Nancy Conescu

"Mike's guitar has it all - beautiful lines, quality workmanship, terrific sound and great response. The ergonomic modifications are wondrous. I can pound away on it all night and not be in pain when the gig's done."

Nancy Conescu is an internationally respected guitarist and vocalist. She plays Irish music festivals and clubs in Ireland, Japan and the USA, and performs regularly here in Portland, OR. She has performed with Gerry Harrington, Joannie Madden, Andy McGann, Martin Hayes, Patrick Ourceau, Randal Bays, Brian Conway, John Redmond, Linda Hickman and Pat Kilbride.

I modified my steel-string guitar design for Nancy to address her problems with shoulder bursitis. I beveled the top back where her right arm rests; I also made the upper side of the body narrower than the lower side, turning the body profile into a wedge; finally, I cut another bevel out of the side where the guitar sits on her right leg. These ergonomic modifications move the instrument forward and out away from her to aid in accessing the high frets when playing in a seated position, while keeping her right arm and shoulder in a more natural position. The resulting instrument is now her main performing guitar, and she no longer experiences any shoulder problems from playing.