My 2nd custom made loveless guitar

[Mikegl]

Hi everyone
I am new to the forum and getting Roy Loveless from Oshawa Ontario to build me another guitar.I still have some decisions to make,I would like to here some of your opinions on some of the choices i still have to make.I will try to post pics of the guitar as it is being built.
Body style-Dreadnaught with foreward bracing
Back and sides- Brazilian rosewood
Bindings-curly maple
top-(aaa) adi or (master grade) sitka ????
bracing- adi or sitka ????
bridge and fretboard- ebony or brazilian rosewood ????
bridge plate- maple or brazilian ????
Of the ones with the ???? i am leaning towards the first one listed(adi top,ebony bridge etc.)
I have quiet alot of high end brand acoustics but tend to like the old martin
d28's and i also have a gibson dove that i am very fond of.

[runamuck]

Do you not trust the guitar maker to help you with these questions?

Jim McCarthy

[Mikegl]

Yes i trust his opinions but it doesn't hurt to have more than one opinion.I tend to like the old martin specs but i do like the rosewood bridge and fret board of the dove as well.

[cotten]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the AGF family! Great to have you with us.

I like your first choices, personally, especially if Roy thinks that is what will best achieve your goals. You obviously trust him, or you wouldn't be ordering a second guitar from him.

I have to confess that I am new to the wonderful world of custom guitars, but I'm enjoying learning fast. A good builder is to me an amazing combination of precise skills, painstaking patience, practical ingenuity, artistic sensitivity and pure magic. I'm not sure yet just how those components are mixed, but I'm pretty sure those ingredients are includes in the recipe somehow. Oh, and good tools. They make every job easier and more efficient.

cotten

[Spieler]

Not being familiar with the builder's name, I first thought you were posting about two custom-built guitars that you didn't like at all-- "loveless."

I'm glad to hear that's not the case!

I agree with others-- if you like your first Loveless, ask Mr. Loveless which combination he would recommend, in light of the rest of your guitar collection and especially to complement (or enhance what you like best about) the Loveless you already own.

~ S.

[Luca Canteri]

Brazilian rwd bridge for sure... less mass, more sound. About the fingerboard, sure a braz one will be lighter so I think it's good.
About the bridge plate, well if you're going to mainly strum and considering it will be a dread, I'll choose maple. Prefer rwd plates for fingerpicking, it adds sweetness imho.
just my thoughts. and I agree you should listen to your luthier about these points.

[Jeff M]

Not familiar with the builder.
I do know that there is no such thing as "This tone wood plus this tone wood plus this body design will sound EXACTLY LIKE THIS___________"

Any wood recommendations you get here will be an exercise in "well, here is what I like in the guitars I have...." and have little to do with giving you really meaningful information.

Talk to your builder.
Tell them what tone you are looking for. What kind of music you play, your playing style.
Your builder should know what woods to recommend for what you want.
He may not feel that great about the Adirondac he has and much prefer to use some great sitka he has stashed away..or vice versa.
His Brazilian Rosewood may not be that great..and his Indian Rosewood fantastic.

I've had builders ask me if I play with my nails, the flesh of my fingers or a bit of both. Good builders are experts at their craft, and know what wood combos to use to get what the customer wants. Or thinks they want.

(Usual caveat here about Brazilian Rosewood. Much of what is available today is....less than stellar, while it is not hard to find great Indian rosewood.
The funny thing is, you rarely find a builder who will tell you "Oh, I have Braz...but it really isn't that great". (Actually, I have talked to one well respected builder who basically said that...noting he only carried it because people asked for it. He much preferred using one of the other rosewoods for tone..and cost savings to the customer.)
Also, FWIW, I and others have asked the "Braz vs Indian RW" question to Jim Olson, who noted that with his guitars, he didn't really think there was a difference. Let the "how dare you say that about Braz RW" flame War begin!! )

(Oh, and also, the usual caveat re; "grade AAA" or "Master Grade" wood grades.
There is no such thing. There is no standard for wood grading. What one builder grades as "AAAAA....." (add as many as you want. There is no limit/standard.) another may consider Grade B.
Basically, I take "Master Grade" or "Grade AAAA" to mean "I think this is some of the best wood I have on hand at the moment". That is, unless the builder's wood grading system goes to " Super Special Master Grade" and "Grade AAAAAAAAAA"....in which case it is only middle of the road wood. For that builder. Though it may be better...or worse...than what some other builders have. Today.)

[Mikegl]

Thanks for your reply's guys.I was able to play two dreads he built last year that were almost identical,both indian rw and i liked the one he built with an adi top and no scalloped braces better that the one with sitka with scalloped braces,so thats why i am leaning towords the adi top(it just had more snap to it).The brazilian bridge thing is the tough one for me to decide asp.Roy does like the brazilian bridge dryed black thing.I do play alot of lead and chickin pickin so i want this guitar to honk.Fyi the first guitar i got off Roy is a small body cutaway with zaricoti and sitka and it does bark pretty good.I will try to post pics of the woods before the new year.I do like the brazilian back and sides i have picked,they originally came the Larrivee and were cut in the 60's.

[jeastman]

Originally Posted by Mikegl

the first guitar i got off Roy is a small body cutaway with zaricoti and sitka

Mmmmm, zaricoti with some marinara sauce...sounds wonderful

[Mikegl]

Here is some pics of the wood.Hope the pics work,I'm new to this.Building should start very soon

[swhaines]

Hey Dude.

Saw the post about Loveless guitars and had to let you know that I bought one from Roy several years ago. I bought a ziracoti OM, I think it was number 25 at the time. He's built and sold many more since I bought mine.

He's got a beautiful maple dreadnaught on the go right now that I would love to get a hold of but my guitar budget barely covers strings these days.

I also own and play a Larrivee L9 and a 69 Yamaha FG180.

Good luck with your build, hope you get the guitar you are dreaming of.