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Time for another Kostal build thread … Modified Dreadnought
“One guitar to rule them all”
I have too many guitars. There, I said it. Of course, we all know that’s an outrageous thing to say. I duly take it back. I mean, I’m not even sure it’s possible! No, the number I have (carefully undisclosed) is probably ok. I just don’t have the right selection/variety of guitars within the number! (Were I starting again today, my collection would be very different – but that’s a whole other story.) But the notion of “one guitar to rule them all” was one planted by Michael Watts and Pierre Bensusan (apologies for the name drops!) and somewhat stuck. I’d heard Pierre’s thoughts on this at his seminar back in 2008. So when my wife asked Pierre a few weeks ago what the right number of guitars was, I knew I was in trouble. The answer? “One”. (Pierre’s famously relatively guitar monogamous – if you can be “relatively monogamous”! In my defence though, he does have currently have 3 Lowdens, a harp guitar and a parlour guitar (and I think a nylon string or two, perhaps); and a number of other guitars have been through his hands over the years. He also conceded that you might want other guitars for other styles, so that’s a good excuse for a baritone, a twelve string, a harp guitar, a small bodied guitar, a tenor guitar; then there’s nylon string and cross-ever instruments; and we haven’t even mentioned basses and electrics…). I can certainly see the logic to having one stellar instrument that you know intimately. A main guitar. The “go to” instrument. And one, dare I say it, that may even render redundant a number (if not all … but let’s not get too crazy) of my other six string, standard scale acoustics. "One guitar to rule them all" was my thinking when I bought my first “serious” acoustic (a Larrivee LV-09) – which at the time I thought was going to be the "one and only" (thank you Chesney). It's certainly got some good things going for it - it can handle very low action, looks great, cleanly built, records well and it's balanced, etc. And it was a huge step up from what I was playing before that (Takamine G230). But ultimately proved to be but the start of a journey and an increasing appreciation of small shop and single luthier builds. And it was that continued search for "the one" that ultimately led me to Jason. So, not much pressure on him then to build "the one guitar to rule them all"! ;) In fact, it was Michael’s "The Tree" Kostal MD build here on AGF that prompted me to contact Jason directly back in March 2011. None of the high end (say £4k+) guitars I’d played at that point were sufficiently seductive to make me think about spending that sort of money - with the exception of a very tasty Wingert Model E (perfectly straight, quartersawn BRW from around 1812, German spruce top, huge 50 or 52mm nut and 62mm or more string spacing at the nut). That guitar, however, was very much not for sale! But when I first played Michael Watts’ MD (#32), it spoke to me in a way no other instrument had. All other considerations could be cast aside. It was about “that” sound. It was just so distinctive - quite unlike any other guitar I’d heard at that point. I had to be sure I wasn’t imagining things. So – with many thanks to Michael Watts – I had the opportunity to pit most of my guitars against #32. Whilst there’s an element of apples and oranges, and it was hardly a level playing field in terms of price points, I was left in no doubt that I would not be happy until there was a Kostal in the collection! That decision, for me, was considerably more instinctive that I’m used to. Normally I spend ages researching all the options, trying them out, deliberating prices, etc. Very much a “maximiser” rather than a “satisficer”, as Prof Barry Schwartz would have it. But Michael’s Kostal just felt right. Well, it sounded “right”; that neck is like a baseball bat! Price was a factor, however, and this gave me pause for thought. Even at Jason’s prices back then, with duty, VAT and shipping factored in, this was a huge amount for me to spend, particularly in one go on one instrument – or indeed at all (with only a few exceptions, I’ve always bought second-hand). But I figured if I sold a few guitars (haven’t quite got round to that - I’ll know better which ones once the Kostal arrives…), put aside some money each month by standing order, and started cycling to work to save on the season ticket, I’d be able to make it happen. So in late 2011, with a (deserved!) rise in Jason's prices imminent, I took the plunge and placed a deposit… Coming next – The Specs All the best, and with best wishes to Jason on his big birthday today, Dan |
Can't wait for this one! :)
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I've really enjoyed your build threads and Kostal Komparison recordings, Eric - all sorts of fun and inspiration. Thank you! |
At last!!! Congratulations Dan.
