NGD: Greenfield G2.2

[jdelin86]

Here's a VERY quick / rough n ready recording I made this afternoon to show how she's sounding. Obviously the guitar is very new & will continue to open up, but already it's pretty darn special!

[prickards]

Beautiful. You and your Greenfield are a perfect match. Congrats.

[Ryan Alexander]

Geez, man ... that's just ... congrats Very fine playing, as well. Enjoy that masterpiece!

[theEdwinson]

I don't know how you call that a "rough recording"... The guitar sounds absolutely alive with responsive energy, and your playing is impeccably exquisite. I don't know how you do better than that!
I agree with Paul- you and your new Greenfield are a perfect match. Cingratulations!

[Stephen Strahm]

Congrats! Amazon is a tremendous tone wood and you got a beautiful set.

[JJI]

Completely fantastic. Congrats!

[JamesO]

That was wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

[steveh]

Originally Posted by theEdwinson

I don't know how you call that a "rough recording"... !

+1.

One occasion where the player really does deserve an uber-expensive instrument.

Kudos to you Joel for a NGD thread that actually concludes with video/audio of the player using the guitar. Really enjoyable for us all.

I saw Michael the other night and he mentioned that you had just picked up the guitar - a NGD is such a great feeling. So glad you are stoked.

cheers,
Steve

[Marcus Wong]

What an exceptional addition to your collection. Its raw power can be heard through the "VERY quick / rough" recording. Could you kindly share the similarities and differences it has with your other Greenfield and perhaps with the Kostal too?

[jdelin86]

Thanks for the kind responses.

Marcus, in answer to your questions...

Compared with the GF:

The GF is a wonderful instrument, and certainly has the Greenfield sound. However, it is a smaller body (OM-size) and is braced in a more 'traditional' way.

The G2 is a bigger body (more comparable to an MD), is braced differently (uses Michael's proprietary 'tone halo', which is stunning to look at!) and voiced differently. It is also built from different woods, albeit from the same families (rosewood and spruce). Finally, it has the fan-fret neck.

Compared with the Kostal:

The Kostal actually belongs to Michael Watts. He was incredibly kind enough to lend it to me for a few months while I waited for the G2.

Jason's guitars have a well deserved reputation and are truly wonderful instruments. I guess some would describe the sound as Somogyi-esque (not a surprise given his background), and they are incredibly warm and have a tone that really engulfs the player.

So it's a very different type of sound to a Greenfield as both luthiers have different aims & philosophies with their builds, and in addition my Greenfield was voiced for my needs and Michael's Kostal for his needs. So it's not really fair to compare the two. For me, this (rosewood) Greenfield is my perfect guitar. For Michael, his (Tree mahogany) Kostal is his perfect guitar!

Summary:

Overall, the sound is big & full, and very responsive to the player's touch. The bass is huge, but it's the trebles that really impress.

Part of Michael's philosophy is to focus on building guitars with awesome trebles, and the balance in volume across the neck is something that needs to be experienced.

The fan does seem to add a '3D' quality to the sound, and the trebles have a wonderful sweetness. In dropped tunings it really comes alive, such as DAGAD & Csus2. However, the real test for me was how it handles Hedges-type tunings. E.g. 'The 2nd Law' requires tuning the low E down to an A, and the G2 sounds jaw-dropping in tunings like this. It retains definition in the bass, and there's none of the horrific buzzing you often get with loose detuned strings.

Not sure what else to say tbh, without sounding all gushy! Mikey G has succeeded in building what I envisioned as my 'dream guitar', and has surpassed all my hopes & expectations. I'm on cloud 9 & can't stop playing the thing!

Joel

[rlxnply]

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing the pictures and videos. Hopefully I'll make it out to Santa Barbara this year as I'd really like to play a Greenfield.

[JamesO]

Joel, I was just watching some of your other videos (as everyone should!). Is the other Greenfield you used in many of them a GF?

[jdelin86]

Yeh that was a GF. Wonderful guitar!

[Diamondave]

Great video and review!

[justonwo]

That is an incredible instrument! I want one of those cases.