The Next Olson SJ Build - Brazilian/Italian Spruce

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Get ready for the review gang....it's coming....and it's WAAY GOOD...

[Kansaskid]

if you ever need someone to look after them i would be more than happy to offer my services...and at no charge too

[keyshore]

690MBC,

Wow what a picture of the Olson Twins!!!

BTW, Why oh why did you not do the wide rossette for the Spruce?

I had a look at Jim's website and that wide rossette looks super on spruces and does not look so good on the Cedar, i.e. in the pictures.

Anyway what a great pair of guitars.

Absolutely top notch, i m happy for you.

Best,

Keyshore

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Originally Posted by keyshore

690MBC,

Wow what a picture of the Olson Twins!!!

BTW, Why oh why did you not do the wide rossette for the Spruce?

I had a look at Jim's website and that wide rossette looks super on spruces and does not look so good on the Cedar, i.e. in the pictures.

Anyway what a great pair of guitars.

Absolutely top notch, i m happy for you.

Best,

Keyshore

Thanks Keyshore. Essentially I wanted as you say "twins" so aside from the woods, all the details are identical for the pair.

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Okay Gang -

After putting in some serious playing time on this guitar both live and at home and going through a couple packs of strings in a relatively short I thought I would share some reactions on this guitar. Since I've written reviews on each of my guitars (including my other Olson) I'll share my thoughts with the community in a Q&A format.

Summary:
Look at a sample of some of my guitars in my signature line.....how can a guitar exceed expectations of someone who has guitars like that? It's possible....and it's called the "Black" Brazilian/"Tree of Music" Italian Spruce Olson SJ.


1) What was a looking for in this guitar?

In no way was this Olson intended to be a substitute for my other Olson SJ which gets A TON of my playing time both live as well as at home. When I commissioned this guitar I was a lifelong partner to compliment my Cedar/Braz SJ. I was looking for a guitar that has all the magical properties of my magical Olson Cedar/Braz SJ but had even more punch/snap and that could be really driven so I went with a spruce top after playing them at Jim's shop last year. Although spruce was the right answer I wanted a guitar that could do everything well, especially fingerstyle and so that's where this special set of "Tree of Music" Italian Spruce came in.


2) What is it About the Olson Tone that I Love that Would Cause me to
Commission a 2nd one?

Yes, it's a lot of money so why 2? I'll tell you that I've played A TON of guitars and there is something purely magical about Olsons (particularly my two). I'm always blown away by how transparent, rich and beautiful the sound is. So what does that REALLY mean? I rarely find truly transparent instruments where then the guitar is strummed (hard or soft) it sounds like there the soundboard is wafer thin and there is nothing "in the way". I've played many guitars that sound "woody" or "thick topped" but my Olsons are the complete opposite. They are simply breathtaking in terms of their responsiveness. Even the slightest caress of the instrument evokes not only tone, but EMOTION that stirs within me the player as well as the listener. I've had a number of people stop dead in their tracks after hearing just a strum or just a few notes saying how beautiful it sounds. It take a special guitar to do this.

These aren't "banjo killer" kinda of guitars - I leave to my Goodall Standards/Traditional Dreads/etc. Playing an Olson is like dancing with a world class ballerina where you just gently lead her in a direction and beautiful, tasteful art is created. They really shine when played with touch in the right hand and I usually play a 0.46mm Nylon Dunlop which to me is perfect for this guitar.

These guitars are so special because they are so full of energy and they seem ALIVE. If you sense excitement from me (uhhhh....just a little?) it's because it takes truly special instruments to get me to feel this way.

You've read details about the "Olson" tone of my Cedar/Braz SJ in my other review so I won't say it all again (here's the link):
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=135747


Rather....

3) How Does this Guitar Compare to my Olson SJ Cedar/Braz?

This guitar shares many of the properties of my Cedar/Braz SJ and it sounds VERY OLSON which is a good thing. Where it is different is that my Cedar/Braz SJ is a SMIDGE warmer in the bass and mids. What I have gain in my new Italian/Braz SJ is a guitar that can be DRIVEN and has some serious snap to it while maintaining all the tonal characteristics that make it "complex". Don't get me wrong, I've played over a year with my Cedar SJ and fingerstyle, strum, pick, on it and it is awesome on all regards. It's just that this "Tree of Music" Italian spruce can be fingerstyled (and sound nearly identical to my Cedar SJ), but also punched! (we're not talking Pete Townsend windmills that break strings, but I'm talking about a VERY ENERGETIC instrument - even more so than my Cedar SJ). In essence I have found it....the truly athlete that CAN do it all (except Banjo kill...which ballerinas are not known to do).

If you like Spruce and are not looking for a Banjo Killer...YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THIS "Tree of Music"/Braz SJ combo from Jim Olson.



4) What May Cause This Tone?
Well aside from it being from the master Jim, special treatment was done to my top. Jim spent a ton of time using some proprietary techniques on this top as well as the bracing to maximize the responsiveness of this guitar...and MAN IT SOUNDS KILLER (oh yeah I already mentioned that ).


