Kenny Hill

For those of us in the guitar business who have a focus on classical guitars, Kenny Hill’s contribution to the classical guitar market is considerable.  Kenny Hill has the rare distinction of being both an outstanding player and an outstanding luthier.  Accordingly, in terms of construction and voicing, Kenny’s instruments greatly benefit from his insights and sensibilities as a highly trained guitarist.  It could be argued that Kenny Hill’s most significant achievement was the production of hand-made replicas of famous builders’ designs (e.g., Ignacio Fleta, Miguel Rodriguez, Antonio de Torres, Louis Panormo, Jose Ramirez, and Herman Hauser).  Produced in the 1990s and early 2000s in both Felton, CA and Paracho, Mexico, these replicas filled a historically vacant and difficult-to-fill gap in the market, that being the “conservatory-level” guitar (i.e., a somewhat affordable guitar that can perform to the standards of a serious player who otherwise might not be prepared to invest in a concert level instrument).  Kenny, himself, has pointed to this period as a time of tremendous growth as a builder, as the task of recreating the personality of the classic builds required a great deal of time studying the minute details.

As of the date of this copy (April, 2025), Kenny Hill is winding down his extensive building career to refocus his attention on composition and performance. But, over the past two decades, he has perhaps been most associated with concert level guitars built in his California shop and, on the other end of the spectrum, his high quality Chinese-produced New World line (now-defunct), built in a shop that he personally established.  He was also enlisted by the Cordoba Music Group to train their builders in producing the Master Series models, which are built in California (we also detect his influence in Chinese-made Cordoba models). 

As the production of Master Series replica models came to a close in mid ‘00s, Kenny began concentrating on concert level guitars, like this 2004 Signature model.  Many of these top-tier Hill models boasted cutting edge features, like double tops, lattice bracing, sound ports, and compensated frets.  This particular Signature Model somewhat straddles the line, in that it clearly has one foot firmly planted in traditional design and voicing, while tentatively dipping its toes in the waters of modern features.  The top/plantilla, for instance, is solid (not a double top) and braced with a fairly common 5-fan pattern; yet, the top is manifestly pushing the tolerances of thinness, like many double-top constructions (e.g., the footprint of the bracing is actually visible when facing this guitar).  Other features, like the sound ports on the bass and treble shoulders, the highly refined Gilbert tuning machines, the very comfortable rounded modern neck carve, and the overall refined fit and finish of this guitar, all demonstrate a dedication to refinement on the part of builder as well as a willingness to explore the evolution of his craft. 

Meanwhile, thanks in part to the more traditional top voicing, Signature number 2285 does not exhibit any excessive hotness or hollow tone that can occasionally afflict the ultra-modern double-topped guitars. (It is important to note that cutting-edge lightweight construction of some modern guitars can indeed produce the tremendous power and projection that many modern players seek; but, this front end power can often come at the expense of tone color and vocal nuance!)  In all fairness, however, it has been our experience that Kenny Hill’s voicing is such that his guitars rarely suffer from such issues, regardless of the top construction.  Along this line, this Signature model greets the player with a robust and powerful presence, as well as generous dynamic range. The lightly-braced European Spruce top contributes an enhanced responsiveness and clarity that appropriately serve and project the inherent warmth and sweetness bestowed by the builder and otherwise imparted by the rosewood back and sides. Thus, as we have observed before, Kenny Hill has seemingly achieved a difficult level of acoustic alchemy in the case his concert-level guitars, like this Signature model, where one encounters an immensely satisfying balance of power and color.  No doubt this best-of-both-worlds tone can be attributed to a best-of-both-worlds builder—an uncommonly dedicated man, whose mastery as a luthier has been intimately informed by his mastery as a player.   

Condition

This guitar has been actively played; and, while there are no signs of abuse or neglect per se, the instrument has certainly picked up plenty of wear that would be consistent with earnest routine use.  Of course, in light of its French-polished shellac finish (which can practically be scarred by a hasty errant glance alone), the extent of this guitar’s playwear is not too surprising! Along that line, some of the more significant points of wear include: numerous nail marks (dings and scuffs) on top; some long and fairly deep scratches on the treble side at the waist (likely due to the presence of objects in a pocket); various light scratches, minor dents, and dings over the body in general; and some patches of dulled or worn-through finish, most notably on the back of the neck and the top edge of the back at the bass-side upper bout.  

Apart from the play wear noted above, the guitar has several repaired cracks to note.  Most significantly, there are three top cracks adjacent to the fingerboard tongue: two on treble side  measuring 2” and 1 ¼” respectively, and one on the bass side measuring 3”.  We also note a 2 ¼” back crack adjacent to center strip on bass side.  Finally, a section the top’s center seam exhibits a slight separation.  As is our general practice, all of these issues and any previous repairs have been evaluated and addressed prior to the instrument being offered for sale.  –  FAIR+ to GOOD Condition

• Classical Body
• European Spruce Top
• 5-Fan Bracing (with Bridge Plate and Two Tone Bars)
• Solid Indian Rosewood Back and Sides
• Treble and Bass Side Sound Ports
• Rosewood Binding
• 9-Ply Wooden Top Purfling with Red Accent Strip
• 3-Ply Side and Back Purfling
• Rosewood Backstrip with 3-Ply Purfling
• Rosewood Endpiece and Heelcap
• Rope Marquetry Rosette
• French Polish Finish
• Mahogany Neck
• Ebony Fingerboard
• Rosewood Headstock Veneer
• Rosewood Bridge
• Bone Nut and Saddle
• 51 mm Nut Width
• 8.25 mm String Spacing at Nut
• 650 mm Scale
• Satin Black Gilbert Tuners with Ebony Buttons
• Hoffee Flight Case (Grey Carbon Fiber Exterior, Gold Interior)
• SageWork/Barnett Leg Support Included