Klepper - SSD curly Oregon Claro - new sound clips added

[Carey]

That's a beautiful guitar with a *very pleasing* body shape. Congratulations!

[murrmac123]

Congratulations Todd ... Howard has done a superb job there.

Looking forward to hearing the sound clips in due course.

Thanks for all the kind words. I'm finishing a review that I will post later today or this weekend. Work has been a bit more hectic than I had hoped, so I that has been delayed a bit.

In summary before the full review, I'll just say that I am delighted after the first few days. The guitar is beautiful, feels perfect in my hand, and does not sound at all "green" as you might expect from a brand new instrument. I really couldn't be more pleased. Howard was great to work with, and I can be a bit obsessive about certain things.

Here are a couple of short sound clips straight from the DAW on my iPad. They don't do the guitar justice, but my hands probably never will. This is the guitar equivalent of "marrying up" I suppose. I've been fortunate in that department.

just some chords

a short sample

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

Thanks for all the kind words. I'm finishing a review that I will post later today or this weekend. Work has been a bit more hectic than I had hoped, so I that has been delayed a bit.

In summary before the full review, I'll just say that I am delighted after the first few days. The guitar is beautiful, feels perfect in my hand, and does not sound at all "green" as you might expect from a brand new instrument. I really couldn't be more pleased. Howard was great to work with, and I can be a bit obsessive about certain things.

Here are a couple of short sound clips straight from the DAW on my iPad. They don't do the guitar justice, but my hands probably never will. This is the guitar equivalent of "marrying up" I suppose. I've been fortunate in that department.

just some chords

a short sample

I have to say that your experience mirrors mine with working with Howard. He was a delight to work with and the guitar is a joy to play...congrats...

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

I have to say that your experience mirrors mine with working with Howard. He was a delight to work with and the guitar is a joy to play...congrats...

It has been delightful for me indeed. Hopefully it was just as nice for Howard. Working with an engineer can be a load!

Here's my summation, written and revised in the first few days since I got the guitar.

The guitar sounded great when I first tuned it up, but I was determined to contain myself and make a realistic assessment, good or bad. I’ve played the guitar over the last few days, mostly at night, but I have also taken it to work with me every day. I've played both Bluegrass to test the projection and power, and more sedate singer-songwriter sort of things such as Guy Clark, John Prine, Bob Dylan, etc. The more I play it the more I can hear the strong bass, the thick trebles, and feel the quick response up and down the neck. I don’t play up the neck too much, but I do capo a lot, so that is one of my tests for a great guitar. It must not “lay down” when I capo up to the 4th or 5th fret. This one doesn’t. It didn't on day one, and either my judgement is becoming clouded or the guitar has improved even from its initial positive performance, meaning it struck me as very, very good and now it is even better.

The guitar is even more attractive in person than it is in photos. I can see Howard’s hand in the work. It's not that I can find flaws, more that I get the sense of it being hand crafted. Everything is very well done, but in a way that seems more subtle than the kind of absolute mechanical perfection you see in some factory guitars. This is not to say I don’t like factory guitars. I do. And hand work is not necessarily better, but it is different. I also want to be clear that I'm not making excuses for less-than-excellent work. Nothing of the sort. I perceive these same kinds of differences in other hand built instruments, mine and others that I've played. There’s something appealing about it, especially when you know the person who’s hands crafted it. More difficult to describe than I expected actually.

Take the bridge as an example. I cannot find a flaw in it, but I know absolutely than it is not a CNC product. I would know that even without context. Some of it may be my engineering background in that I can spot features that are difficult or impossible in a CNC operation, but there is an intangible aspect as well.

Howard and I discussed SO much through the process of this build. I can’t begin to recall everything, but one thing was the shape and size of the neck. I can play about any neck shape or size, but I also know the shapes and sizes than I really enjoy playing, and playing for long periods of time. Howard never tried to talk me into what he prefers, or moving me in step with the current trends. We discussed options and he went with what I know works best for me - 1 11/16" nut, 2 1/8" saddle, and a neck shape very close to my 40's Martins. I took detailed measurements of neck shapes, sizes, and string spacing, along with photos for reference. I sent all that to Howard and he nailed it. This is possibly the most comfortable neck I've ever played outside of my favorite vintage Martins.

It is perfectly shaped in profile, and has a wonderful "roll" from the sides of the fretboard into the fretting surface. Most builders (individuals and factories) have much too sharp a transition from the edge of the fretboard to the front. I can make that a lot better by breaking the sharp edge a bit, but it's not the same as if the whole board was correctly shaped before finishing. I see this on old Martins, and it's under the finish, so I know it's not from wear. It's thoughtful construction. It seems like I've rambled quite a bit about the neck, but for me that is critical to enjoying the guitar as a whole...and it's easier to describe than tone.

I have not measured the action, or anything else on the guitar, but it plays great up and down the neck. Easy and smooth, no buzzing, no fighting the strings. Great, great setup all around.

