Kostal #2 for Healdsburg - Page 3

Nemoman · #31 08-12-2013, 01:49 PM

I played both this guitar and Billy's at Healdsburg. Both very different sounds, and both incredible guitars. Thanks for sharing yours with us Bella!

cpabolting · #32 08-13-2013, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemoman

I played both this guitar and Billy's at Healdsburg. Both very different sounds, and both incredible guitars. Thanks for sharing yours with us Bella!

I am NOT an aficionado to be able to detect subtle differences between the two, but I know they were both amazing instrument. nice to meet both you and Billy Boy.

Diamondave · #33 08-13-2013, 07:44 PM

I played a Kostal for my first time at the show... I was SUPER impressed, and Jason is a very nice guy, what a pleasure all around meeting him and playing them fine gits... Thanks for sharing.

ColbyLH · #34 08-13-2013, 09:53 PM

Hey,....thanks for your kind words! Billy Boy and I had requests to post our thoughts on the guitars by a couple of folks who were not able to attend and although it is hard to put sound/feelings into words, I'll give it a stab. IMO, the Kostal MD is absolutely amazing....In fact, from the first notes, I knew that Jason had really "heard" what I had asked for in a guitar and had nailed it!!! The fretboard is buttery smooth and the playability and craftsmanship are fantastic overall. The guitar itself has a simply beautiful, big, warm, melancholy sound that I love...a clear, haunting and rich tonal palette, great sustain, just the right amount of overtones....no "let down" in the mids or highs....It's all there!!..Overall, the guitar has a fabulous amount of depth and power; the kind you feel rumbling against you.... yet it is clear and balanced throughout the tonal registers. It's the guitar that has that "punch" when you want it, but is equally at home in soft, melodic passages;- a sweetness that makes it hard to put down once you start playing it... It literally comes alive and makes beautiful music, even in the hands of a novice player!! (It makes ME sound better! :-) I know that when Jason opened the cases and Billy Boy and I played the first notes on our guitars, that we both had the same reaction....a big "WOW!!!" During the next three days, I keep wandering by the booth and the outside playing areas and heard that same reaction from several people who played the guitars. It was fun being a stealth observer and hearing others say how much they liked the guitar, but the best part was playing it myself and realizing that out of the guitars that I own, this one speaks to me in a language that "hits me" in a way that many of you have had happen with a special guitar in your life. In my opinion, this guitar reflects the best in guitar building today....The simple fact is that Jason builds an incredible instrument;.... perhaps the best available today at any price and a rare find at his current asking price!!! Plus, Jason is a terrific guy... and to me, that makes the entire experience even more special.

Mussoso · #35 08-13-2013, 10:07 PM

Grateful thanks indeed for sharing!

Anyone with any impression on the new Kostal "OO"?

steveh · #36 08-14-2013, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mussoso

Grateful thanks indeed for sharing!

Anyone with any impression on the new Kostal "OO"?

+1.

Delighted that you're happy with it, especially given some of the company it had at Haldsburg; I also place Traugott and Claxton at the very top of the tree.

From personal experience, I can tell you it will open up quite substantially over the next few months - I'm sure Jason told you that. Mine was great from the off but a bit "tight" compared to the very best guitars. That all changed over 6 months or so. I brought mine to a get-together in the UK a few weeks ago and everyone who played it commented on how it had opened up since they had last played it the year before (when it was already sounding great!).

Yes - that OO looks intriguing. I have an OM coming from Jason; hope I didn't make the wrong decision!

cheers,
Steve

rodsf · #37 08-14-2013, 07:02 AM

Don't fret sir- your gonna' love your OM. I picked mine up at the Healdsburg show and I'm very, very impressed. It is just a very "sweet" guitar-extremely well balanced and very easy to play- mine is a wedge. It should be noted that the set-up (for me) is spot on. As stated time and time again, the craftsmanship is outstanding. In my opinion Jason had some of the nicest guitars at the show. Great dude.

ColbyLH · #38 08-14-2013, 08:37 AM

SteveH......I agree that you shouldn't second guess your choice of an OM....I played the OM and the OO and I thought both were terrific, with the OM, of course, having MORE of everything. I don't think you can go wrong with any of Jason's guitars. It's just a matter of size and overall sound that you are looking for....

Yes, Jason did tell me that the guitar will open up a lot more in the next few months.....Mine will probably change a lot as it will live part of the year in Arizona and the rest in Oregon where temperatures and humidity are vastly different and it will be working hard to settle in.... Thank heaven for humidifiers and de-humidifiers!

Rainbow · #39 08-14-2013, 10:52 AM

Can somebody enlighten me the difference between Kostal MD and OM??
I am having a tough choice to make!!

