#16
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Met Tom last year at Artisan and played his 00 and OM. Stellar instruments. And Tom was very nice to speak with. This looks to be a really nice guitar. I’ll be following.
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Life is like a box of chocolates .... |
#17
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Tom says, "It's African padauk. Not to be confused with Burmease padauk"...apparently! He gave me this link: http://www.wood-database.com/african-padauk/ More drool very soon. Cheers, Steve |
#18
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Thanks...there are three that I know of African, Andaman and Burma...
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#19
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LOL we used to call it vermillion... By the way, I absolutely love the smell of padauk, and wish they'd turn it into men's cologne. But the dust makes me sneeze instantaneously!
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#20
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It does smell wonderful I have to agree!
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www.michaelwattsguitar.com Album Recording Diary Skype Lessons Luthier Stories YouTube iTunes Guitars by Jason Kostal, Strings by Elixir, Gefell Mics and a nail buffer. |
#21
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Can't beat the smell of French Polish IMHO...for guitars anyways.
Speaking of finish, while Tom has done quite a few french polish guitars, he's keen to move to something a bit more dutrable on his guitars. I think we'll be using the same stuff that Stefan Sobell uses on his guitars - a 2-pack melamine. There's a guy over here in the UK that a lot of builders use - I think he's called David Wilson? Information here: http://www.sobellguitars.com/the-glo...05-april-2008/ So, to satisfy all of the Padauk love going on here, Tom has sent me pics of the back and sides (I'm hoping all of the cr*p on the sides isn't permanent!): The kerfing being glued in: And the B+S together: I think he is sending pics of the spruce top next? Cheers, Steve |
#22
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PS: While we're at it, anyone care to guess what the padouk is doubled with?
Cheers, Steve |
#23
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EIR?........
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#24
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#25
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Hi Steve! Nice pics! Is this MMD Tom finished several days ago or a new one? I can't tell haha! They are both stunning and in Padauk!
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#26
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I think it's probably wenge? haha, not sure at all! it looks very nice, super straight grain!
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#27
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Looks great Steve. I am on Tom’s list. ETA middle of the year. Probably a 00 but yet to fully spec out. Thoughts welcome.....
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#28
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I had no idea and had to ask Tom: Apparently it's Peruvian Walnut. Tom said it's the "standard" in the Somogyi workshop, so that's why he used it. Of course we all know that Ervin and his acolytes choose all of their materials very carefully, picking the woods out at night when the moon is full and high, and the planets aligned properly, so I asked Tom, "exactly why Peruvian walnut?" It turns out the answer is: 1. It's brown. 2. It's straight. 3. It's generally available. ! Cheers, Steve |
#29
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1. You will not be dissapointed. Several of my pals have Sands' guitars and all are completely bowled over with them; at least half of those guys have a very extensive knowledge of "high-end" guitars, whatever that is, and Tom is playing in that game easily. I wouldn't have got on his list otherwise. You made a wise choice. 2. I've played Tom's 00, OM and MMD, and that's a real difficult choice. His 00 is a superb guitar. I'm not normally drawn to smaller guitars since to me they all sound like "small" guitars. The best I've liked has been a Kostal 00 in wenge, that was (relatively) small but didn't display that boxy character and a BRW Claxton Malabar that was probably the best single guitar I've ever played. IIRC, I think Tom's 00 is about the size of the Malabar? Tom's 00 is a very, very sweet guitar but not at all boxy and reminds me very much of both the Kostal and the Claxton, specifically the beautiful mids and exquisite trebles. The bass is clear and well-defined, not boxy. The MMD will give you a lot more bottom end at the expense of some of that treble; that's how the physics works. For me, I think the MMD is what I want as I love that deep bass response the Somogyi design provides - it's thunderous but wonderfully well-defined. I know people on Tom's list who have gone for the OM in the hope of sitting somewhere in the middle of the OM and MMD. If it's any consolation, after playing Tom's 00, I spent a long, long time vacillating between it and the MMD. Tom also builds a standard MD, as do most other Somogyi apprentices, but I've not played one of those - he has his first under his own name in the pipeline for a friend of mine but Tom's commissions seem to be for slightly smaller guitars than many of the other apprentices. It think that's because of the particularly sweet mids and trebles people are hearing on Tom's existing guitars and guys are afraid they might lose that if they go for the full-fat MD. Cheers, Steve |
#30
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OK - spruce top was promised and here it is: Tom's recommendation was Sitka so that's what I've got. One of the best sayings I've adhered to in commissioning guitars is, "don't buy a dog and then try and bark yourself".
Here is the top: Tom and I collaborated on the rosette design a lot. I'm not at all a fan of bling and unnecessary fluff, especially on guitars, and I wanted something simple; it's a guitar man, not a sideboard! I really like Phillip Woodfield's half-moon rosette on his classical guitars and suggested something like that. Tom then chose the materials to go with his overall aesthetic - burl maple, dyed, and copper: Gluing in: And the finished result: Top bracing next. ...and thanks for all of the attention from those viewing this thread! Cheers, Steve |