I've received a lot of compliments on the design. Sure, I've made some choices, but Howard deserves most of the credit. He has a great eye and was able to translate my (good) ideas into something truly beautiful and provide me with guidance when I came up empty or wandered off in some other direction. I couldn't have asked for anyone more talented, skilled, or gracious in helping me find my way through this new process. It has been a delight, and even better, now I can spend time getting to know the guitar!

[Howard Klepper]

Shucks, Todd. Working with you was a pleasure for me, too. You were able to describe what you want, furnish me with useful specifics, and make decisions I could implement. A good custom guitar is a collaboration.

Howard, this was a big thing for me, so very different than my normal method of acquisition. It was quite the "new cheese" experience, but I liked it. I could certainly recommend it to anyone who has the patience to wait a bit, knows (generally) what they want, and feels comfortable with the builder. That's what worked for me.

You may feel differently about it, but the one place I felt you nudging me was on the walnut. I had little experience with it, and honestly had not been crazy about several of the walnut guitars I had played. To be fair to walnut, most of those were factory guitars though. I purposely used "nudged" but maybe "steered" is a better description. It's not a choice I would have made on my own, but with encouragement from a few walnut owners and your confidence with it, I decided to go with walnut. There's a balance to trusting yourself with what you know and trusting your builder with what you don't know.

I am REALLY liking the walnut sound. In the short time that I've had the Klepper I think walnut sounds more like mahogany than rosewood, but with a bit more of the rosewood depth and a little less mahogany directness. Of course, I know everything Howard did contributes to the sound of the guitar, but I'm assuming the back and sides contribute heavily to the tonal color. And it's easy on the eyes!

[HOF dad]

I just found and read through this whole thread for the first time.
what a fun, amazing process to witness.
Todd, I can't imagine how exciting the entire journey was for you and the biggest bonus was at the end....a unique instrument that only you have.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing the "behind the scenes". I've watched some guitar construction but nothing this intimate.

I hope it's everything you wanted (it sure sounds like it) and may you make some great music for a long time.


Dan

Originally Posted by HOF dad

Congratulations and thanks for sharing the "behind the scenes". I've watched some guitar construction but nothing this intimate.

I hope it's everything you wanted (it sure sounds like it) and may you make some great music for a long time.

Dan, thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the thread. I'm not sure Howard completes such extensive photo documentation on all his builds, but he knows I'm an engineer and tinkerer, so I enjoy every technical detail.

The guitar is certainly everything I hoped, and this is the "worst" it will ever sound. I'll happily report back in 6 months or so. Most of my guitars are old(ish) but the one I received almost directly from the Martin factory started very good and was tending toward greatness at about 6 months. The Klepper has a head start on that one, so I can only imagine how it will sound later on.

Conversely, the guitar may be a bit puzzled as to how it got stuck with such a hack as me.

[Jobe]

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing this. It sounds like Mr. Klepper sneaks a little 'wabi sabi' into all his builds....this one just for you! Great stuff and I'm happy for you!

I'm no authority on wabi sabi, but whatever he puts in these guitars, it works!

This really has been a wonderful experience. A truly custom, handmade guitar such as this is not inexpensive. It's not fast, at least by the current standards of near instant gratification. It requires time commitment and thought. Considering the rewards though, it is quite the bargain. A few days in and my admiration for Howard's work continues to grow. Plus I consider him a friend, which is the same as before the build, but now we know each other a little better.

Neither my playing nor my recording skills do the guitar any favors (apologies to Howard for that) but here are some samples. Beyond the excellent neck carve, setup, and lovely appearance, the guitar is quite something tonally. Plenty of bass, rich presence across the spectrum, and strong, thick trebles up and down the neck. I think at least some of that comes across in the recordings. I recorded several different pieces in various keys, with and without a capo. Some you may recognize, some probably not.

various chords

G#1 no capo

A#1 G shape capo at 2

D, no capo

G#2 no capo

A#2 G shape capo at 2

[BrunoBlack]

You should be pleased. That's sounds great Todd!

With the tragic loss of Howard's home and shop in the wildfires I've been thinking a lot about him and his guitars lately. Working with him was just wonderful, as was the outcome. So, whether he chooses to build guitars again is a decision for later, after his more immediate issues are considered, I do hope he will build more guitars. As another poster stated, the community is better when he is a part of it. But I don't want to dwell on that here. I do want to offer my sincere best wishes and highlight my little piece of his entire body of work.

At about 4 months in, my SSD continues to deliver. Howard nailed the neck shape, which was very important to me. I wish every guitar I own could have this neck. The sound hasn't changed a great deal, but I've played it a lot since then. Sometimes you don't notice the changes in something you see ever day. Regardless, it continues to be a smooth, powerful guitar.

Robert Bowlin got to play it an MartinFest this year and was quite taken with the clarity, fullness, and strength of the trebles. All things that Howard and I discussed as we worked out the details of the build.

Here are a few photos from a recent family trip...yes, I always take a guitar on family trips. And I've noticed that the sound clips above are broken. Dropbox has changed their public sharing method, so I need to redo those links. I'll do that as soon as I have a chance.

[CoolerKing]

I’m so sorry to hear about Howard’s shop and home.