Vintage Limited 1981 Valley Arts Dreadnought - One of Three Produced

Sonic Evaluation

It's a crying shame that Valley Arts only ever made three acoustic guitars, because this is one of my favorite rosewood dreads I've ever played. They're a California company known for their hot-rodded electrics, but this guitar is proof that they may have pursued the wrong calling. Your mileage may vary, but it's like this guitar was tailor-made for my tastes.

It has an insane amount of headroom, so even a player with a sledgehammer for a right-hand like me can't make it sound bad; in fact, it makes me sound good--no mean feat! Its volume ceiling is sky-high, so it sounds open and three-dimensional when you take it to eleven. 

The attack is quite round, and while it is articulate, it has the vibe of a piano being played with a light touch, even when you play really hard. So, the front end of the note has presence, but with a soft boom--like getting smacked with a velvet pillow. It steadfastly refuses to splat out, and it has (to my ears) just about a perfect frequency response. The lows have plenty of power and richness, but so so much as to unbalance or muddy the overall sound. The midrange is surprisingly rich and complex, especially for a rosewood guitar, and the trebles practically glisten with crystalline overtones. 

It all adds up to a guitar with a rich, powerful, authoritative voice that always stays mellifluous; in other words, it's the Laurence Fishburne of guitars! I have no doubt that you'll want to take the blue pill if you give it a few strums, too! 

Condition Report

This mega-rare Valley Arts dreadnought shows typical wear for a vintage instruments that's been making noise for four and a half decades, but it's still in superb shape! It shows light wear from normal use with no egregious gouges or war wounds. There's some very light finish checking, most notable at the fret ends, along the fingerboard, and on the top. The back binding has also separated in a few spots, too. Beyond that, the frets show very light wear (mostly in the first position) and measure .080 inches by .034 inches. It comes with a non-original Guild hardshell case, too. 

• Serial Number

  DREAD

• Brand Name

  Valley Arts

• Model

  Vintage Limited 1981 Valley Arts Dreadnought - One of Three Produced

• Finish Color

  Natural

• Top Wood

  Solid Spruce

• Back & Sides Wood

  Solid Rosewood

• Neck Dimensions

  .820 1st - .940 9th

• Neck Wood

  Mahogany

• Fingerboard Wood

  Rosewood

• Fingerboard Inlays

  Dots

• Frets

  20

• Scale Length

  25.4"

• Nut Width

  1.78"

• Saddle

  Bone

• Tuners

  Closed-Gear Yamahas

• bridge

  Rosewood

• Case

  Non-Original Guild Hardshell Case