5) How is this Guitar's Fit and Finish?

It's GORGEOUS. Feels perfect in my hands. The paua around this thing is unreal. The wood is crazy good, particularly the braz (which pix don't do justice). All the braz on the guitar (back, sides, headstock, backplate and even the end wedge) is from the same set of braz. The top is gorgeous with some great silking. What is really cool is the how perfectly quartered the neck is there is silking on that bad boy on all 5 plys....WOW.



Okay maybe this isn't my usual "review" but I felt that I covered alot of details about tone in my other post so rather than do a "cut and paste" I thought I'd share what was different and what this guitar has intangibly done to me and my emotions.....which is what the mark of a legendary, "once in a lifetime" guitar is all about right?

Fortunately I'm blessed to have 2 of them.

Thanks a million Jim!

[iplayguitars]

why such a light pick? theres no way that can bring out the full potential of the instrument.

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Originally Posted by iplayguitars

why such a light pick? theres no way that can bring out the full potential of the instrument.

I actually think I lose more when I got to a heavier pick. I play a light pick for several reasons:

1) Evenness. With a heavier pick I find that the first note(s) struck in a strum or chord is often louder or not as balanced as the rest. The thinner pick evens out the sound of a chord. When I'm playing live it's one less thing I have to worry about (kinda like a compressor).

2) Crispness. The 0.46mm in my hand is enough to generate a really nice, crisp sounding attack. With thicker picks I find that the tone becomes duller and fatter (which is actually nice in some instances where a jazz tones are needed).

3) Easier to play fast and/or complex rhythms. Catches less in the strings for me.

4) If I need to really play some aggressive lines then I usually grip up or use one of the "butt" end edges of the pick depending on whether I want to maintain the crisp attack (grip up on the it) or a fatter tone (using the thicker edges).

5) I find that tonally, I like lighter picks better on my Olsons. I can drive it but it still retains that tonal complexity I love. As I go to heavier picks, it starts sounding more fundamental and fatter/less crisp. I use 0.56mm Delrins on my "Non-Olsons" and like them plenty.

6) 0.38mm is TOO light for me.

7) It's already plenty of volume for me. I need it really loud then I plug it in. Not trying to compete with a room full of D-38's here.

It's really personal preference and what sounds best to you. However a very well known and accomplished musician friend of mine who plays in front of audiences in excess of 40k people also uses the same 0.46 nylon dunlop.

I will say that we are sort of in the minority as most people use medium or heavy picks.

Hope that helps (at least what works for me).

[690MBCOMMANDO]

To sum it up (in response to a good PM I just got):

If you want one guitar that can do it all equally well (Jack of All Trades AND Master of All) and be awesome at everything, I would go for the Italian "Tree of Music"/Braz SJ without hesitation. If I could only have one guitar this would be it.

If you want a guitar that excels at fingerstyle and good at everything, then go with the Cedar/Braz SJ. I would have this only if I had another go to Spruce topped guitar.

Hope this helps!

[blue-wily-fox]

Can you post some MP-3's of you playing these guitars? I would love to hear what they sound like!? Thanks

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Originally Posted by blue-wily-fox

Can you post some MP-3's of you playing these guitars? I would love to hear what they sound like!? Thanks

For the Cedar/Braz listen to the the beginning of September Grass by James Taylor. That's pretty close to what mine sounds like.

I don't have any recording stuff and when I've tried with a hand held it just doesn't sound the same and wouldn't do it justice.

Check out the above song though...

I've tried to be pretty detailed in my descriptions and several folks on this forum have bought my guitars and I believe all of them agree to the accuracy of the them (although they seem pretty hard to believe until you actually play/hear them).

[gordee]

Those are gorgeous Commando! I'd love to play an Olson next to my newest Charis and Ryan just to see how they compare. Then again-maybe that would be a big mistake!
Enjoy those works of art.

[blue-wily-fox]

It sure would be good to hear some of these fantastic guitars, for those of us considering getting one. I know a lot of guys on the forum are posers/collectors who don't really play guitar, unlike you guys, so if you could put some of your playing on line that would be great.....thanks

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Originally Posted by blue-wily-fox

It sure would be good to hear some of these fantastic guitars, for those of us considering getting one. I know a lot of guys on the forum are posers/collectors who don't really play guitar, unlike you guys, so if you could put some of your playing on line that would be great.....thanks

That's a good idea to get a sense of how different Olsons sound for folks like yourself who are thinking about getting one. Probably the best place for it would be Jim's site. I'll pass the idea along to him. Thanks!

[usb_chord]

Great stuff, 690. Love the shot of both of them together. Enjoy in good health! For those of you looking for that sonic fix you were hoping to find here, I just stumbled across this on youtube:

Jeff Peterson - Lilinoe played on Olson SJ Acoustic Guitar (Cedar/Rosewood)

[690MBCOMMANDO]

Hey - Check it out, my guitar is now on Bob Colossi's site as a close up example of the premium dark bridge FWI pins that Jim Olson uses. Check out the silking in the top!

http://www.guitarsaddles.com/products.asp

Cool!