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  #31  
Old 01-14-2018, 10:48 AM
mercy mercy is offline
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I follow all the builds here but seldom comment that seems Kinda blingy to me. Certainly not a plain rosette. Id call it fancy.
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  #32  
Old 01-14-2018, 11:10 AM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Love that rosette!
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  #33  
Old 01-14-2018, 03:01 PM
K Trespass K Trespass is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steveh View Post
Two things:

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
Many thanks Steve. A lot to think about and thanks for the advice. Tom is keen on the 00 and it might well balance out some of my other guitars which tend to be on the larger side.
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  #34  
Old 01-14-2018, 05:17 PM
nikie nikie is offline
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Congratulations for such a nice guitar build. Sands guitar demos are really good, as their design, woods and sound. Nothing to say about his influences and teacher, just the best.
Intersted to know the general dimensions of the MMD, that seems to be closer to an Om than to a MD, but sound wise, it is closer to an MD.
The MMD could be build with 12 or 14 frets, did you try both before ordering or just not possible/interested.
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  #35  
Old 01-15-2018, 07:53 AM
borborygmus borborygmus is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steveh View Post
Two things:

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.
As an owner of a Tom Sands OO (number 9), I would concur - you won't be disappointed. I can't really add much to Steve's descriptions, except that it is very complete for a smaller bodied instrument.
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  #36  
Old 01-18-2018, 03:43 AM
steveh steveh is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nikie View Post
Intersted to know the general dimensions of the MMD, that seems to be closer to an Om than to a MD, but sound wise, it is closer to an MD. The MMD could be build with 12 or 14 frets, did you try both before ordering or just not possible/interested.
I do think that soundwise, the MMD is closer to the MD than the OM - I say that because the bottom end response of the MMD reminds me more of the MD than the OM. I'm not sure it's simply dimensions (it could be; I'm no luthier), but perhaps the way it's voiced?

I have played 14 fret versions of the MMD and been impressed but, given that there's a cutaway, a 12-fretter is a no-compromise option. I know there is some debate about this but I am definitely in the camp that believe that, all other things being equal, 12-fret guitars are a liitle more sweet, relaxed, and expansive than a 14-fretter. So, I went with 12-frets. We'll see if I was right or not in due course.

Cheers,
Steve
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  #37  
Old 01-18-2018, 03:57 AM
steveh steveh is offline
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So Tom is workig on the spruce top. Sitka I think since Ervin is a great believer in that wood and Tom also thinks it is right for what I want from this guitar.

Top bracing going on. The Somogyi "secret sauce" that happens behind the X-brace won't be used on this guitar. Tom tells me the 12 fret design shifts the bridge too close to the heel for that to work, so therw will be some other sauce going on here.



Top braces being glued; back already done and braces profiled/shaved.



And the "Maker's Mark".



Cheers,
Steve
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  #38  
Old 01-20-2018, 12:06 PM
steveh steveh is offline
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Some more Sands action: Top is going on the back and sides:





and here it is being joined by the back:



Cheers,
Steve
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  #39  
Old 01-20-2018, 08:12 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Coming along very nicely Steve, and at a nice pace too! That padauk will look very rich under finish.
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  #40  
Old 01-25-2018, 10:05 AM
steveh steveh is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LouieAtienza View Post
Coming along very nicely Steve, and at a nice pace too! That padauk will look very rich under finish.
Thanks Louie but your complimentary words re pace may have been spoken too soon: Tom has told me that he is just not happy with the way the top is responding now that it is braced. He doesn't think it is tapping with the sort of response that he thinks I will be looking from for the guitar so, with my permission, he has abandoned it and is fashioning another top.

He says that despite a piece of top wood looking, feeling, and tapping correctly, it always changes when the bracing is on, and you have to judge the response at each stage. He's just not happy enough with it to continue ploughing that particular furrow.

As it happens, I'm delighted. This constant attention to detail is what you want from your luthier when you commission him/her. This sort of constant scrutiny just wouldn't happen in a big shop or factory.

I'm even more confident now that the end result will be great, even if very slightly delayed.

Cheers,
Steve
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  #41  
Old 01-28-2018, 05:30 AM
steveh steveh is offline
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While he gets on with a new top, Tom is working on the fretboard.
Flet slots cut and getting bound here:



Anyone care to guess what the fetboard is made of?

Cheers,
Steve
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  #42  
Old 01-28-2018, 06:15 AM
LouisLiu LouisLiu is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steveh View Post
While he gets on with a new top, Tom is working on the fretboard.
Flet slots cut and getting bound here:



Anyone care to guess what the fetboard is made of?

Cheers,
Steve
Looks like Ebony?
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  #43  
Old 01-28-2018, 06:17 AM
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cigarfan cigarfan is offline
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Looks like Wenge to me.
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  #44  
Old 01-28-2018, 09:04 AM
DamianL DamianL is offline
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Is is Rocklite Ebano?
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  #45  
Old 01-28-2018, 02:17 PM
cogito cogito is offline
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My guess is ABW
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