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-   -   Two Circas at TAMCO UK. (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297545)

Trevor M 05-31-2013 12:56 PM

Two Circas at TAMCO UK.
 
Its an exciting day when you get two Circa guitars at the same time. I'm so excited I just had to show the off.

OOO-12 Adirondack/rosewood.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps6a3128d9.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...psab960166.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps7c431f60.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...psb6b05afa.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps1599f51f.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...psf35e225a.jpg

Trevor M 05-31-2013 01:01 PM

And an OM in mahogany and Adirondack.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...psf39856cd.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...psa81d4c4d.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps100f72b1.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps4a0e7228.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...psb9959ec2.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps821da57b.jpg

justonwo 05-31-2013 01:05 PM

They look amazing. I bet they sound fantastic!

justonwo 05-31-2013 07:54 PM

Trevor, can you compare the 000 to any Circa 00s you've played?

usb_chord 05-31-2013 10:42 PM

Ugh! Seeing that pyramid bridge on that beautiful OM body shape makes me want to change my mind about the 00. Again. :lol:

Trevor M 06-01-2013 12:20 AM

Hi Juston,

I haven't played any circa OOs. There are sound descriptions of these two on my website.

steveh 06-12-2013 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justonwo (Post 3491752)
Trevor, can you compare the 000 to any Circa 00s you've played?

I played that 000-12 today and it was mindblowing, just mindblowing. Beautiful trebles in particular - very complex. It did the Collings super-refined hi-fi Martin type sound but with none of the sterility. One of the top 10 guitars I've ever played.

I've no idea what a 00 would sound like but I'll be first in the queue to try one.

Cheers,
Steve

thomas1 06-12-2013 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveh (Post 3506422)
I played that 000-12 today and it was mindblowing, just mindblowing. Beautiful trebles in particular - very complex. It did the Collings super-refined hi-fi Martin type sound but with none of the sterility. One of the top 10 guitars I've ever played.

I've no idea what a 00 would sound like but I'll be first in the queue to try one.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve, I am envious of your having a chance to play that 000. I visited John just last week and played a 00 in Euro Spruce and curly maple that was previously owned by Al Petteway for several years. Fantastic guitar and one of the best maple guitars I have played - warm, balanced, articulate with wonderful overall timbre. Particularly amazing mids and trebles. It was for sale and if it had been a 00 cutaway it would definitely have come home with me. Also played an OM cutaway with Adi top on which John had just replaced the original wooden bridge for an ivory one at the customer's request. It was absolutely spectacular but sadly not for sale.

Did you have the chance to play any other guitars during your TAMCO visit? If so, perhaps rather than us hijacking this thread you could give us a new thread about any other exciting things you had a chance to sample if you have time and it isn't too inconvenient - there are SO many amazing guitars on the website.

justonwo 06-12-2013 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveh (Post 3506422)
I played that 000-12 today and it was mindblowing, just mindblowing. Beautiful trebles in particular - very complex. It did the Collings super-refined hi-fi Martin type sound but with none of the sterility. One of the top 10 guitars I've ever played.

I've no idea what a 00 would sound like but I'll be first in the queue to try one.

Cheers,
Steve

Top 10 guitars you've ever played? That's high praise, and really exciting to hear. It's times like these when I wish there was a Bay Area TAMCO.

UKPhil 06-12-2013 03:51 PM

Both beautiful guitars but just a minor comment - can't help thinking that the bridges should have been swapped around i.e the 000 should have the pyramid bridge.

Lovely guitars.

usb_chord 06-12-2013 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas1 (Post 3506465)
Steve, I am envious of your having a chance to play that 000. I visited John just last week and played a 00 in Euro Spruce and curly maple that was previously owned by Al Petteway for several years. Fantastic guitar and one of the best maple guitars I have played - warm, balanced, articulate with wonderful overall timbre. Particularly amazing mids and trebles. It was for sale and if it had been a 00 cutaway it would definitely have come home with me. Also played an OM cutaway with Adi top on which John had just replaced the original wooden bridge for an ivory one at the customer's request. It was absolutely spectacular but sadly not for sale.

Did you have the chance to play any other guitars during your TAMCO visit? If so, perhaps rather than us hijacking this thread you could give us a new thread about any other exciting things you had a chance to sample if you have time and it isn't too inconvenient - there are SO many amazing guitars on the website.

Dying to know more about that OM, Thomas. I'll shoot you a pm or email

Joel Stehr 06-12-2013 07:20 PM

Beautiful guitars. Classic!

usb_chord 06-12-2013 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveh (Post 3506422)
I played that 000-12 today and it was mindblowing, just mindblowing. Beautiful trebles in particular - very complex. It did the Collings super-refined hi-fi Martin type sound but with none of the sterility. One of the top 10 guitars I've ever played.

I've no idea what a 00 would sound like but I'll be first in the queue to try one.

Cheers,
Steve

Wow, thanks for sharing your thoughts Steve! What did you think of the size? I know you wield a Mod D like a champ, but did the longer upper bout get in your way at all? When I played Al's 000 I was a tad uncomfortable because of it.

thomas1 06-12-2013 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usb_chord (Post 3506890)
Dying to know more about that OM, Thomas. I'll shoot you a pm or email

Brian, Thanks so much for all the input you gave me a while back on the Circa's you have played. It was a great visit to John's shop - he is a super nice guy. Left me to sit upstairs above the workshop to play as long as I wanted. Then we talked wood and looked at some of his stash. Saw Justin's African Blackwood - awesome to say the least. Also saw Mau's woods - awesome to say the least again. John seemed pretty excited to be tackling a single 0 size guitar.

The OM I played was owned by a guy in NH who has more than one of John's guitars. He had asked to have the original ebony bridge replaced with an ivory bridge - and this is apparently his gigging guitar! It was very, very different from Al Petteway's Euro/Maple 00. Don't know how much of that was the ivory bridge but John felt that it was responsible for a lot about the OM's sound. It was significantly brighter sounding than the 00 but not at all in a bad way. Also much more prominent overtone content - less vintage in character but incredibly beautiful in a somewhat more modern vein. Both guitars played like butter - just beautifully set up - at least for my fingerstyle playing. The 00 was a more versatile instrument I believe although I don't tend to play in many different genres but that was the sense I got when playing it. The OM cutaway was a beautiful fingerstyle instrument but not really suited to blues type playing I wouldn't think personally. However, others might be able to pull it off on that guitar. The 00 also seemed louder in all registers and surprisingly even in the bass. Both guitars were visually beautiful in an understated way- all about the woods and classic design. As for the ivory bridge, I think they look kinda cool although I do know that some do not care for the visual.

Anyway, probably typed too much already. Sorry to go on so.

usb_chord 06-12-2013 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas1 (Post 3506937)

Anyway, probably typed too much already. Sorry to go on so.

Oh no, Thomas! I live for this stuff! :lol: I've only played a few of John's OMs so I dont really feel I have an adequate/accurate enough profile for them. My experiences with them have actually been a bit different yours. Compared to the 12 fretters, I was getting a lot more fundamental out of the OMs I played.

All of the 12ers were more "colored" to me but the OMs took a pick a little better. The latest OM I played was an Baz/Adi at Schoenbergs. Probably the most satisfying strummed sound I've ever heard. John has such a broad range of voicing abilities. I wish I could afford fifty of his guitars...


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