Charles Cao, 2025

Some guitars impress immediately. Others reveal, within a few notes, that they were built for serious music making.

This 2025 cedar double top from Charles Cao was collected directly from the maker’s workshop in Chengdu, China, and very quickly distinguished itself as a complete modern concert instrument: immediate, powerful, richly colored, balanced, and remarkably controllable.

It proved impossible to put down during extended playing sessions, consistently drawing the player back night after night. That kind of response is always telling.

Visually, the guitar is restrained and purposeful. A simple rosette, clean lines, and a minimalist aesthetic keep the focus exactly where it belongs, on sound. Beneath that understatement lies a double top design capable of explosive projection across the register, with crystalline trebles, a vast and open bass, and an unusually broad dynamic range that remains stable even at the softest volumes.

It is a serious concert guitar in every sense of the word, and a standout example of Charles Cao’s modern work.

Key Features

• Top: Cedar double top with Nomex core

• Bracing: Five fan bracing with targeted reinforcements

• Back and sides: Wenge, chosen for its Brazilian rosewood like tonal character

• Finish: French polished back and sides

• Nut width: 52 mm

• Neck profile: Comfortable modern C shape

• Playability features: Raised fingerboard, scooped heel for upper fret access

• Fingerboard markers: 5th, 7th, and 12th fret

• Headstock: Manuel Ramirez inspired silhouette associated with several modern makers

• Strings: D’Addario XTC45FF with a nylon high tension Pro Arte first string

Sound and Playability

Across the register, this guitar feels immediate and alive under the right hand. The first string is vibrant and sensitive, offering crystalline clarity and an unusually broad dynamic palette. Soft playing remains stable and focused, while harder attacks unlock impressive headroom.

The second string blends seamlessly with the nylon first despite the carbon setup, avoiding the muted quality sometimes heard on new guitars. The third remains colorful and articulate even high up the neck.

The basses are open and expansive in the best modern double top tradition, with real punch available on demand and an easy path toward a cello like bloom. The fifth string can be driven aggressively without losing refinement, and the sixth is large, responsive, and deeply satisfying.

Upper register work feels natural thanks to the raised fingerboard and scooped heel, while the neck profile disappears in the hand. Balance, speed, and control define the overall playing experience.

Currently strung with D’Addario XTC45FF, featuring carbon G and B strings paired with a nylon high tension first string, a setup that complements the guitar’s clarity and projection while preserving tonal color.

About the Luthier

Charles Cao is a highly accomplished builder and guitarist whose work is informed by close study of exceptional historical and modern instruments. While his double top might be his most exciting work yet, it rests on the deep foundation of hundreds of traditionally built guitars built by him and his brother, giving his modern designs a rare blend of refinement and authority.

Brand new 2025 guitar, collected directly from the maker.