I messaged Ed awhile back deciding to try a custom.. I flaked because I just could not decide what I wanted!

Either an OM or GA with Lutz/Rosewood or Lutz/Walnut..

I'm afraid the Rosewood may have too many overtones for strumming.

I'm afraid the Walnut won't really know what it wants to be if that makes sense haha. I had one Walnut guitar and it just didn't have much character.

Any thoughts?

FWIW, Although not halcyons, my Martins are both IRW and to my only slightly trained ear don't have too many overtones to strum, it's all I know how to do and they sound great to me when doing so.

On Walnut and character: I'd just advise not to generalize to Ed's walnut axes from other builds/builders. He really takes a lot of time/care/skill to tune the tops (I believe) and tweaking other tonal variables. Never heard one in person, but posters of his walnut guitars have raved and loved them. Ed would be in the best position to address this issue with you. I'll also add, however, that my Halcyon 12 fret 000 in Primavera/Lutz has some over tones, but I'm pretty sure it's the Lutz contributing to this, so I'd be equally or more concerned about your top wood and bracing choices than back and sides.

Alternately, in commissioning my Halcyon and now my Tinker build, there are so many considerations and decisions, it can get a little daunting, confusing and this is when I leave it to the expert, Ed.

Peace

John

Halcyon thread
 

I have a lefty AJ in Lutz / EIR, that I bought based on reviews here- it surpassed all the preconceived expectations! It is quite simply- a fantastic handmade guitar. Cost or anything else aside- Ed builds fantastic guitars, that sound and play phenomenally good! So good- I put a deposit in last month for my second Halcyon- this time a cutaway MJ! I am thrilled to be having Ed build me another guitar- he is a true craftsman, and a gentleman to deal with!

Halcyon thread
 

BTW- Here is my Halcyon AJ #51

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...pswj9lknln.jpg[/URL]

Very nice !

Thanks much for the thoughtful reply. I did discuss it briefly with Ed. He pretty much told me go with what I prefer I just wanted to get insight from folks here. Thanks!

^^^ Love the signature. Just got done singing that lyric to my 3 year old before bed.
One thing regarding the walnut. Ed has it in two flavors: regular( sometimes I think called figured) and flamed. He had said that the flamed has more overtones to it, but not surprising they're very similar. Also one thing I learned from Ed is in reference to bracing. Since I really liked the Larry more than the Martin or Taylor, he recommended going with tapered rather than scalloped. All I ever hear about is scalloped, so it didn't occur to me think otherwise. I've learned so much in this process. I love it. I told Ed I trusted his judgement regarding the bracing, and then basically said build it really light, cross pollinate the woodyness of a Martin with the balance of a Larrivee, and call it good.

Can you tell I'm excited? 1 month down, 5 to go. Thank goodness for AGF and Ed's Facebook page.

This is awesome, thanks for all the info everyone!

Does anyone have thoughts they can share about what Ed's Advanced Jumbo and Medium Jumbo models are like? What the differences between them are? There isn't too much info about these on his website so I thought I would ask you all.

Thanks!
-Mike

Sweet! Congrats on the build I can sense your excitement haha. I had no idea you could ask for things like different bracing and lightness of build.. I just went off of what was on the Halcyon website and Ed never mentioned it. That makes things even more complicated for my obsessive personality haha.

And yes Come Thy Fount has such a powerful message I love it :)

It's best not to overthink it, lest you be struck by paralysis by analysis. Generally our guitars have scalloped bracing, 'cause that's what I like. But T268 specifically mentioned that he liked the balanced sound of a Larrivee, ergo tapered bracing.

The Advanced Jumbo more of a dreadnaught style guitar, emphasis on the whoomfh, the kick, the low mids.

Our medium jumbo ends up voiced more like a really big OM, quite crisp and articulate.

I don't have the links offhand, but if you go to YouTube and search Dolphin Guitars, Halcyon, you can see some vid clips of someone with enviable skills playing four MJ's, two mahogany, two rosewood, with and without cutaway.

Ed, while you're doing this dissertation on Halcyon guitar flavors, how would you characterize your SJ?

Phew, a dissertation, eh? Didn't know I was gonna have to study...;)

I'd say the SJ is a bit more articulate with a faster attack than an OM. The bracing is quite a bit tighter. Stiffer along the grain, looser across.

That being said, we've only made one. Out of narra, for the first time, and out of torrefied top wood, also for the first time. But my impression is that it's a good model for finger style, more so than campfire strum alongs...

Any thoughts specifically from those who have paired lutz with rosewood?

Halcyon thread
 

My Lutz/Rosewood AJ is phenomenal! It has a rich tone, but never at the cost of clarity and note separation. Rich, but never muddy. Great at strumming, but handles being finger picked beautifully ( I finger pick 90% of the time). I would call this pairing- incredibly versatile! Highly recommended.

I have compared my walnut AJ to the Gibson AJ it is so close to sound and feel that I am positive I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It is my all time favourite guitar. The flamed walnut us stunning.

I have a New Guinea Walnut/SITKA SJ on order. I wanted something new and different. The SJ is from I understand similar to the OM in size but as Ed has said, braced differently. I mostly finger pick so I am pretty thrilled and I also enjoy the wait and anticipation.