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  #1  
Old 11-01-2009, 03:54 PM
SuperB23 SuperB23 is offline
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Thumbs up A review of My McAlister 12 Fret Dread

Here is my review of my new guitar.

I did this review using the Harmony Central format.

McAlister 12 Fret D-18 Review

Features: This guitar was built by Roy McAlister, who builds custom handmade acoustic guitars. He has in the past worked for and built guitars for the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. He builds a wide range of different sizes and shapes of guitars. Both David Crosby and Jackson Browne Play McAlister guitars. My guitar is his version of an early 30’s 12 Fret Martin D-18 dread. It has an Adirondack Top and beautiful figured Honduran mahogany back and sides all solid construction. It has Adirondack Spruce bracing constructed with Hide glue. It has an ebony bridge and fretboard with fossilized walrus ivory nut and saddle. It has multiple black white purfling and abalone rosette with brazilian rosewood binding on the top back. It has a solid carved Honduras mahogany neck with volute. The overall guitar is very lightly built!! It also has a K&K Pure Western mini pick up installed. It also has a Cedar Creek Case. It has 1 13/16” nut with 24 ¾” scale length. It has Gold Waverly tuners with ebony buttons.

Sound: This guitar has a huge powerful round sound!! Notes just jump out of it with ease. It seems to respond well to a light touch as well. This is hands down the best sounding 12 Fret Dread I’ve ever played. I played it this morning in front of about 2500 people and the pickup sounded great as well!! I do wish it had a volume control but I can live with out it.

Action, Fit, & Finish: The guitar was setup well with 12’s at my request and it plays very well with no issues that I can see all the way up the neck.

After looking this entire guitar over inside and out, I cannot find a single issue each purfling line looks perfect. Inside the guitar is very clean. The brazilian rosewood headstock, overlay, neck, and tuners look very nice and stylish. The finish is very shiny but not too thick nitro! The wood selections for the top and back woods are all top notch!! I haven’t seen Mahogany look this nice!! The Adi top is also some of the best I’ve seen.

Reliability/Durability: Only time will tell I guess. The Cedar Creek case should help greatly with this since it is built like a tank.

Customer Support: Roy McAlister is an email away and has been helpful responding to emails in a timely manner.

Overall Rating: McAlister guitars really are 2nd to none. I had more than one person tell me this. The two McAlister guitars I’ve played this being one of them are mind boggling guitars unbelievable tone. They are amazing to listen too and play!!! Incredibly resonant and powerful, bringing out the best in what the wood and each model size has too offer!!!!

Here is what Roy has to say about the woods on this guitar!

"Your guitar had some spectacular "beeswing" figured
antique Honduran mahogany. I recycle old mahogany from antiques, since most of the mahogany available today just can't hold a candle to the old, true Honduran mahogany (which is now protected and no longer harvested). That set came from a set of old table leaves that were approximately 100 - 120 years old.

The Adirondack spruce on that guitar is of the highest quality. I get my
spruce from a guy who is one of the only remaining people allowed to
legally remove windfall and downed trees in the high altitude of the
Adirondacks. I don't get much from him, but what I get is like the prewar
quality."

Here is a youtube video of me playing this guitar so you can get an idea as too what it sounds like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McyL53BWpp8

The song You Love Me on www.myspace.com/bobbyswanson is also this guitar.

Here are some pics.













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  #2  
Old 11-01-2009, 04:50 PM
Misifus Misifus is offline
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Gorgeous! And, I've yet to hear a bad McAllister.

-Raf
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  #3  
Old 11-01-2009, 06:47 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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It's a great guitar - Roy is incapable of making a bad one, in my experience.

Congratulations. I just used my McAlister baritone in church this morning, and its roar filled the sanctuary like a choir of lower register angels!


Wade Hampton "Serious Roy McAlister Fan" Miller
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Old 11-01-2009, 06:54 PM
Martin_Nut Martin_Nut is offline
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Bobby,

That is a beauty! Wonderful looking Mahogany on that one, and I bet a beautiful sounding 12 fret - Congrats!
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Old 11-01-2009, 07:03 PM
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Diamondave Diamondave is offline
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bet it sounds AMAZING! Put up one of those youtube clips if you ever get a chance... Very classy, enjoy!
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Old 11-01-2009, 07:27 PM
Duncan121 Duncan121 is offline
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Thank You for posting. I'm currently dreaming of a 12 fret dread and you just turned my attention to Roy's work. Awesome!
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Old 11-01-2009, 07:34 PM
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drcmusic7 drcmusic7 is offline
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Congrats! What a beautiful looking guitar! Hope you enjoy it for years to come...

Kindly,
Danny
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  #8  
Old 11-01-2009, 11:09 PM
airguitarro airguitarro is offline
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Congratulations on the splendid looking guitar. I don't usually like the look nor the size of dreadnoughts too much, but that one could just about change my mind! If it looks as nice as it sounds, you've definitely got a winner there...

BTW is that Rick Ruskin's dread that he was selling?


Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperB23 View Post
Here is my review of my new guitar.

I did this review using the Harmony Central format.

