Hey, this is my guy Dan's shop, Northern Lights in Littleton, NH. He's the one adjusting the controls.
I've personally played this exact Skylark and debated between it, a resin-injected buckeye burl Further, and a Further in Ziricote that I wound up settling on. It was a hard choice and about a $10k price difference between the Further I chose and the Skylark, but I went with the Ziricote Further based on its aesthetics, options, appointments, and slightly more sound capabilities. The only reason I felt it played slightly better than the other two was because of the bound birds-eye maple neck.
That all being said, the Skylark was fantastic, it sang beautifully, and I personally liked it better than the buckeye Further in terms of playability. Excellent tone and adjustability to the point which I struggled to make the decision to pay a considerable amount more for something I really liked, or save some cash and trade up in the future. I'm personally not a huge zebrawood fan, and I was looking for a guitar that will become "my instrument" and not one I sell off to find "my instrument" in the future. The bound fretboard is a personal preference for me on all guitars, and I resonated with the Further I chose for its elegant presentation and timeless appearance.
If I had been more financially restricted, the skylark would have come home and I would have been just as happy with it adjusting to its aesthetics. If I wasn't as restricted as I am, they both would have come home with me. But I can personally attest that this Skylark is a great player and sounds phenomenal, but unfortunately just not my look. Whoever winds up with it is going to be ecstatic about it.