Cheers V |
A few months to go yet... but if it's as good as your OM, I'll be a very happy man and it'll be totally worth the waiting!
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Specifications
I’d always thought that if I was to order the “one guitar to rule them all”, it would be a rib- and arm-bevelled, fan fretted and possibly sound ported - yet otherwise visually restrained - beast; a “Healdsberg special”, if you will. I knew from the outset that those options weren't on offer, and that was ok with me because it was my love of the sound - and the playability - of the Kostal's I'd played that was paramount (plus they look fantastic!). Body size The thread title = massive spoiler. But here’s some of the thinking that led me to that conclusion. As someone who favours the sound of large guitars, the Modified Dreadnought (MD) seemed like the obvious choice. However, Steve H’s Kostal OM (and, more recently, Vicov's) gave me serious pause for thought (thank you both for letting me sully them with my paws!); as have Jason’s wonderfully sweet Jumbos (though unlike those OMs, I’ve not had the pleasure of them in the flesh). The OM is the more balanced and integrated all-rounder, but the MD’s bass and power is just so seductive. As someone with a very light right hand and who plays generally pretty mellifluous stuff – I thought the growl of the MD would be a nice counterpoint (a bit like Michael Stavrou’s approach to mic’ing – chose a mic of opposite “hardness” to the source: so a very soft source should have a very hard mic, and vice-versa). Whilst I generally (but not always) steer away from the slappy/tappy stuff, my playing and compositions are broadly in the modern fingerstyle camp. Given the heritage of the MD – designed with that genre (if you can call it such a thing) in mind, I figured if I was only ever going to buy one Somogyi apprentice guitar, it just had to be an MD. So, decision made! Sound port…? Whilst I do like the feedback a sound port gives to a player, that don’t seem to fit with the Somogyi “air pump” model; and when playing live, they seem to open you up to a higher risk of feedback (such was Andy McKee’s experience; and Mr Greenfield no longer seems to offer them). In any case, it’s not as if the Kostals I’ve played lack volume or feedback to the player; quite the contrary (although their dispersion patterns can be quite different, depending on what was specified). So that was something I could happily live without. Fan frets … ? As for fan frets, when I first spoke to Jason about them, he was offering them as an option (25-26' standard spread, a wide spread would require another new bracing pattern; I don't think he does any more, but anyone interest might want to check). I wasn't sure that I could justify the extra cost, particularly if I was after a different or more radical spread. And I wasn't left with the impression that Jason thought this would necessarily result in a better sounding guitar. I thought best to follow the chef’s guidance on that, given his wisdom and experience, plus it's his dish! In any case, Jason's MDs seem capable of handling low tunings well (including down to a B in the bass), despite the relatively short 25.25” scale. I also wasn’t sure how they’d work aesthetically on a Kostal – to my eyes, they seem to suit some builds well but not others. Given Jason’s output – I’ve yet to see an instrument of his that didn’t look fantastic – if anyone could make this work, I’m sure Jason could. Still, I’ve lived without fan frets so far, and figured it’s not something I’d miss. So I'm afraid I've not bucked the trend and gone for what might have been the first fan fretted Kostal. Bevels? I do enjoy a the comfort of a good arm-cage – and even rib-cage - bevel (and/or bevelled binding, like Tom Doer’s). These weren’t on the table, again I think primarily for sonic reasons. Jason does, however, offer a Manzer-style wedge. Whilst to my mind they serve slightly different purposes (both would be ideal), on a big guitar like the MD, the wedge seemed pretty much essential to me. I’m already finding my Lowden Os and Lowden Baritone pretty big, and fear that’ll only become more of a struggle as the years advance! The rest of the specs … were pretty straightforward:
All the best, Dan |
Congratulations Dan!
