This Gaiero OMC was begun as one of Mark Gaiero’s final personal builds before leaving the Somogyi workshop and relocating to Portland to establish his own shop. The Florentine-cutaway body pairs a German spruce soundboard with straight-grained Granadillo (Platymiscium yucatanum) back and sides, while a flamed cherry neck, super-dark Katalox fingerboard and bridge, and black Rocklite binding complete the primary material palette. The centerpiece is a new variation of Gaiero’s evolving rosette design. His visual language at the time focused on vivid color, strong contrast, and geometric patterns, and here those ideas are expressed through a sequence of three-dimensional cube motifs emerging from the otherwise dark rosette. Each cube was assembled from individually dyed pieces of basswood, creating a gradual transition from muted tones to intense color against the pale German spruce top. The guitar combines that playful graphic element with an otherwise restrained contemporary aesthetic: dark Katalox appointments, black binding, a clean Granadillo back and the sharp geometry of the Florentine cutaway allow the rosette to remain the visual focal point. A 25.25-inch scale, 1 3/4-inch nut, 2 1/4-inch saddle spacing, EVO Gold frets, Gotoh 510 Mini tuners and nitro finish complete the specification, making this an early example of the colorful geometric identity that would become increasingly recognizable in Gaiero’s independent work.
