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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. |
#2
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Gorgeous! And, I've yet to hear a bad McAllister.
-Raf
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-Raf |
#3
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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 |
#4
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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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Ryan MGC EIR/Sitka Doerr SJ Legacy Select MadRose/German Omega MJC EIR/German Baranik CX Mad Rose/Western Red Cedar |
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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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onedayatatime |
#6
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Thank You
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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"Dying on the Vine EP" available on itunes 2004 Martin D41 2006 Guild D40 "The Future of Whistling"......Daniel Duncan |
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Congrats! What a beautiful looking guitar! Hope you enjoy it for years to come...
Kindly, Danny |
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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:
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No this wasn't Ricks Guitar.
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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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Eastman AR805CE Hoffman Concert Heritage 150CM Taylor 355CE-12 Martin backpacker |
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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:
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Sean |
#12
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Quote:
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Ryan MGC EIR/Sitka Doerr SJ Legacy Select MadRose/German Omega MJC EIR/German Baranik CX Mad Rose/Western Red Cedar |
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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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"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
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I was wondering that myself.
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Quote:
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 |