Here are three photos of guitarist Jeff Cook with his new Russell Waimea slack key guitar. These were taken when Jeff came over with his brother Jim to see his completed guitar and to play it for the first time. There were lots of ooh’s and ahh’s that day! James ordered heavier gauge strings that will work better for some of Jeff’s tunings, and the final setup tweaks have been made after putting on the new strings. Also, the label is in showing that Jeff has Waimea #001! So, yes, it’s time for Jeff’s guitar to go home with him now.
The last of the guitar photos will be taken Wednesday morning, so more detailed shots of the guitar will be posted on the main Russell Guitars site very soon!
Now that the Waimea is home, I am completely in love with this guitar. It has all of the sound qualities that I wanted for my slack key playing: deep, warm, resonant bass, strong mid-range, and crisp, clarion treble. In fact, throughout the broad spectrum of the various slack key tunings, the notes are all crisp and well-articulated. Undamped, the notes ring out almost forever. The guitar feels very solid despite its light weight, yet plucking just one note makes the entire instrument resound. Finally, and importantly for me, the Waimea creates an overtone-rich aura that surrounds me while I play. I can’t get enough. James, you are amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!