A friends custom Jim Worland guitar
A couple weeks back, a friend and fellow forum member (13th fret), Dick Sanders, asked me to check out his custom Jim Worland and provide some feedback for a good setup. Then the guitar was taken to local luthier/setup guru, Richard Starkey (yep, like Ringo, but not…). Richard does great work and does a lot of traveling clinics for Martin guitars, and even designed some of their guitars…
Dick’s goal for this guitar was a vintage Gibson vibe and I think Jim really nailed that. The top has a sunburst finish on Italian Spruce and the back and sides are Honduran Rosewood. The fit and finish is well done and very clean. Jim used cool kerfling/lining, very similar to the new Ryan “A4” design. The woods are beautiful and the details like the inlays, Ivoroid binding, etc really contribute to the overall vintage vibe. I also really dug the unslotted bridge pins. This is the only Worland guitar I’ve had the chance to play, so I’m not sure how his other guitars sound but this one has a very beautiful and traditional voice. (Or how I think of a “traditional voice,” if there is such a thing…) Very strong fundamental, and lots of sustain but not as many complex overtones. It’s a punchy little guitar with sweet trebles and robust mids and lower mids and with a strong bass. It is very loud and projects well too. Overall, a very cool guitar that excels as a fingerstyle guitar and I’m sure Dick will enjoy playing for years to come. Thanks again Dick for sending it! On a non-guitar related note, Dick is a fantastic photographer and will be receiving a very prestigious award for one of his pictures in April. If you haven’t checked out his work, you should: www.dicksanders.com. Kindly, Danny Here are a couple photos he took and a youtube video of me playing it… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYmb8LBWnag http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/worland1.jpg http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/worland3.jpg http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/worland2.jpg |
Jim Worland is a superb builder, as I believe anyone who plays my Worland 12-fret OM will agree. If my experience is typical, Jim will absolutely give you exactly what you ask for, in terms of tone, specs and features. So be careful what you ask for! It's good to see Jim getting some recognition on the discussion forum. He certainly deserves it.
-Bob |
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Terrific playing. That guitar sounds like a monster...very nice.
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Thanks, Danny, for your advice and help on the setup and your recommendation of Richard Starkey. And thanks, too, for making the video. It's just great to see and hear you play my guitar (it'll never be played so well again!). If you haven't heard Danny yet, see the YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYmb8LBWnag
To add to Danny's post, I had asked Jim to put the emphasis on the fundamental and also to get as much bass as he could out of this small body. The goal was not to build a vintage replica, but rather to get a comfortable, easy-playing, great-sounding guitar with all my favorite vintage features (from the '30s). And thus this is an original design, but with a heavy debt to Gibson, National, and Silvertone, and of course a great BIG "thank you" to Jim Worland. I can vouch that he's a good guy, very nice to work with, and his prices are very affordable. http://worlandguitars.com/ Specs: Honduran Rosewood and Italian Spruce; 14 7/8 lower bout; 10 5/16 upper bout; 8 3/16 waist; 19 1/8 body length; 4 3/8 body depth; 1 3/4 nut width; 2 3/16 string width; 25.4 scale, slim soft-v neck made for my hand. Finally, here are two more pics, one of the headstock and one showing the kerfing Danny was talking about... http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...gheadForum.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...guardForum.jpg |
I went to high school with Jim. I live minutes from him and have visited his shop several times. The nicest guy you could ever meet. I've also had a chance to play a few models and see several more in the making including harp guitars and some other really cool customs. There is something very special about a truly small shop with one skilled Craftsman paying so much attention to each piece of his work. Sometimes I go there to mooch scraps for trussrod covers, but I really just like to see what he's up to and take in the smell! :D Someday I will own one of his guitars!
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That's a spectacular looking and sounding guitar. Great playing too.
I like the style a lot. Jim seems to have upped the flashiness a notch. Really cool. Jim is a quality guy, too. |
Thank you everyone for your kind words on my playing, I truly appreciate it:) Dick does have himself a wonderful guitar! I hope to get a chance to play more of Jim's guitars in the future.
Kindly, Danny |
well i wana play this guitar too but i know i cant because i m so far fromit
my friend have one ..i normaly play that one well i like the looks and want to listen it as well can someone plz share his/her own music |
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That sunburst color is spectacular!
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