BRUCE SEXAUER: FT-16-C (Adirondack Spruce/Australian Blackwood)

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

Congratulations Bob! Glad you're up to playing again.

Steve

Thanks Steve... I am mostly back, but this respiratory funk hangs on... Maybe if I hold the live back against my chest when I play it will shake things lose?

[iim7V7IM7]

I have had almost two months now with Bruce’s guitar and have begun to get to know it as a player. The guitar has continued to evolve and open up now with 40+ hours of play and a second set of strings on it. Like all guitars that I have received from Bruce, this is an EXCELLENT GUITAR. For a large, long-scale guitar it is feather light at 3lb. 15oz.. The narrow waist makes the 16” lower bout quite comfortable to play while seated.

The guitar has very good balance and separation across the strings and is capable of beautiful musical detail. The character of the bass is deep and powerful. I would describe the trebles as being chewy and solid. The notes develop with a moderately fast attack with a sustaining decay and overtones that fall somewhere between a mahogany and rosewood guitar. I can see why some have described Australian Blackwood as falling between Mahogany and Rosewoods in the character of its contribution.

The guitar is responsive for a larger instrument, projects well and seems to have limitless headroom. The attribute that has really developed over the last month is the perceived aural sense of openness that surrounds a player. This type of staggered acoustic development seems to be more associated with Adirondack Spruce than many of the European Spruces.