The Tom Rush Naked Lady
Our newest limited edition guitar - the Tom Rush Naked Lady, is now available for immediate delivery. A total of only 250 will be produced.
Designed in conjunction with Tom Rush, one of North America's great folk/roots legends it is destined to take its place among the iconic acoustic guitars of the last 100 years.
Only 250 will be produced with each guitar bearing a sequential serial number identifying the instrument as one of a unique limited collector's series. (i.e. #50 of 250).
When Tom Rush selected MacKenzie & Marr Guitars to reincarnate his famous Naked Lady acoustic guitar we set out to craft a guitar that would become the standard for the Dreadnought of the 21st century. The top wood is rare High Altitude Tight Grain Western Cedar - a wood so special it has been called "Adirondack Redwood" because of the crisp snap of each note combined with a tremendous forward tonal projection gives the guitar a sound rich in overtones. The back and sides are premium solid book-matched Indian Rosewood. One player (a techie to boot) dubbed the Naked Lady "Dreadnaught 2.0 - the first great acoustic of the 21st Century." Politeness prevents us from disagreeing with him.
On-board sound enhancement is supplied by the L.R.Baggs Anthem system. We don't think there's a better electrical component available for acoustic performers. Tom Rush seems to agree. He's switching all of the pickups in his existing guitars to the Anthem.
Even the tuning machines are special. We strongly believe in high ratio tuners. All of our guitars come with at least an 18:1 ratio. For the Naked Lady we went one step farther and added a string locking knob, allowing a performer to change a broken string on stage in one tenth the time. Tom plays one of his best known tunes - Panama Limited - by replacing the high E string with a B. He does a lot of slide work throughout the song and he finds the thicker string does a better job. But that's only one song. After that he restrings. Needles to say he's sold on string locking.
As with all MacKenzie & Marr Guitars the Naked Lady comes with
- a limited lifetime warranty against any manufacturing and/or material defects.
- our 7 Day Love It or Leave It Guarantee (try any of our guitars in the comfort of your own home for a week and if, for any reason you don't fall in love we'll take it back - no questions asked)
You may also be interested in the Tom Rush Signature Dreadnought - an slightly less costly alternative to the Naked Lady
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Comments
Naked Lady #15
John,
Wanted to let you know that I am very happy with the Naked Lady that arrived last week. #15 arrived here a lot faster than I expected. Just a few days after I placed the order as you know.
The guitar is a work of art. The wood is gorgeous and it's playability is on the level of my Martin DC16RGTE (Rosewood & Sitka Spruce) and Taylor 455ce (Ovangkol & Sitka Spruce). Tone is very different than my other guitars which is a good thing. The combination of the Rosewood and Western Cedar makes vibrant and warm tones. Finger picking and flat picking are a joy on this guitar. I love my Lady............
A True Lady
I bought my Ian Tyson model a year ago; so it did not take too much of a leap of faith to order a Naked Lady last week.
Naked Lady #14 arrived here in Texas today and is nestled beside Ian and between my D28 and D18.
She plays smooth and mellow and is a true beauty.
Now I am going to have real problems deciding which to play they are all great.
Congrats Mac and Marr you have done yourselves proud.
The addition of the safety neck strap in the case is a nice touch. I have never dumped a guitar picking up a case that was not fastened - but I have seen it happen to others.
Incredible! *****
John and I worked together in a past life and I knew about him starting his guitar shop. As my skills were being upgraded, I thought an upgrade to my guitars were in order. Immediately short listing the Gibson Hummingbird or a 700 series Taylor, I remembered John. Looked him and decided to give his guitars a try...and probably the best decision I made. I picked up a Tom Rush Limited Ed. in Rosewood and an Ian Tyson Limited Ed. Both these guitars are INCREDIBLE! The finish outstanding but the sound is where you really appreciate them. The TR Rosewood feels like a very expensive guitar and booms with equivalent confidence while the Ian Tyson is crisp and a delight to strum. I know you have to take a leap of faith here but in using this review, trust that it's one you need to take. The guitars are worth every penny. John's hand's on service is truly outstanding. He is passionate about his guitars and it shows in their craftsmanship. Only the best woods are used in every Mac & Marr and they shine whether you strum or finger pick. I'm not the greatest guitarist but I sound 10 times better than I did last week! Thanks John and thanks Mac & Marr guitars! Again, Incredible! Wow!
