - standard
45 style - no extra cost
Diamond and squares short pattern - no extra cost
Diamond and squares long pattern - no extra cost
Snakewood century blocks - $2,000 upcharge
MOP century blocks - $2,000 upcharge
No inlays on fingerboard - no extra cost
Deco pattern in MOP- $600 upcharge
Tree of life in abalone - $1,500 upcharge
Tree of life in paua - $1,800 upcharge
Diminished frets with custom inlay - please inquire
Custom Fingerboard Inlay - please inquire
Peghead and Heel Cap Inlays
Torch inlay in abalone - $400 upcharge
Flowerpot inlay in abalone (with or without logo) - $425 upcharge
Tree of Life inlay in abalone - $500 upcharge
Tree of Life inlay in blue paua - $750 upcharge
Songbird inlay in MOP with MOP vines - $900 upcharge
Songbird inlay in MOP with abalone vines - $1,050 upcharge
Scrimshaw Heel Cap (design of your choosing) - $550 upcharge
Initials in Heel Cap - $300 upcharge
Custom Peghead Inlay - please inquire
SCGC Logo Options
SCGC logo in MOP on peghead - no extra cost
SCGC logo in abalone on peghead - no extra cost
SCGC logo in MOP on fingerboard - no extra cost
SCGC logo in abalone on fingerboard - no extra cost
Santa Cruz script logo in ivoroid on peghead - standard
Finish
Finish
Natural Finish - no extra cost
Sunburst top - no extra cost
Buttered toast sunburst top - no extra cost
Vintage tinted top - no extra cost
Custom sunburst top - standard
Full body sunburst - $400 upcharge
Gloss neck - $400 upcharge
Set Up Options
Choose Your Tuners
Nickel Waverly - no extra cost
Nickel Waverly with ivoroid buttons - standard
Nickel Waverly with Ebony buttons - no extra cost
Gold Waverly - no extra cost
Gold Waverly with Snakewood buttons - $120 upcharge
3-on-a-plate gold Waverly with Snakewood - $140 upcharge
Gotoh 510 Chrome - no extra cost
Gotoh 510 Gold - no extra cost
Gotoh 510 Gold with black buttons - no extra cost
Gotoh 510 minis Chrome - no extra cost
Gotoh 510 minis Gold - no extra cost
Pickguard
Tortoise pickguard - standard
Dalmtian pickguard - no extra cost
Tortoise pickguard unattached in case - no extra cost
Dalmatian pickguard unattached in case - no extra cost
Bridge/End Pins
Ebony bridge/end pins with MOP dots - no extra cost
Ebony bridge/end pins with abalone dots - standard
Ebony bridge/end pins with ivoroid dots - no extra cost
Bone bridge/end pins - no extra cost
Pickup Installation and Strap Button
LR Baggs Anthem - $500 upcharge
K&K Pure Mini - $250
Strap button - no extra cost
Other (please inquire)
Case Upgrades
Black Tooled Leather Cowboy Case - $200 upcharge
Brown Tooled Leather Cowboy Case - $200 upcharge
Calton Case - $1,200 upcharge
Standard Ameritage Case -- included
Comments
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