Jim and Al were gracious enough to allow me to play their Circas and I learned a lot from the experience. Try to get a hold of Jim's 00, if he doesn't mind. I've also played the HGF one and I actually like his a little bit more (both were otherworldly).

It'd be really interesting for you to play that one side-by-side with his Adi/ Madrose OM. That was one brute of an OM. Vintage through and through! It has a VERY strong fundamental with a massive low-end. Tons of power and projection. I can't imagine you connecting with the OM nearly as much as his 00, which I thought was pretty "modern" by comparison. That's a testament to John's skills as a tone sculptor, for sure. Al's 00 Euro/Maple is in the top 3 of best guitars I've ever played. His most recent 000 is over the top. As far as I'm concerned, John's last name is Allstate. You're in good hands..

"John's last name is Allstate. You're in good hands.. "

That's a good one!

I played one of John's guitars and loved it! It was not the same specs as yours but if the guitar I played is any indication of his skill (which I believe it is) then you are going to have an awesome guitar! I would honestly place his guitar as one of my personal top three that I have ever played.

Ive only played one, an earlier build.... I liked it, probably its among the 10 best acoustics I have played, and I have tried a lot... lol

Almost had a build also...

Hope this time you get the guitar you want:)

I've been going back and forth between commissioning a 000-12 and 00-12. My main thinking here is to get some of the great trebles and mids of a 00-12 but with a bit more bass. With the 000-12 reviews from TAMCO, I'm definitely intrigued. Anyone out there with experience on both body styles from Circa?

I am looking forward to seeing this come together Juston.

Both will have great trebles and mids. The big thing that separates 00s and 000s for me is increased clarity. To me his 00s have a quicker response and little less air. Those things appeal to me for recording/repertoire reasons.


One thing I think should be mentioned here is that going with a 00 from John doesnt mean you can't have an equally amazing low-end. His are the most powerful and versatile of that body size I've ever played. When I AB'd Al Petteway's 00 and 000, we both felt the 00 had more low end. Of course, that's not always the case - the 000 I played at schoenberg's was best played on the bench outside to avoid knocking his shop down.

Another thing to consider is ...would the 00 be more likely to fill a void than the 000 would?

Those are two of my primary thoughts as well.

If I could own only one guitar, the odds are that I would pick the 000.

But as Brian points out, I do find smaller guitars to be fun to record with. And since I already have a bunch of larger guitars, I decided to go with an 0 for my Circa.

Yeah, I noticed you switched to a 0 from a 00. I don't know how much recording I'll be doing. The 00 is most likely to fill a void, though I have a feeling any Circa 12 fret would do that. Decisions decisions.

Nice African BW! It comes from Allied Lutherie, isn't it? :)

I'm not sure where the African Blackwood came from.

I did quite a bit of research today at Schoenberg guitars, playing 00-12 and 000-12 guitars by various makers. I found I definitely gravitate toward the larger 000-12 (see my Schoenberg thread). I was also surprised at some of the back and side woods I was digging (koa and sapele). I finally got what people say when they talk about the warmth of mahogany. Usually, I just think of it as a "dry" tonewood, but when it's used right it sounds great. It's different than rosewood, but very satisfying.

Seems like a also found I really like the "vintage" voiced 000 guitars as well, so perhaps this modern interpretation of vintage 000 sound is over-thinking it. Lots to chew on here . . .

Happens to the best of us. ;)

My thinking has definitely evolved after several trips to Schoenberg. I can't believe they've been there all these years and I never bothered to stop by! I've discovered, having played a wide variety of guitars in that style, that I really like the vintage Martin sound. I guess the conventional wisdom is that vintage Martins are more fundamental-focused - dry sounding even, and are lacking for overtones. Maybe that's true, but to my ear they have wonderful note separation and complexity nonetheless. It happens to be a guitar style that works well with my playing style.

I've also discovered at Schoenberg - again, having played many examples - that I'm a big fan of koa and mahogany. There's more to the guitar world than rosewood - go figure! I've also discovered, and developed a real taste for, Adirondack spruce as a top wood. Most of the guitars I end up playing/trying tend to have Euro or Sitka. I really enjoy the power and projection I hear on Adi-topped guitars.

So in light of my discoveries and my experience with several different OMs, 000s, 00s, etc, I've decided to point John in a more traditional direction. I've also discovered that I ever so slightly prefer the 000-12 to the 00-12, though it's a difficult choice between the two.

After a few discussions with John over the past few months, we've changed the spec piecewise, and now it appears we're ending up in a much different place than we started. Thanks in large part to all of the great examples of Martin builds (and actual Martins) at Schoenberg, and their awesome staff of course.

John and I have decided to spec the guitar with an Adirondack spruce top and Tasmanian Blackwood back and sides. He feels Tasmanian Blackwood can often sound much like koa but that it takes a cutaway bend more easily than koa. I have been very impressed by two koa guitars I've played at Schoenberg - a 000-12 Schoenberg built by Bruce Sexauer with Carpathian and koa and a 000-12 Eichelbaum with Adi and koa.

I think John's wood recommendations will result in a stellar guitar. And I think you can put me firmly in the camp of those who appreciate the vintage Martin sound.

Looking forward to watching this one come together Juston.

Strangely enough, I have also recently been enticed by mahogany as well ...

Mahogany and Adirondack are a match made in heaven-

I had the vintage AHA moment last year at Woodstock getting to play a whole group of pre war Martins (all perfectly setup) in a row and against another amazing group of modern guitars. The older instruments were incredible, and when setup correctly not tubby, or quiet, muddled etc... They were direct and warm and just amazing. It changed a lot of thinking for me.