This item has been described as B Stock as it has a slight blemish under the finish where the neck meets that body, as well as a tiny ding between the bouts on the side of the guitar with the cutaway. These marks have been photographed but they are hard to capture with a camera due to how minor they are.
This ‘Dark Roast’ Legacy model is a special instrument, utilising premium African Mahogany for the whole instrument, finished in a ‘Dark Roast’ stain, giving the instrument a beautifully rich and moody appearance. Its tone reflects its appearance with a rich and brooding delivery with lots of mid-range heft.
This model shape is an ‘Earth’ which is based upon Patrick James Eggle’s historic ‘Linville’ shape, taking inspiration from Orchestra Models (OM) of old. Across the lower bout it measures 15” – the same as the Venus model - but its overall contour that is somewhat more refined. This size and shape however definitely qualify as a perfect ‘all-rounder’, being big enough to perform well unplugged, but small enough to be used on stage for long periods by players of any stature.
Complementing the elegant design, a process of torrefaction or torreficationhas been used to age the African Khaya Mahogany tops of these guitars. The Mahogany top is air dried to minimise moisture content before being ‘roasted’ in a kiln with precise controls over atmospheric conditions and oxygen levels, removing nearly all the moisture. After this drying process, as it cools, the wood has a controlled level of moisture re-introduced to its environment which then re-humidifies the wood to an exact, ideal level. This resulting ‘torrefied’ tonewood is not only enriched with a deeper natural colouration, but it is more stable thanks to a change in the cellular fibres of the wood.
A guitar with a ‘young’ top will, over years of playing, gradually vibrate its fibres into a steady state where they find a final resting position. At that point, the tonewood will sound its best, which explains why older guitars can so often have ‘that’ sound. And this is the secret of torrefaction. The precise drying and re-hydration process causes the fibres to settle into a steadier state very quickly, allowing the tonewood to ‘age’ rapidly, producing an even better tone much more quickly.
For the back and sides of this Legacy FG5 model, the tonewood of choice matches the top by using Solid African Khaya Mahogany, carefully stained with a ‘Dark Roast’ colour palette.
African Mahogany, by contrast with Indonesian Mahogany, is somewhat stiffer and stronger, and is therefore highly prized. This increased stiffness and strength means that it can be very slightly thinner and therefore resonate more readily, creating a little brighter tone that of other mahogany variants.
When playing an all-mahogany guitar, you can expect a tone that focuses primarily on the mid-ranges with a well-controlled, warmth of character. Adding the torrefied Mahogany top however, gives an extra layer of depth and aged maturity seldom found on all-mahogany guitars.
The FG5 model is bound in figured Ebony; has a figured Ebony fingerboard and bridge; plus, genuine unbleached bone nuts, saddles, and bridge pins for added resonance. Plus, this dark beauty has a 1mm thick figured Ebony pickguard which will help protect your beautiful instrument.
As with all Faith Legacy models, the Dark Roast is fitted with Fishman's FLEX-T-BLEND preamp system which features an undersaddle piezo pickup and condenser microphone located just inside the soundhole. By combining these two pickup types, a greater sound balance is achieved, plus percussive techniques can be fully explored as the body sound can be more easily ‘dialed-in’ when required. The preamp features 3 ultra-discreet knobs integrated into the side of the guitar; a built in tuner with a discreet screen; an EQ contour control; a pickup blend control (Piezo/Mic); and a phase control to control feedback. The battery is stored in a special bag located inside the guitar fixed to the neck block, and the jack output is combined with the strap button at the base.
Your new Faith Legacy is complete in an ABS, moulded hardcase with plush interior. We recommend that you keep your guitar in its case whenever not in use.
Specification
Top Mahogany-Torrefied (Solid)
Back & Sides Mahogany (Solid)
Fingerboard Macassan Figured Ebony
Fingerboard Radius 16"
Fingerboard Inlays Mother of Pearl 'F' at 12th Fret
Binding Macassan Figured Ebony
Machine Head Grover Deluxe Vintage
Neck Mahogany
Neck Joint Patrick James Eggle Bolt-On Design
Trussrod 2 Way
Nut / Saddle Width 45mm / String Spacing 55mm
Nut / Saddle Material Natural Bone
Bracing Material Hand-Scalloped Quarter-Sawn Spruce
Bridge Macassan Figured Ebony
Bridge Pins Natural Bone
Rosette 5mm Abalone with Fibre Border
Finish Type PU Lacquer High Gloss all-over
Preamp / Pickup Fishman Flex T-Blend / Condenser Mic
Hardcase Faith Premium Hardcase Included
