Museum

Steel / No. 734

Al Di Meola Guitar — Opus Virtuoso “Ember” (Steel-String OM)

Played by the Al Di Meola since October 2025

SeriesOpus Virtuoso

The story

Played by the Al Di Meola since October 2025

Model: Opus Virtuoso

First in the World guitar introduces the following innovations:

  • ACOUSTIC TUBES inside the guitar neck,
  • S-WAVE top construction
  • ARS back & sides
  • SIGMOIDAL JOINT of the guitar sides
  • African Ebony BRIDGE with DRILLED HOLES encrusted with natural mammoth bone and natural Baltic amber
  • Amber HEADLIGHT
  • Amber BACKLIGHT ROSETTE

Since October 2025 Al Di Meola has been performing on a custom steel-string OM built in our Polish workshop: the Turkowiak Opus Virtuoso “Ember.” It features a curly redwood/Alpine-spruce double-top with S-WAVE resonator, ARS walnut-burl back and sides, and signature Baltic-amber details. This page is the official listing of Al’s guitar.

Looking for the exact sound and feel? Order a sister build of the Opus Virtuoso “Ember”.

Specifications

Double top
Highly-figured Old-growth Flamed Redwood (top) / Alpine Spruce from Tirol (bottom)
Back & Sides
Highly-Figured Black California Walnut Burl
Scale
650 mm
Neck
Asymmetric Turkowiak nylon-steel hybrid neck profile, made of Mod.Magnolia with double dual-action truss-rod
Fingerboard
Elevated, African Ebony with 14″ compound radius inlaid with natural Baltic amber
Head
Plates / Natural Baltic Amber
Shape
Standard, Slotted
Logo
Natural Mammoth Bone
Rosette
Encrusted with Natural Baltic Amber plates and two natural mammoth bone crown logos
Heel
Cap / Natural Baltic amber
Logo
Natural Baltic amber
Comfort
Arm-bevel integrated with the guitar body
Comfort
Rib-bevel integrated with the guitar body
Cutaway
Deep-Florentine (Sharp)
Nut
44.5 mm (1 3/4″), natural mammoth bone, hand-shaped, polished and semi-scalloped
Saddle
RMC Acoustic Gold Tall Deluxe High-profile
Tuners
Highest-quality, handmade Turkowiak Gold ARTuners with ebony buttons, black wood screw inlay, ratio 18:1, with engravings
Binding
African Ebony
Fingerboard markers
Natural mammoth bone side dots diameter 2 mm at 5, 9, 15, 17, 19 frets and concentric 3 mm at 7, 12 (double) frets inlaid with natural Baltic amber
Frets
up to C# (21 frets); EVO-GOLD ArcFret™
Varnish
Highly-resonant, antistatic (own recipe), hand-polished, high-gloss
Sound System
RMC PolyDrive II
Strings
.012″ Phosphor-Bronze
Hardcase
Highest-quality, fitted to the guitar
Warranty
Life-time

About this instrument

Which Turkowiak guitar does Al Di Meola play?

Al Di Meola plays the Turkowiak Opus Virtuoso Ember, a custom steel-string OM guitar, No. 734, handmade in Poland. He has been performing on this instrument since October 2025.

What are the main materials?

Ember has an old-growth flamed redwood and Alpine spruce double-top, Black California Walnut Burl back and sides, and natural Baltic amber details.

Is this exact guitar for sale?

This is Al Di Meola's personal instrument, documented in the Museum. Contact the workshop to discuss a related commission.

Which pickup system is fitted?

Ember is fitted with the RMC PolyDrive II system.