Any Experiences With Doff Guitars?

[H2O]

I recently came across a post mentioning Doff Guitars which are a Russian guitar manufacturer and sponsor on these forums. I am particularly interested in their RG (7 string traditional Russian guitar) model.

Has any one here played a Doff and could comment on the quality/tone?

So far my research has turned up little, and the rest is in Russian! Any help is appreciated.

[Towzer]

nope .....but make sure you dont get ripped doff

[H2O]

Originally Posted by Towzer

nope .....but make sure you dont get ripped doff

Their products are available on Reverb.com so no worries there.

https://reverb.com/brand/doff

[mercy]

prices are great but dont seem to have a 000 size

[H2O]

Bump -- Wanna give this one more shot. If no one else has played one I might just have to proceed and report back.

[catfish]

I do not play 7 strings, but here are some videos that might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBPTPp1JsxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS_7fwZMYh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1McONqQwEM

Doff guitars has some following here in Russia, at least judging from the local guitar forums. I tried a 6 string jumbo size in the shop, the playability was excellent, and I liked the tone, too, even though I had maple b&s, not my favorite. It was a very lightly built guitar, all solid wood. Visually their guitars are not beautiful, though.

If you buy off Reverb, you can mention that you are from AGF and will review the guitar on the forum. They would probably send you a very good specimen.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by catfish

I do not play 7 strings, but here are some videos that might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBPTPp1JsxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS_7fwZMYh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1McONqQwEM

Doff guitars has some following here in Russia, at least judging from the local guitar forums. I tried a 6 string jumbo size in the shop, the playability was excellent, and I liked the tone, too, even though I had maple b&s, not my favorite. It was a very lightly built guitar, all solid wood. Visually their guitars are not beautiful, though.

If you buy off Reverb, you can mention that you are from AGF and will review the guitar on the forum. They would probably send you a very good specimen.

Thank you for your input!

I am glad to hear your positive report; I shall take your advice.

[catfish]

No problem
Good luck!

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by catfish

Doff guitars has some following here in Russia, at least judging from the local guitar forums. I tried a 6 string jumbo size in the shop, the playability was excellent, and I liked the tone, too, even though I had maple b&s, not my favorite. It was a very lightly built guitar, all solid wood. Visually their guitars are not beautiful, though.

If you buy off Reverb, you can mention that you are from AGF and will review the guitar on the forum. They would probably send you a very good specimen.

That's interesting.
I saw listings for new Doff guitars on ebay.
The jumbo caught my eye - I emailed the seller and asked if Doff would do a full gloss finish for me ... with a satin neck.
They replied 'No' but a few days later sent me another reply saying 'Yes, OK'.

I didn't take it any further, here's the actual listing;
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Acou...19.m1438.l2649

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by catfish

Doff guitars has some following here in Russia, at least judging from the local guitar forums. I tried a 6 string jumbo size in the shop, the playability was excellent, and I liked the tone, too, even though I had maple b&s, not my favorite. It was a very lightly built guitar, all solid wood. Visually their guitars are not beautiful, though.

Hey, catfish, I'm always interested to read your posts. One question, though - are you sure that the guitar you played had maple back and sides, or is it possible that they were made of birch?

The reason I ask is that the vast majority of blond guitars and balalaikas that I played when I was in Russia, and have played since, were made from birch. Both birch and maple are blond woods, and they can have similar tonal characteristics.

The Swedes and Finns have traditionally built many of their stringed instruments from birch. I can't comment on what the Norwegians do, having never visited that country, but I have visited Sweden and Finland and seen and played PLENTY of guitars with birch backs and sides there.

So birch is a viable tonewood, and using it as such is certainly well within the musical traditions of those three trans-polar countries I've visited.

Originally Posted by catfish

If you buy off Reverb, you can mention that you are from AGF and will review the guitar on the forum. They would probably send you a very good specimen.

Good strategy!

Thanks,


Wade Hampton Miller

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Hey, catfish, I'm always interested to read your posts. One question, though - are you sure that the guitar you played had maple back and sides, or is it possible that they were made of birch?

