Little Star

"LITTLE STAR": a small jewel of a Parlour guitar with a 22 1/8" scale and a 12" wide lower bout. The back, sides and head plate of this guitar are made of Ziricote. The neck is Spanish Cedar with an adjustable truss rod, and is fitted to the body with a dove tail joint. The unkerfed linings are Cypress and the bindings are Koa. The fingerboard is Ebony and the bridge is Brazilian Rosewood. The rosette and fingerboard inlay is Green Snail. The face, bracing and internal blocks are Adirondack Spruce. The nut and saddle are Ivory as are the bridge and strap pins - which also have dots of Green Snail in Gold rings. This guitar is finished with oil varnish and has a clear acetate pick guard. The guitar is equipped with Gold Waverly tuners with Black Pearl buttons. Little star lives happily ever-after in the arms of performing and recording artist and music teacher Mary Z. Cox. Mary has this to say about Little Star, " If you pick up a guitar and it says, “Take me, I’m yours,” then that’s the one for you.---Frank Zappa

There is a chapter in Philip Toshio Sudo’s, Zen Guitar, called “Pick Up Your Guitar.”
Here is a bit of his advice on choosing the perfect guitar for his Zen method.
# Go into the world and find the instrument that’s waiting for you, the one you are meant to play.
# There’s an instrument for everyone.
# What’s important is that when you pick it up, it makes a sound that’s beautiful to you.
# Avoid poor craftsmanship; it’s a sign of a poor spirit.
# Learn to identify quality and appreciate anything that’s well made, wherever you find it.

Ken Miller certainly didn’t have me in mind for Little Star when he built her with care and spirit,
but even a banjo picker could tell from the first time she held Little Star, that this was a very
special guitar filled with wonder and special tunes.
Ken, I couldn’t be happier with this guitar. Love the ziricote, Spanish cedar, green snail, ivory,
gold and especially the black pearl tuning buttons. I love it that even with the parlour sized body
—it still has a full bodied guitar voice.
I can gently touch a note and it rings out loud and clear — perfect for a student of Zen guitar.
Thanks so much Ken and Virginia for building such a spirited and wonderful guitar pal for me.

Mary Z. Cox

You can check out Mary's website at: www.maryzcox.com and www.secretbanjo.blogspot.com