Gloria! - Tanglewood Sundance TW12 – September 2004

Meet Gloria

She’s been Sarah’s Mum’s guitar for many years, and as you can see, she’s been very well looked after. She’s in great shape for a 22 year old guitar. Now it’s time for new adventures.

Tanglewood Sundance TW12 – September 2004

The full-sized dreadnought has long been the gold standard for singer-songwriters, folk players and acoustic purists alike. Huge, rich and resonant, with enough natural projection to properly fill a room, it’s the acoustic you reach for when you want every chord to feel alive.

The downside?

Guitars with this much depth, quality timber and outright presence usually demand a serious financial investment.

The original Tanglewood Sundance TW12 changes that.

Manufactured in September 2004, this beautiful dreadnought comes from Tanglewood’s highly regarded earlier premium era, before so many modern production lines began replacing traditional materials with synthetic alternatives. She is absolutely packed with features that are becoming increasingly difficult to find at an accessible price point: a solid Engelmann spruce top, premium mahogany back and sides, a solid one-piece mahogany neck with a traditional reinforcing volute, a genuine East Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and a real compensated bone nut and saddle.

Better still, she has something no brand-new guitar can simply manufacture: more than two decades of natural ageing.

Over time, that solid spruce top has gradually opened up, developing a deeper, warmer and more mature resonance. The result is a broad, room-filling voice with rich lows, clear articulation and the kind of natural warmth that only comes from an acoustic that has had years to settle into itself.

And she’s every bit as beautiful as she sounds.

Finished in an elegant natural satin that allows the timber to take centre stage, she is set off by a traditional tortoiseshell-style pickguard and stunning concentric green abalone and timber rosette rings surrounding the soundhole. She’s understated, traditional and classy—but once the light catches that spruce top and abalone detailing, she still knows exactly how to turn heads.

When she arrived with us, however, time had begun to take its toll on her playability. Her fret ends had developed that familiar age-related sharpness, the genuine rosewood fretboard had become incredibly dry, and the old setup simply wasn’t allowing that beautifully aged top to deliver everything it was capable of.

Jordan got straight to work.

He began with a complete fret level, crown and mirror polish across all 20 frets, removing uneven wear, roughness and the potential for unwanted buzzing. Every fret end was then individually dressed before the fretboard edges were carefully hand-rolled, taking away that sharp, stiff factory feel and giving the neck a smooth, comfortable, broken-in character that melts into your hand.

The East Indian rosewood fretboard then received a thorough deep clean and intensive conditioning treatment using our preparatory restoration system, bringing back its rich, dark lustre and leaving the playing surface slick, healthy and beautifully smooth.

Attention then turned to the bone nut and saddle. Jordan precision-filed and adjusted both to bring the action down to a comfortable, responsive height while improving first-position playability, tuning stability and overall feel. Combined with a full truss-rod adjustment and precise setup, she now plays with a beautifully low action that remains clean, articulate and completely buzz-free right across the neck.

To finish the mechanical work, she received a fresh set of premium Rotosound Nexus Acoustic Light 12–54 strings. These polymer-coated strings offer excellent longevity, a wonderfully smooth feel and a rich, crisp response that pairs beautifully with the warmth and maturity of the aged Engelmann spruce.

Her Fishman preamp and onboard electronics were also thoroughly cleaned and serviced before being fitted with a fresh 9V battery, leaving her ready to move effortlessly from the sofa to the studio or straight onto the stage.

The result is a genuinely special acoustic: powerful enough to command a room, mature enough to deliver warmth and depth in the studio, and comfortable enough to keep you playing long after you meant to put her down.

Whether you’re looking for a studio-ready acoustic, a campfire cannon that can cut through a room without breaking a sweat, or a beautifully aged instrument to learn, write and grow with, this original Tanglewood Sundance TW12 is ready for her next chapter.