Iris RCM-000 12-Fret #1672 - relic natural

Iris Guitar Company is an American firm founded in 2018 by luthier Adam Buchwald. He and his small team of highly experienced and passionate luthiers craft high-end acoustic guitars in small batches using traditional methods.
Inspired by legendary vintage acoustics from the 1930s through the 1950s, Iris guitars prioritize absolute tonal quality and impeccable all-solid-wood construction over ornamentation that would quickly drive up prices. This allows you to purchase a custom-shop-grade instrument at a reasonable price.

Available in various body styles—DF (dreadnought slope shoulder), D-WH (dreadnought square shoulder), WE (orchestra model), MS-00, RCM-000 12-Fret, OG (Iris proprietary body style) —Iris guitars are fundamentally equipped with a Sitka spruce top, a body and neck made of Honduran mahogany, a rosewood fingerboard, Adirondack spruce bracing, and a Relic nitrocellulose finish.
Their distinctly vintage-inspired tones share common characteristics: a warm, organic character; rich, lively mids; a crisp, dynamic attack; and excellent articulation. Ideal for musical styles ranging from blues to Americana to pop, whether you’re a strummer or a finger-picker.

However, a wide range of options is available upon special order, whether for the top (Adirondack spruce, mahogany, cedar, torrefaction…), the back and sides (Indian, Brazilian, or Madagascar rosewood, Cocobolo, Koa, Walnut, etc.), the neck (African ebony, Madagascar rosewood), certain technical specifications (bracing types, neck profiles, preamps), or finishes.
We encourage you to contact us if you’d like to learn more.

Co-designed by Adam Buchwald and Christian McAdams, this IRIS RCM-000 12-Fret #1672 is a compact model with a standard scale length (25").
It features a “Sinker” Sitka spruce top, a Cocobolo body, a rosewood fingerboard, and a Relic Satin Natural finish.
It offers a balanced frequency response, producing tones that are both warm and well-defined, with remarkable expressiveness.

The "Sinker" Sitka spruce was harvested from logs that had been submerged for long periods in lakes or rivers, allowing minerals to penetrate their structure. This process gives the wood greater density and weight, which is extremely beneficial in terms of tone.

Cocobolo is a type of rosewood native to the forests of Central America. It is highly prized for its attractive appearance and rich tonal range, which give guitars made from it remarkable sonic and stylistic versatility.

The 12-Fret design involves repositioning the neck so that it extends from the body starting at the twelfth fret, with the bridge also moved outward, while maintaining the same scale length (in this case, 25"). This design allows the soundboard to vibrate more freely and reduces string tension. As a result, the instrument’s tone is softened, and playing comfort is improved (String gauges are easier to execute).