TGF Customs - How did they sound?

[scegla]

Ok folks, you got to go, look, listen, play, eat, laugh, and have an overall great time. Tell me about the two 'customs' that Bob built. Were tonal combinations interesting? exciting? a disappointment?

Man, I wish I could have gone but deadlines at work...

[buddiesorg]

I thought the maple/cedar was way too bright and thin ... I can see why they stick with sitka ... I wonder what Engelmann might sound like ...

The rosewood/redwood didn't do anything for me at first ... sounded like a rosewood/cedar guitar ... but after playing it after midnight when it was quieter, I started hearing something intriguing about it ... not enough for me to buy one now, but enough to make me actively seek out redwood guitars and see what nuances it brings. But my initial thoughts are that redwood is to cedar as adirondack is to sitka. Cedar and sitka do the job well, but there seems to be an added dimension with redwood and adirondack.

[J.R. Rogers]

I'm not sure what guitars Mary was playing... :) Both combinations sounded great! The W65 was "thin". The maple/cedar definitely was not. The Rosewood Redwood really sounded "alive", though. It sounded a bit like cedar but with more punch and maybe a slightly hotter midrange. I think most everyone else agreed as we nearly depleted the huge stack of redwood tops that they brought out. They even went back a second and maybe even a third time for more tops.

I was more impressed with the rosewood / redwood initially, so I didn't give the maple/cedar much of a chance. However, around 1am, after the performance venue had cleared out and I was all alone, I spent about 10 minutes with the Maple/Cedar, and really grew to like it. Michael Woo was listening, and he said it sounded great, also. You really need the chance to play them in a quiet environment to really get the full impact of the sound, and understand how these combinations compare to others.

J.R.

[jeffrey]

I didn't play the maple/cedar guitar enough to really give a sound opinion. I can say however that it was beautiful.

This was because...

I couldn't put down the rosewood/redwood guitar!

God that thing was great. Probably more suited to my style than Mary's (I have a pretty strong attack; or so I've been told hehe).

For me it was very tight, punchy and articulate. Just what I was looking for. :)

[Mike Carter]

I really liked the Redwood/Rosewood guitar.

I played it quite a bit
if the opportunity ever arises I would to to get one.

I also played the Maple/Cedar, but only for a few minutes. I liked the Redwood guitar much better, but I would not turn this one down if the right deal ever came around.

Oh heck I just love them all, I have yet to hear a Taylor that I didn't like. going in that room and having all those Beautiful Taylors there for us to play as long as we wished was like going to heaven. They litterally had every model they make, in several different wood combos surrounding the walls in custom display Hutches. What an experience.

[Doug L.]

I don't think I picked up a single guitar over the weekend that I did not like. However, I had some favorites. Waaaaay too many to list. Taylor makes it very, very hard to not to like their guitars. They all play so well... Bob Taylor and staff rocks!!!

Doug L. :)

[SonShine]

Remembering individual guitars now is a little difficult considering we were able to play so many (definitely one of the highlights was being able to just go over and pickup one out of 40-50 Taylor guitars whenever I wanted to!!).

But, I definitely liked the Redwood/Rosewood guitar. I was considering ordering that exact combo, but I liked the look of the Cocobolo. Besides, Bob T. didn't think it would be a bad combination and was I going to argue with him?

[J.R. Rogers]

Originally posted by SonShine
But, I definitely liked the Redwood/Rosewood guitar. I was considering ordering that exact combo, but I liked the look of the Cocobolo. Besides, Bob T. didn't think it would be a bad combination and was I going to argue with him?

Cool! I know it's going to be a great guitar. I can't wait to hear about it. The new bracing and the redwood top? Sounds like a great recipe for tone.

J.R.

[ScottyMac]

I agree with J.R. Both guitars were great, but I really liked the redwood version.

In fact, I liked it so much that I ordered one. The only difference from the Taylorstock version is that I deleted the electronics, got a clear pickguard, got fiddleback mahogany for the neck, and ordered Schaller tuners.

I can't wait.

[meridian]

The W65 was "thin". --JR

just shows you why they make so many different models. To my ear, the W65 is sweet and warm, not at all "thin." Listening to you and Jennifer, Mary and then Mark play in that little 12 string circle at TS confirmed to me that I like that W65 sound. JMO! YMMV!

[buddiesorg]

I was really trying to love that W65 ... add another 12 string ... but it didn't do anything for me. The only thing it did was confirm my decision to part with it a few years ago. You know, JR, I was starting to think maybe I shouldn't have let that stunning set of walnut go (and I know you thought about it, too) ... that somehow my tastes have changed since ... but I'm glad I moved on to other things.

[david_m]

I agree with Jeffrey in that the bigger your attack the better the redwood guitar sounded. Given my style the redwood didn't do much for me. But, if you're a flat picker or can play that awesome slap/funk cool as nails style that Jeffrey plays then the redwood is THE choice. I don't think those of us with a less aggressive style can really get the redwood to perform at its' optimum. Those who like to pop the guitar or dirve it hard would have been in love.

David

[buddiesorg]

David, that's part of the reason I said that cedar is to redwood like sitka is to Adirondack. Both redwood and Adirondack need extra energy to get the top moving and sound magical. I probably will get a redwood guitar one day, just as I've embraced Adirondack. I just need to figure out the combination of woods ... I'm kind of thinking koa ... just can't get that wood out of my head ...