I'll be enjoying watching this thread - Jason builds a truly fantastic guitar, and there's nothing else with a voice quite like a Modified Dread. I'd be very interested in what you have chosen with Jason for the top, back and sides. Cheers, David |
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The OM or MD question is vexed and one that I'd find more difficult to answer after having had both for a couple of years. I thought the MD would be a bit too rich for everyday noodling after work, which is what I do (like most of us I suspect), but - hey - it seems I like foie gras every day! So, that "one" guitar to rule them all. Hmmmm. Difficult, especially if the OM was like Vics... Cheers, Steve |
Thanks Steve! Very kind of you sir!
So, maybe two guitars to rule them all? :D Eric couldn't resist that second Kostal either! I'm sensing a trend here... Oh yeah, plus a baritone. I can only begin to imagine what a Kostal baritone would sound like. Jason - let me be your willing prototype victim! And how bout a harp guitar whilst we're at it? And an OO. Ah, I'm in trouble again... Cheers, Dan |
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Good to hear from you. Ask and ye shall receive … WOOD SELECTION Purpose In the MD, I was looking for something that would be a bit of an all-rounder – not so much in terms of musical style, but in that it’ll be used for recording, playing live (amplified, the vast majority of the time) and entertaining myself, etc. So not quite as clear cut as Michael Watt’s preference to prioritise projection, or Steve H’s preference to focus on the player’s experience and so a more diffuse sound that hangs around. Top wood I figured best to start with the top, since that’s the major tonal driver. The two guitars of mine that see probably 95% of the action – when I’m not playing the baritone – are both cedar topped: a McIlroy A25c custom (cedar/Kew black walnut with 47mm nut width and 60mm string spacing at the bridge) and a Lowden O35cx (cedar/EIR with fingerstyle neck – to 45mm nut, 60mm string spacing). So, were we going to see (rather unusually) a cedar topped Kostal MD? As someone with a very light right (picking) hand, and who likes a warm sound, I’d always assumed cedar was right for me. In those guitars, it may well be. But I find that cedar can sometimes be (very much depending on the builder) a little dark, even mushy. It also seems not quite to have the dynamic complexity that good spruce have: it’s not necessarily (or just) a lack of headroom, it’s that there may be less tonal variation and nuance (even when you're just working the lower volume end of the instrument); it also seems to offer better clarity and separation. I’m pretty certain that all the Kostals I’ve played have German spruce tops. And they all sounded fantastic. Whilst I’m sure Jason could make a great sounding guitar out of almost anything, I figured I was on safe ground with German, which – to my ears - offer some of the overtone/harmonic complexity of cedar with all the best sonic (and structural) qualities of spruce. Jason’s also big fan, and it features on many (perhaps even the majority) of his builds – so he knows it well. So that made the decision quite straightforward. Back and sides A more complex question. I thought it’d be best to get some hands-on experience and talk to the master. Steve H (who at that stage I’d never met) very kindly allowed me to impose myself not only on his house but on his OM and MD to compare body sizes and back and sides woods. I was also very fortunate to get the opportunity to compare Michael Watts’ The Tree MD with another MD in wenge at The North American Guitar’s HQ – and Skype Jason from there about my thought. It’s got to be a pretty rare to be able play two Kostals in the same room (though it seems owners of one find it hard to resist the temptation of a second, so that’s increasingly common!). I’m very grateful to Steve and Michael for giving me that very special opportunity. Mahogany I do love the sound of a mahogany guitar. It records easily and takes reverb well. It sounds “woody” (for what that’s worth!). Lovely mid-range, but with some growl and bark. But it’s quite a specific sound, quite “dry” (i.e. not much built-in reverb), and perhaps a bit inflexible for the “one guitar to rule them all”. It can also be a bit plane in the looks department. The Tree would be great – not least because it addresses much of those issues. I wouldn’t have any hesitation with that – particularly given my experience with Michael Watts’ beautiful, and beautiful sounding, #32 – but for the huge uplift it’d inevitably entail. I was to afraid to even ask…! Vitreous woods That huge, reverby, overtone-laden, rich, crystalline sound with sustain that goes on for days on the Kostal’s I’ve played with vitreous woods (two wenge MDs, two rosewood OMs) was beguiling. It’s a bit different to what I’d normally go for – which is a little “woodier” (by which I guess I mean a bit warmer and less glassy/metallic, with slightly more prominent mid) and with perhaps a touch more clarity. Some of the Brazillian guitars I’ve played seem have more of that woodiness and warmth - but at a huge price, and with additional headaches getting across the pond to the UK. Wenge and some of the rosewoods (Jason has some stunning EIR in his stash) were still contenders, but I think maybe I was looking at something in the middle. Split the difference? So, what’s the half-way