Below is a quick workout with a Stefan Sobell African Blackwood New World guitar. I first came across Stefan’s instruments at a Martin Simpson workshop a number of years ago. I have always enjoyed Martin’s sound and for many years he exclusively used Sobells. My first Sobell was a model 0 which I bought second hand and then after hearing Martin’s African Blackwood New World. Stefan made three of these, Jackson Browne has the other one.
I commissioned one myself and have never heard any other guitar that sounds anything like this. After playing mostly ukes, it seems HUGE.
Since then I have also bought a mandola from Stefan which is also terrific. Stefans instruments are custom hand builds and quite unlike anything else except Takahiro Shimos instruments, although Stefan doesn’t build ukuleles.