McAlister 12 Fret D-18 Review

Features: This guitar was built by Roy McAlister, who builds custom handmade acoustic guitars. He has in the past worked for and built guitars for the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. He builds a wide range of different sizes and shapes of guitars. My guitar is his version of an early 30’s 12 Fret Martin D-18 dread. It has an Adirondack Top and beautiful figured Honduran mahogany back and sides all solid construction. It has Adirondack Spruce bracing constructed with Hide glue. It has an ebony bridge and fretboard with fossilized walrus ivory nut and saddle. It has multiple black white purfling and abalone rosette with brazilian rosewood binding on the top back. It has a solid carved Honduras mahogany neck with volute. The overall guitar is very lightly built!! It also has a K&K Pure Western mini pick up installed. It also has a Cedar Creek Case. It has 1 13/16” nut with 24 ¾” scale length. It has Gold Waverly tuners with ebony buttons.

Sound: This guitar has a huge powerful round sound!! Notes just jump out of it with ease. It seems to respond well to a light touch as well. This is hands down the best sounding 12 Fret Dread I’ve ever played. I played it this morning in front of about 2500 people and the pickup sounded great as well!! I do wish it had a volume control but I can live with out it.

Action, Fit, & Finish: The guitar was setup well with 12’s at my request and it plays very well with no issues that I can see all the way up the neck.

After looking this entire guitar over inside and out, I cannot find a single issue each purfling line looks perfect. Inside the guitar is very clean. The brazilian rosewood headstock, overlay, neck, and tuners look very nice and stylish. The finish is very shiny but not too thick nitro! The wood selections for the top and back woods are all top notch!! I haven’t seen Mahogany look this nice!! The Adi top is also some of the best I’ve seen.

Reliability/Durability: Only time will tell I guess. The Cedar Creek case should help greatly with this since it is built like a tank.

Customer Support: Roy McAlister is an email away and has been helpful responding to emails in a timely manner.

Overall Rating: McAlister guitars really are 2nd to none. I had more than one person tell me this. The two McAlister guitars I’ve played this being one of them are mind boggling guitars unbelievable tone. They are amazing to listen too and play!!! Incredibly resonant and powerful, bringing out the best in what the wood and each model size has too offer!!!!

Here are some pics. I will try and post some sound clips or a video later.













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  #9  
Old 11-01-2009, 11:34 PM
SuperB23 SuperB23 is offline
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No this wasn't Ricks Guitar.
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  #10  
Old 11-01-2009, 11:44 PM
hurricanebob hurricanebob is offline
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That he made that guitar from an old dining room table is really, really cool. That is recycling taken to a higher level!
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  #11  
Old 11-02-2009, 09:14 AM
SGretsch001 SGretsch001 is offline
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Wow that mahogany is stunning. Using antiques to get old wood is a really good idea. Very very sweet guitar, I would love to play a McAlister.


Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperB23 View Post
No this wasn't Ricks Guitar.

Here is what Roy has to say about the woods on this guitar!

"Your guitar had some spectacular "beeswing" figured
antique Honduran mahogany. I recycle old mahogany from antiques, since most of the mahogany available today just can't hold a candle to the old, true Honduran mahogany (which is now protected and no longer harvested). That set came from a set of old table leaves that were approximately 100 - 120 years old.

The Adirondack spruce on that guitar is of the highest quality. I get my
spruce from a guy who is one of the only remaining people allowed to
legally remove windfall and downed trees in the high altitude of the
Adirondacks. I don't get much from him, but what I get is like the prewar
quality."
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  #12  
Old 11-02-2009, 10:31 AM
Martin_Nut Martin_Nut is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperB23 View Post
No this wasn't Ricks Guitar.

Here is what Roy has to say about the woods on this guitar!

"Your guitar had some spectacular "beeswing" figured
antique Honduran mahogany. I recycle old mahogany from antiques, since most of the mahogany available today just can't hold a candle to the old, true Honduran mahogany (which is now protected and no longer harvested). That set came from a set of old table leaves that were approximately 100 - 120 years old.

The Adirondack spruce on that guitar is of the highest quality. I get my
spruce from a guy who is one of the only remaining people allowed to
legally remove windfall and downed trees in the high altitude of the
Adirondacks. I don't get much from him, but what I get is like the prewar
quality."
That's interesting - I have an old family Mahogany dining table with ten leaves, circa 1910 or earlier. Came from a family home where it had sat since 1925. The thing stretches to sit about twenty without a problem. I've daydreamed occasionally about the guitars you could build out of that thing ... though my wife would kill me (maybe just one or two leaves ... ?).
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  #13  
Old 11-02-2009, 10:58 AM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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Congratulations!

What's going on with that color change just below the tuner slots on the back of the headstock?
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  #14  
Old 11-02-2009, 11:20 AM
Coke_zero Coke_zero is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Klepper View Post
Congratulations!

What's going on with that color change just below the tuner slots on the back of the headstock?
I was wondering that myself.
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  #15  
Old 11-02-2009, 12:15 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Klepper View Post
Congratulations!

What's going on with that color change just below the tuner slots on the back of the headstock?
Howard, Roy laminates a peghead veneer on the backs of his pegheads as well as the front on a regular basis. All three of mine have had that.

At first glance I thought that might be the case with this guitar, as well, but on closer examination that's the same wood as the neck and headstock, but it's been dyed a darker shade.

My guess is that Roy wanted the color on the back of the peghead to correspond more closely to the color of the rosewood veneer on the front. I haven't asked him about this particular guitar, but it's an educated guess.


whm
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