house? And might that be worth thinking about? Having had the same dilemma with other guitars, I’ve ended up with walnut: I’ve somehow managed to end up with 2 McIlroys A25c - one in claro, and a custom one in black walnut from Kew in England) and a Lowden baritone (Bastogne/Sitka). Koa or antipodean blackwood might also have fitted the bill. Walnut can look stunning, seems fairly neutral is well-balanced across the spectrum tonally: a good compromise between the rosewood and hog characteristics, keeping some woodiness and balance, without being as growly in the lower mids and dry as mahogany and without the extreme complexity, wetness, mid-scooped glassiness of some rosewoods. It also seems to be good value, project well, and to have a pretty quick response (more so, to my ears, than rosewood) and great clarity. So what’s not to like? I guess my hesitation was that it might be a bit of a compromise, and that whilst walnut can be very clear, it can sometimes be a bit characterless (dare I say insipid?). I didn’t think that’d be much of a risk on a Kostal: Jason’s building style never fails to produce a gorgeous, deep bass and a complex, overtone rich sound with its own in-built reverb. I can imagine walnut working brilliantly here – in much the same way that I found Jason’s sonic signature really worked with mahogany on #32. But I'd never played a walnut Kostal (though there is one in France), so didn't have any means of confirming my suspicions. In the end, I thought it’d be best to get Jason's input, as he's the one in the know – so promptly deluged his inbox with my rambling missives on the subject, and then spoke to him via Skype. He said he had something in mind. And would email me in a bit... Argh, the suspense …! |
I would have loved to see a cedar Kostal! Maybe that'll be my #3 ;) And Walnut is an awesome tonewood and super pretty! :)
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Very cool thread Dan! Interesting to hear how all the build decisions are made, especially when the brief is 'build me my dream guitar'!
We'll have to get Mr Watts to arrange some kind of baby shower as I think our due dates are very similar. Enjoy the third trimester! Joel |
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Cheers, Steve |
Haha, in that case...
Puuuuuush!! |
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Totally game for the baby shower... Though it may have to be "chez moi", as I'm not sure how mobile I'll be: it's funny you should mention the third trimester, as that's exactly the stage my wife is at. I think Burne Jnr is going to win the new arrivals race - and the fight for my time, love and affection! I'll make sure my MD isn't neglected in the long run: it'll be nicely matured by the time I get to spend some quality time with it in about, well, 18 to 30 years from now!!! |
BACK AND SIDES PART DEUX
So, Jason sends me an email… He tells me that whilst he was apprenticing with Ervin Somogyi, there was a set of flamed claro walnut on the shelf which Ervin had bought years ago. He said it was truly beautiful, and that sides have the same amount of flame as the back as they were cut from the same billet. Jason used to look at it every day and really wanted to build a guitar out of it. So he offered to buy it. He and Ervin talked about it on four occasions, but Ervin wasn’t willing sell it, saving that it was one of the nicest sets of walnut he had ever come across tonally, and just didn’t want to part with it. Towards the end of Jason’s apprenticeship, Jason helped Ervin out with a few things and Ervin ended up giving the set of walnut to Jason as a gift. Jason had it stashed away for a rainy day and was planning on saving it, but said he thought this was a pretty good time to use it if I was interested. I guess you can imagine that I was very interested! And I hadn’t even got to downloading the attached photos. When I told my wife, Jo, about the background to the walnut - rather than the glazed expression that typically descends when I start waxing lyrical about guitars - she said that it was a genuinely lovely story and though it was very kind of Jason to be offering to use that piece for my guitar. I couldn’t agree more. Hearts and minds already won! I was left feeling very lucky, flattered and fortunate! As an aside, I there’s an additional connection to walnut in general: Jo has a dream of one day planting a walnut orchard. Jason didn’t know about that, but I wonder if it was influencing my thoughts at some level! So I was basically sold. And then I saw the photos … which will have to wait for another post! :D |
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How about a cedar topped OO for your #3? ;) You weren't wrong on the walnut front! :D |
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When I commissioned a guitar from Dan Bresnan I was verballizing what I hoped to get for the aesthetics of the BRW back and sides (tonal selection was for Dan to choose). He had shown me probably a dozen from his huge stock pile but I just wasn't feeling "this is it". Then he contacts me, tells me he found a set he was really excited about and felt it was what I was looking for, and then said he had to leave for a night out so couldn't get photos to me immediately. |
Interesting thread and congrats on the kostal. If you wanted to try a jumbo with wedge I could arrange for mine to have a trip to TNAG hq. The wedge really makes a difference on comfort.