JamesO · #40 08-14-2013, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BellaD4

It was fun being a stealth observer and hearing others say how much they liked the guitar, but the best part was playing it myself and realizing that out of the guitars that I own, this one speaks to me in a language that "hits me" in a way that many of you have had happen with a special guitar in your life.

How very cool that must be!

steveh · #41 08-14-2013, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainbow

Can somebody enlighten me the difference between Kostal MD and OM??
I am having a tough choice to make!!

I'll tell you more about the Kostal OM in a couple of months but I've played several MDs and OMs from the Somogyi stable of acolytes etc; they're all likely to be cut from the same cloth to one degree or another.

Personally, if I were restricted to one guitar it would be the OM. To my ears the OM just sounds more balanced across the registers...and it's smaller and easier to play.

I think the MD is a real outlier - to my ears nothing else quite sounds like it. The defining characteristic is a huge, resonant, reverby bottom end. That's supported by clear mids and trebles with tons of sustain and lots of overtones (in the best I have tried): Quite unlike a typical dread (e.g. Martin, Collings and the ilk). It's a very unusual and appealing sound but I wouldn't go that way, personally, if it were my only guitar. It would be like having a three star Michelin meal at every sitting - I'd find it a bit overwhelming to use it for every tune. To my ears, the trebles are fatter on the OMs, relatively speaking, and that's simply body size and the laws of physics.

Please also bear in mind that players such as Michael Watts using nothing else than an MD, so it's clearly very versatile in the right hands.

I'm not sure if that helps?! Perhaps others who have taken recent delivery can chime in, especially those who have smaller instruments to compare it to.

Cheers,
Steve

Rainbow · #42 08-15-2013, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveh

I'll tell you more about the Kostal OM in a couple of months but I've played several MDs and OMs from the Somogyi stable of acolytes etc; they're all likely to be cut from the same cloth to one degree or another.

Personally, if I were restricted to one guitar it would be the OM. To my ears the OM just sounds more balanced across the registers...and it's smaller and easier to play.

I think the MD is a real outlier - to my ears nothing else quite sounds like it. The defining characteristic is a huge, resonant, reverby bottom end. That's supported by clear mids and trebles with tons of sustain and lots of overtones (in the best I have tried): Quite unlike a typical dread (e.g. Martin, Collings and the ilk). It's a very unusual and appealing sound but I wouldn't go that way, personally, if it were my only guitar. It would be like having a three star Michelin meal at every sitting - I'd find it a bit overwhelming to use it for every tune. To my ears, the trebles are fatter on the OMs, relatively speaking, and that's simply body size and the laws of physics.

Please also bear in mind that players such as Michael Watts using nothing else than an MD, so it's clearly very versatile in the right hands.

I'm not sure if that helps?! Perhaps others who have taken recent delivery can chime in, especially those who have smaller instruments to compare it to.

Cheers,
Steve

Thanx Steve for your input!!
Maybe once you got your OM, you record a video of you playing the same song using both OM and MD?

Well, of course wood combination will be a variable but it is better than nothing for me.

martinlcb · #43 08-19-2013, 06:06 AM

Absolutely incredible workmanship!!!

Glennwillow · #44 08-19-2013, 01:30 PM

Hi Bella,

What a lovely guitar you have had built! I have just read through your entire thread and feel really good for you! From listening to Michael Watts play his Kostal MD, I am pretty sure that this is the kind of guitar I could really enjoy. I'm sure you're enjoying yours!

How very cool for you!

- Glenn

justonwo · #45 08-19-2013, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveh

I'll tell you more about the Kostal OM in a couple of months but I've played several MDs and OMs from the Somogyi stable of acolytes etc; they're all likely to be cut from the same cloth to one degree or another.

Personally, if I were restricted to one guitar it would be the OM. To my ears the OM just sounds more balanced across the registers...and it's smaller and easier to play.

I think the MD is a real outlier - to my ears nothing else quite sounds like it. The defining characteristic is a huge, resonant, reverby bottom end. That's supported by clear mids and trebles with tons of sustain and lots of overtones (in the best I have tried): Quite unlike a typical dread (e.g. Martin, Collings and the ilk). It's a very unusual and appealing sound but I wouldn't go that way, personally, if it were my only guitar. It would be like having a three star Michelin meal at every sitting - I'd find it a bit overwhelming to use it for every tune. To my ears, the trebles are fatter on the OMs, relatively speaking, and that's simply body size and the laws of physics.

Please also bear in mind that players such as Michael Watts using nothing else than an MD, so it's clearly very versatile in the right hands.

I'm not sure if that helps?! Perhaps others who have taken recent delivery can chime in, especially those who have smaller instruments to compare it to.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve, you and I are in the same boat having received MDs that we love and waiting for OMs. Should be another fun adventure.