[J.R. Rogers]

Originally posted by buddiesorg
I was really trying to love that W65 ... add another 12 string ... but it didn't do anything for me. The only thing it did was confirm my decision to part with it a few years ago. You know, JR, I was starting to think maybe I shouldn't have let that stunning set of walnut go (and I know you thought about it, too) ... that somehow my tastes have changed since ... but I'm glad I moved on to other things.

Me too. I owned the NAMM W65 in the gallery after Mary owned it. While it was one of the prettiest guitars I've ever seen, I don't regret parting with it. It sounded a bit like a tin can to my ears. Walnut is a pretty hard wood, and tops need to vibrate. Because the walnut can't vibrate very much, it doesn't approach the "punch" of spruce or cedar. Same with Koa tops. But sound is subjective, and what might sound undesireable to one person, might sound great to another. It's a good thing Bob makes so many models.

I'll be sure to report on the redwood/mahogany combo when my Taylorstock guitar arrives.
J.R.

[buddiesorg]

You know, JR ... that's why I was so surprised to see the 655 up for sale ... it seemed we had the same view of 12-strings, and the 655 is just "it". I told you about how I was disappointed that the 12-string GA I decided I liked the most was the 654 ... this was because I think the most 12-string guitars I should have is 2 ... and I couldn't justify 2 maple 12-strings ... and I couldn't give up the jumbo for the GA.

[J.R. Rogers]

Originally posted by buddiesorg
You know, JR ... that's why I was so surprised to see the 655 up for sale ... it seemed we had the same view of 12-strings, and the 655 is just "it". I told you about how I was disappointed that the 12-string GA I decided I liked the most was the 654 ... this was because I think the most 12-string guitars I should have is 2 ... and I couldn't justify 2 maple 12-strings ... and I couldn't give up the jumbo for the GA.

Mary, you're right. I definitely regret having to sell the prettiest 655CE I've ever seen in my life. But honestly, I've played the thing maybe 10 hours total since I bought it in 2000. That's why I can't justify more than one 12-string, and probably why you wouldn't have more than two. The 655CE has an awesome "jangly" 12-string sound. My biggest problem with it is that I'm not a very big guy and after playing the 655CE for a few minutes, my right arm goes to sleep because the edge of the guitar kind of digs into the inside of your your upper arm. When I picked up the 654CE, I thought "ahhhhh, how comfortable! This just feels natural."

After listening to, playing and comparing the 654CE and the 854CE, I decided that I liked the new 854CE better, because it has more punch in the low end, and the midrange isn't washed out as much by the high strings. That was cocobolo. How will Ziricote sound? I don't know. Bob went to great lengths to select the right Engelmann spruce top to go with the Ziricote back and sides. He was specifically looking for one with some more stiffness in the middle. I trust that he picked the right one. He said that he thinks I will be very happy with the sound of a Ziricote/Engelmann 12-string. I am guessing that it will be a bit brighter than cocobolo, and a little closer to the sound of the 654CE, but I could be wrong. Long term, will I like this sound better? Only time will tell. If I don't, I'll be ordering a 654CE. I'll probably never own another jumbo, though. I just need to be comfortable when I'm playing and I can't get around the jumbo very easily.

My Ziricote 854CE-LTD will be the first and only one made when it's completed. Unless someone orders one through the Taylor custom shop, it will likely remain that way, too. I was told by a reliable source at the factory, that due to some of the problems that they had with Ziricote cracking, they likely wont use it anymore.

Ahhhh..... This wood is simply gorgeous!
http://stringsnthings.org/hsguitar/GIFs/GSGWb.jpg

J.R.

[buddiesorg]

I'm glad you're getting it, JR. And I do understand about the size thing. Funny thing is that I don't have a problem with Taylor jumbos as much as I do with my Goodall. I can usually play the 655 for 50 minutes if I'm not going to play anything else (well, this is with the heavy gauge strings) ... and I do understand that you didn't play the 655 as it is very much. I wasn't exaggerating when I said I played the 655 the week after I got it back with heavy guage strings more than I had played it since I had gotten it two years ago. Actually, I would think I probably played it more that week than the total playing time on all 12-strings I've ever played.

I was so enthralled with the guitar, it turned into such a different instrument, I'd be so sad when I had to put it down less than an hour later ... so I played it morning and night, as much as I could. I must have put over 10-12 hours just in the first week. And although I don't pull it out as often now, I'm still playing it at least 2 hours a month.

When I think about the GSGW, and the other ziricote guitars I've played (I've played just a few, not enough to really gain a real sense of the tonal qualities ... so I may be way off) ... I think you'll find the treble to be similar to the 654 in clarity, but a bit less volume wise. The bass will probably probably be closest to an 754, with fewer overtones.

And, yes ... I like that set of ziricote quite a bit :) ... you remember how excited I was when I found out I was going to get that particular guitar ... I never did get to see your set. Any pictures of your wood?

[J.R. Rogers]

Originally posted by buddiesorg
I think you'll find the treble to be similar to the 654 in clarity, but a bit less volume wise. The bass will probably probably be closest to an 754, with fewer overtones.

And, yes ... I like that set of ziricote quite a bit :) ... you remember how excited I was when I found out I was going to get that particular guitar ... I never did get to see your set. Any pictures of your wood?

You're probably right about the sound. I anticipate that it will have more treble response thatn the cocobolo and a bit less punch. So basically, it should be somewhere between the jangly treble response of the 654CE and the punchy bass and midrange of the 854CE. Should be a nice combination. We'll see.

I don't think I have any pictures of my wood. It's a very rough set. One side looked like they had dug it out of the mud out in back of the factory. But the other side of the wood showed some real pretty figuring. Once they get it planed down, it should look really nice.

J.R.