New HILL PERFORMANCE Models

The Performance Series is our latest line of guitars designed and built in the Hill Guitar workshop here in California. The intent of these guitars is to offer a high quality modern concert instrument at a medium price. The Performance Series is constructed in the traditional Spanish style, with the integral body and neck joint, but incorporates a modern soundboard, with double top and either lattice bracing, or fan-bracing. Sound ports are also part of the design, unless requested otherwise.

I've been working on this series for over a year now, and we finally introduced it officially at the NAMM show in January 2010. The response was great, and I took many orders from dealers at the show. Until now they have all had lattice bracing, with both cedar and spruce double tops. As usual, the double top includes BOTH spruce and cedar, with the outer wood giving the dominant tonal influence. The guitars are powerful, and have a wide range of color, with the easy dynamic range and palette I have come to expect from the double top. The lattice gives a very quick response, and strong punch. We'll soon have some fan-braced versions completed, offering that choice of traditional, beautiful tone.

To contrast the Performance with the Signature, the most significant difference is that the Signature has the elevated fingerboard, while the Performance has a traditional fingerboard. Other differences include, the Signature has the sides laminated with cypress, while the Performance is normal solid wood sides, the Signature has V joint for the head, while the performance has a traditional scarf joint, and the tuners on the Performance are Gotoh, rather than the Sloane tuners used on the Signature. Also, the Performance has a simpler binding and purfling scheme, but with mahogany bindings that set off the outline of the instrument in a striking and beautiful way.

Over time we will develop a range of variations, such as string lengths, (640mm, 630mm etc,) other materials, (maple, Madagascar rosewood, cypress) and probably a cutaway and a narrow neck version. I hope to see it become a full line of high performance nylon string guitars to fill the needs of many kinds of players.

The Performance Series offers an excellent, world class guitar at a workable price. There are real differences between the Performance and Signature models, they are both very exciting to play, and they both are of a quality and superiority that belies their prices. This new Performance Series offers unique features and a level of quality that is not available anywhere else in the market.

If this strikes you interest please contact you local dealer and ask to try one out, or contact us with any questions at 1-800-262-8858, or email me at khill@hillguitar.com.