I’ve always been particularly drawn to jumbo-size acoustics. I learned to play guitar in the early 1970’s when John Denver was at the height of his career, and the sound he got from his jumbo Guild 6 and 12 string guitars made an impression on me that lasts to this day. I own one of the rare and coveted Guild JF-100 jumbos… arguably the most beautiful of any of the Guild models, and to my eye a rival with the Gibson SJ-200 for the top spot, esthetically speaking. These two famous jumbo acoustics formed the inspiration for the Dogwood Kingston Jumbo.
The Kingston has a large sound with impressive volume and bass presence. As with all Dogwood acoustics, the Kingston is fully voiced and tuned for maximum tonal quality. The tops for Kingston jumbos are selected from those scoring very high during the static and dynamic testing that all potential Dogwood top sets undergo. Due the large mass of a jumbo top, it is especially important to use a high quality top with an excellent stiffness-to-weight ratio. The top and the back are tuned to specific, complimentary fundamental resonances. This makes for a wonderful grand piano type tone without sounding boomy. You will immediately hear the clarity when you play a Kingston.
Like its inspirations, the Kingston jumbo has a full set of available high end appointments that will make its owner the envy of anyone who sees it, and a real attention-getter on stage. Standard features for the Kingston include Rosewood back and sides with solid Rosewood binding, Abalone shell rosette, bound Ebony fretboard and custom Dogwood bridge, bone nut and saddle, and gold Gotoh tuners with matching gold strap button. Options include Abalone and gold Mother of Pearl crown fretboard inlays, Abalone body purflings, custom rosettes, exotic back and side woods, mosaic back strip and matching end wedge purflings, Waverly tuners, and I am also offering carving on the neck heel similar to that found on the Guild JF-100. Please see the sidebar article on Legacy Benchworks Furniture for some examples of my carving. Many Guild collectors search for JF-100’s for the carving and now you can get it on a handmade guitar with a superior top that is voiced and tuned for old school tone.
Kingston Jumbo Features and Available Upgrades
- High scoring Sitka Spruce top from reserve stock
- Top and back hand tuned and voiced
- Indian Rosewood sides and back (other woods available)
- Solid Rosewood body binding
- Bound Ebony fretboard with black and white purfling
- Gold Mother of Pearl and Abalone “crown” fretboard inlays available (shown)
- Hand cut solid Abalone peghead logo
- Abalone rosette standard
- Abalone top purfling available (shown)
- Mosaic back strip with matching end wedge purfling available (shown)
- Custom Dogwood Ebony bridge with curved bridge pin layout
- Ebony bridge pins with Abalone dot
- Gold Gotoh tuners and strap button
- “Tor-tis” poured resin pickguard (greatly superior to plastic)
- Bone nut and B-compensated saddle
- Hand carved Mahogany neck with Maple stringers
- Quality hard shell case
- Lifetime warranty to original owner
The Kingston Jumbo base price is $4500.00, as shown with upgrades, $5500.
I would love to work with you to design a custom, one-of-a-kind jumbo, please contact me for details. I guarantee a great-sounding instrument with exceptional clarity, balance, projection, and separation.
Technical Information
The Kingston Jumbo is a 14 fret, true jumbo guitar with a 25.5 scale length. The bout is 17″ and the shoulder width is 12 1/2″. Body length is 2o 5/8″ and the overall length is 42 1/2″. Width at the nut is 1 3/4″ and the string spacing is 2 1/4″. Fretboard radius is 16″ and the neck is a comfortable oval shape. Alterations to some of these dimensions are available.
Scroll down for videos of the Kingston.
Samuel Hood playing an original composition on his Kingston, recorded at Bare Recording Studios.
Chris Tofilon playing an original instrumental on a Dogwood Kingston
Check out a Dogwood Kingston being played by Samuel Hood as he accompanies recording artist and worship leader Justin Rizzo performing “Lord of All.” The Kingston was used for all the guitar tracks in the studio; the Taylor being played in the video by Justin is a prop.