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I was in town for work and to visit family but was able to swing buy Jason's shop today to pick out wood for my OM. I got to see this set first hand and let me tell you, it is stunning. Congrats on a grabbing this special set. He shop is everything everyone has said it is and more. I'll get some pictures up later in a seperate thread.
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You can't have too many Kostal build threads.
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I heard the sound clips after I'd plumped for the MD and the walnut back had been put together... and was wondering whether I'd made mistake! It sounded simply amazing! I'd love to have a go in the flesh at some point, either at TNAG ... or perhaps I should host a mini Kostal Konvention here in Herne Hill (near Brixton) at some point in 2016...? |
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I've not had the pleasure myself, but this great video gives you some insight in Jason's city of a workshop and his meticulous methods! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4ZTIdMVM7U Good to know it looks great in the flesh! Photos never quite seem to do full justice to highly figured woods (not that it was lacking from the photos). :) |
So, I promised photos... after all
http://rs70.pbsrc.com/albums/i88/pip...tpics.jpg~c200 http://www.crappie.com/crappie/attac...t_pictures-jpg Or, to sync up with a forthcoming movie release: http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=839384 And one for the US sports fans: http://www.mtbe.co.uk/files/pitchers...t_them_152.jpg So ... some walnut for you: http://www.wood-database.com/wp-cont...nut-sealed.jpg ... albeit not the expected flamed piece. I said Jason had something extraordinary in mind.... http://images.lowes.com/product/conv...53467732lg.jpg But seriously, it was perfectly quatersawn: http://www.vermontplankflooring.com/.../walnutpop.jpg Ok, ok! Here you go: http://www.irionlumber.com/uploads/i...%20(large).JPG |
Sorry, wrong email attachment!
But seriously (to use the, er, immortal words of Phil Collins): http://i65.tinypic.com/27z93kg.jpg http://i68.tinypic.com/1zdrdsh.jpg http://i67.tinypic.com/izt6ch.jpg And, spoiler alert, here are some slightly tweaked versions which may - I'm guessing? - give a slightly better idea of what it might look like under finish (though from other things I've seen, it's maybe a bit more mid-brown in person): http://i66.tinypic.com/2v1p9h2.jpg http://i64.tinypic.com/bfy49.jpg http://i68.tinypic.com/dgmjvo.jpg Unlike my usual "maximiser" self, most uncharacteristically I didn't even ask to see photos of any other sets. How could I say no? I mean, this one already had my name on it! |
Beautiful wood! I can't wait to see what Jason does with it.
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Got wood for your wood Dan.
Cheers, Steve |
On a somewhat related note, some of you may find this talk interesting about why luthiers do what they do, and what it is that customers get from handbuilt guitars...
Kathryn Marie Dudley conference at the Holy Grail Guitar Show 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbsd...ature=youtu.be |
Beautiful! How exciting.
I've experienced Michael Watts' custom Kostal dread....absolutely mind blowing instrument. Huge sound....just perfect. |
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