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It's a Santa Cruz, "1943 Bluegrass D" model. It was built in 1997. I have made a couple of modifications to it since I got it. First, I had a bone nut and saddle put in it, and I also had fossilized ivory bridge pins put in it. There is actually an interesting story behind it. We were in Nashville, TN and we came across "Cotten Music" and I saw this baby hanging up on the back wall. Kim, who sold the guitar to us, said Russ Barenburg came in the day before we got there and he played it for a long time, and he had planned to come and get it in a couple of days. It's a good thing I got there when I did!!! As you will see in the pictures below, this guitar is truly a one-of-a-kind.
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This is the front. That's an Adirondack Spruce top, and getting slightly darker and darker as the days go by. (Can't wait to see what it'll look like in a few more years!!)
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This is the back. Mahogany back and sides (it's actually called "Quilted Mahogany"), but it's the most beautiful wood I've ever seen in a guitar before in my life.
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This is the headstock. (NOTE: The Tony Rice model has the "SCGC" inlay on the 12th fret, not on the headstock.)
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This is body The soundhole is not as enlarged as a Tony Rice model is, but it is slightly larger than most martins, or most Santa Cruz's for that matter.
Now ladies, please keep yourselves under control when viewing this one.
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This is a McKinney capo. Anyone who knows about these knows that once you buy a McKinney, you'll never buy another capo again. They are made out of stainless steel, and Tony Rice uses this type of capo. If you notice on "An Intimate Lesson With Tony Rice", Tony's McKinney fits real close to his neck, with almost no extra room inside of the capo. They are very similar to a "Paige", but they can be custom-fit to your personal guitar neck. They sell for around $100 and the waiting list is quite long. You can contact Bill Stokes if you'd like to order one. I am not sure of his email address, or his webpage, so you're on your own on this one.
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I might be going out on a limb here on this one, but the type of pick I use is a "tortoise-shell" pick. Many people disagree with me when I say that tortoise shell picks sound better and last longer than regular plastic picks. I have found that I get a much brighter sound, and it's slightly louder than my regular plastic pick that I used to use. I can also make one last for like a year! I guess it's just a personal preference. Don't ask me how to obtain one, you'll have to do that on your own. They are illegal to import and export and sell in and out of the U.S., but as far as I know, it's not illegal to sell within the United States. I think the chicks really dig musicians who use tortoise shell picks too.
In addition to everything Tony Rice, I also use D'Aquisto strings. I like the way they sound on my Cruz. Everyone always makes fun of me and says "you just use them because Tony Rice uses them". I guess they are right. I also use Vinci strings (yes he still makes them), and sometimes GHS, and sometimes D'Addario.