Another Naked Lady in the House
She arrived yesterday! After her 4-day trip in a brown truck, # 58 is absolutely gorgeous! Design, fit and finish, attention to detail is impeccable. More than I expected and I expected A LOT! After examining her (drooling involved) I went to my favorite tuning C-G-C-G-C-E and had at her. Beautiful voice, clear and bright on top, mellow middles and a low end to bring tears to your eyes. Great job, gentlemen, she's a winner! Oh, and the other naked lady isn't jealous at all! ;)
Don Marcopulos
My very own Naked Lady
I had heard about these guitars, being as I am a great Rush fan since 1967, but I was reluctant to buy a guitar about which I knew little and which was made in faraway places. As luck would have it, Tom recently came to my hometown of Sebastopol, CA for a show, and I took my family and my employees and their families. During the show he played and talked a bit about the Naked Lady, and he was kind enough to let me fondle it a little after the show. Seeing my reaction, my wife (bless her heart) said as follows: "You have to have one of those. The next day I ordered one, and two weeks later I had it in hand. Very few things you order these days are as good as you hope, but this one is better. Beginning with the case, which has a very luxurious feel as well as an interior security strap and a combination lock, this guitar exceeded all my expectations. First, it's ridiculously pretty, and not just for the flawless inlay. The cedar top has a warm look and a nice even grain, while the herringbone trim blends nicely with the dark binding, which is a relief for those of us who are sick to death of seeing herringbone on everything.and the straight-grained rosewood back is perfectly book-matched, with a herringbone strip down the center. . The pearl/wood/pearl rosette is clean and classic. The headstock is simple and clean with just the name and slogan inlaid. The gold tuners have simple black knobs and string locks; I've never used locking tuners before, and I can't imagine why not. They're amazingly handy. The sound is the most surprising feature; I expected it to have tight quality that you so often find in a new guitar. It's easy to see how some playing time will open it up nicely, but make no mistake: it's ready to go right out of the box. The Anthem sound system is well known, and it works just as expected. I like my guitars with a slightly greater string width, and the neck has plenty of room to widen it a bit without having the strings too close to the edges. I had that done, and was delighted with the result. I was both surprised and pleased with the quality of the fit and finish. I've been a Martin snob for a very long time, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this guitar to anyone. In fact, it's one of those rare things that is making me think about buying a second one...just in case anything happens to mine. That's how much I like it.
Naked Lady
John,
Received the "Lady" a few days ago signed by Tom. It was a bit of a hassle for him but he was very accomidating and is a great guy.
The guitar is awesome. The woods are very nice, The unbound fretboard is how I like them, the tuners are tight and the pickup is great as it has tone control as well as volume.
We had a contest between the Lady and a 1948 Gibson J45, a 1953 J50, and a 1969 Texan FT79N Epiphone. The Texan is the same model Tom had that he lost in the house fire that was the original "Naked Lady" although I think his was a bit older. I played mostly my rendition of "Rockport Sunday" for the contest. I play it reasonably well.
I had a freind visiting from Colorado who said the Lady won hands down. My wife preferred the tone of the Gibson's but said the interaction between the strings the Lady has is every bit as interesting, just different. The tone being different but great.
The playability is as good as any acoustic I have played. It is a great pleasure to play.
The inlay looks great. I don't know anything about inlays but I sure like this one.
I have been enjoying fingerpicking this "Lady". No pun intended.
There's a Naked Lady in my living room!
Number 4... apparently they aren't shipping in numerical order, since #37 commented above, but I'm tickled to death to have a single-digit, and highly pleased with my purchase. She's a real sweetheart!
I haven't plugged in yet...haven't even hooked up the battery.... so I can't comment on the electronics yet.
Naked Lady #37
I was fortunate to play Tom's Naked Lady briefly at a concert last spring and fell in love with it. I've been playing mine for almost two months now and wouldn't trade it for Tom's!
This guitar has a wide range of tones from bright and sharp to sweet under/overtones. Playing rhythm it is full sounding and lays the background for the others to follow. Playing leads it commands everyone's attention.
I find it to be much more versatile than either my HD-35 or OM-21, which I still love.
I've just started playing it out and am impressed with the Baggs system. It took about 5 minutes to become facile in making adjustments.
I'm extremely happy that I picked this guitar.
I Love My Lady
I now own Naked Lady #3. I’ve been playing on and off since 1961 and have owned a number of guitars classic and “steel stringed” (Martin & Taylor). I have not played with any regularity for a number of years even though I often dream of playing like some of my heroes….
I saw Tome Rush a couple of winters ago at the Barns of Wolftrap and fell back in love with his music…it was mellow, poignant and spoke to my heart. He like most thing in my life, got better with age! My wife and I liked his music so much we are traveling from Virginia in December to attend his 50th anniversary concert in Boston. To help with funding for his concert, I submitted a donated to get his Naked Lady guitar from his website, but as the internet had it, my bid never made it and someone else took my “lady”. On Tom’s advice I contacted the folks at MacKenzie & Marr Guitars.
I was reluctant initially to discuss buying the guitar when I was told that it came from Communist China……”I really hate all the cheap junk that comes from there that you get in Wal-Mart and Costco”, I told them…after some discussions and a description of how the guitars are made, I backed off from my stance and paid my money and bought Naked Lady #3.
I love my lady. I and now back playing the guitar again…I spend some amount of time each morning holding her and relearning to play (while my wife gets ready for work). I am even getting calluses back on my fingers. My lady is truly a beautiful piece of work (similar to my wife of 43 years). I own both a Taylor and a Martin guitar, and this lady fingers the easiest of all.
Her sound is wonderful and such; it makes an old picker/plucker like me, look and sound like I know what I’m doing and that I can really make music. The finish is gorgeous, the wood grain unmatched, the tuning mechanisms smooth as silk. I will say it again, I love my lady and so glad I bought this “piece of junk from Communist China”. See ya in Boston!
Delivery of Naked Lady
Hi John
You indicated earlier that the Naked Lady would be available in early July (changed from mid-May). When do you anticipate delivery now ???
Delivery of the Naked Lady
Hi John
When do you anticpate the delivery of the Naked Lady?