The Iris DF is a slope-shouldered dreadnought named after Iris co-founder Dale Fairbanks and modelled closely on the depression-era guitars coming out of Kalamazoo in the mid and late 1930s. Fairbanks describes what he was after as the combination of grit, funk and warmth, and the shape delivers it. This one is built with an Adirondack spruce top over mahogany back and sides - Adirondack being the stiffer choice with more headroom than the standard Sitka, so it keeps its composure when a player digs in rather than compressing. Scalloped Adirondack bracing and a 16-1/4 inch lower bout account for the volume. Finished in tobacco burst. Built by hand in Burlington, Vermont.