Wade Hampton Miller

Wade if you click on the ebay link in my post above, the full specs are listed for the jumbo.

- Solid Cedar top
- Solid Maple back with a Walnut insert
- Solid Maple sides

[catfish]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Hey, catfish, I'm always interested to read your posts. One question, though - are you sure that the guitar you played had maple back and sides, or is it possible that they were made of birch?

The reason I ask is that the vast majority of blond guitars and balalaikas that I played when I was in Russia, and have played since, were made from birch. Both birch and maple are blond woods, and they can have similar tonal characteristics.

The Swedes and Finns have traditionally built many of their stringed instruments from birch. I can't comment on what the Norwegians do, having never visited that country, but I have visited Sweden and Finland and seen and played PLENTY of guitars with birch backs and sides there.

So birch is a viable tonewood, and using it as such is certainly well within the musical traditions of those three trans-polar countries I've visited.

Hello, Wade,
The model I played had maple B&S, not birch --
https://doffguitar.com/shop/gitary/6...%d0%b0-doff-j/
It was not a clean white color wood, they toned it in light brown.
The top was made of 'Caucasian Spruce' as they write. In that specimen I played it was not like on their stock photo, it had some large dark-brown stripes on it and it was definitely did not look like a quartersawn -- not a hint of silking. So, it looked a bit rough because of that top.
The back had a convex and a stripe in the middle, just like on the photo.

This is a young guitar factory, started by a young entrepreneur in 2002
https://doffguitar.com/about-us/
but it is not absolutely built from scratch, it was based on a Leningrad guitar factory called 'Lunacharsky' (he was a Bolshevik and did not play any guitar ). This Lunacharsky factory was the best manufacturer of guitars, balalaikas, mandolins, etc. in the USSR, especially models made in 1940-ies, 50-ies, were quite good. Some employees incl. luthiers from Lunacharsky factory work at Doff.
You are correct, all Soviet mass produced guitar had birch plywood b&s.

But these Doff guys decided to make something different to compete (at the moment) with cheap Chinese guitars and win Russian guitarists hearts. As I mentioned, this brand has some loyal fans as I read on the Russian guitar forum. The jumbo model is the most favorite, as I understand. I played in the shop two parlors models of Doff, one regular, another 'vintage' model but was not impressed with either. But that jumbo did sound really interesting.

I just checked out their 7-strings --
https://doffguitar.com/product-categ...ry/7-strunnye/

All 3 models have solid maple b&s, even the cheapest one.

I played a jumbo in this shop --
http://www.musdetal.ru/catalog/gitar...heskaya_doff_j
but that guitar I played had much more 'stripy' top and looked less attractive than this one at their photo.

[RichardBe]

Originally Posted by catfish

I do not play 7 strings, but here are some videos that might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBPTPp1JsxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS_7fwZMYh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1McONqQwEM

Doff guitars has some following here in Russia, at least judging from the local guitar forums. I tried a 6 string jumbo size in the shop, the playability was excellent, and I liked the tone, too, even though I had maple b&s, not my favorite. It was a very lightly built guitar, all solid wood. Visually their guitars are not beautiful, though.

If you buy off Reverb, you can mention that you are from AGF and will review the guitar on the forum. They would probably send you a very good specimen.

Hi ! I just orderred A Doff Jumbo Today..... Yeahhh hope the Doff Company send me a good One !! Anyhow,, i will get back here to comment on how it looks and sounds when i receive it !!oh,,,, and when i play it offcourse !

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by RichardBe

Hi ! I just orderred A Doff Jumbo Today..... Yeahhh hope the Doff Company send me a good One !! Anyhow,, i will get back here to comment on how it looks and sounds when i receive it !!oh,,,, and when i play it offcourse !

Welcome to the forum and looking forward to reading about your Doff jumbo.
Will yours have a back like this?

[catfish]

Brucebubs,

Yes, it should come with striped convex back.

RichardBe,

Possibly, it will be the first Doff jumbo in the USA Are you in the US of A?