I’m very excited about a new build I’ve just commissioned and thought you guys might be interested in how I got there.
I’m in the UK and in between Christmas and New Year made the trip down to The Acoustic Music Company (TAMCO) in Brighton because Trevor has just taken delivery of a Somogyi modified dread in wenge. I’ve read tons about Somogyi but would at last get the chance to try one (as well as some guitars by his former apprentices). Suffice to say that by the time I left the shop a modified dread had made it’s way to the top of my wish list! I’m not a fan of the typical dread at all – I fingerpick traditional tunes and never strum. My preference is for OM sized guitars that are responsive with lots of sustain and overtones – I’ve had lots pass through my hands but have ended up with a Traugott R, Sobell Model 1 (used to be Martin Simpson’s), and a Ralph Bown OMX (Ralph makes Clive Carrol’s guitars); all are spruce over BRW. These are all great guitars but the Somogyi was a different sound altogether – not better, but different: Big, diffuse, reverby, and with the most astonishingly powerful bass I’d ever heard – almost reminded me of a baritone but with much more clarity and response. However, because it’s a different sound to my other guitars it couldn’t replace them, so it wasn’t simply a case of selling those to get the Somogyi. Ultimately I decided I just couldn’t justify it to myself.
So, fast-forward 3 months and Michael Watts tells me he has one of Jason Kostal’s guitars just arrived in the UK; Jason is currently working with Ervin Somogyi but just about to start up on his own. Michael asked if I would like to try Jason’s version of his mentor’s MD? Yes! We got together a couple of weeks ago and had a great afternoon A-B ing all my guitars to Jason’s MD cutaway no. 31, which is german spruce over madrose. Fit and finish were pretty much flawless; no concerns there whatsoever and playability was also top-drawer. Again, a very, very different sound to the guitars I have here and A-B ing them directly was a bit like comparing apples and pears. Jason’s guitar was immediately very reminiscent of the Somogyi although clearly different, and definitely with its own voice. Like my guitars, the Kostal had bags of sustain, clarity, separation and was very responsive across the entire range but coupled with a bottom-end response that reminded me of the Somogyi and also that characteristic “reverby” sound (based on my n=1 experiment); I’m not very good at putting this into words but something like the Sobell is very dry, bright, and projects like a cannon; a very “steely” and direct sound. The Kostal seemed to me to disperse the sound in a very different way, less direct and more enveloping. Not better, just very different. From recollection, Jason’s guitar didn’t have the truly gut-wrenching depth of the Somogyi but at the same time I felt it was a bit more balanced across the registers and perhaps a bit brighter.
Anyway, I decided pretty quickly that I would order a MD off Jason; this time I just couldn’t resist. However, I was also nagged by what a Kostal OM would sound like, especially after seeing the McGee pics on this forum: My Traugott is a very, very good guitar and pretty much does everything an OM sized guitar should but would a Kostal be just as good? Ultimately, I decided that ordering an OM from Jason would not be much of a risk given the quality of his MD so I contacted him and said that I didn’t want one of his guitars, I wanted TWO!
I thought I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted from the MD – European over wenge; after all the Somogyi I played was wenge and that would be cheaper than the madrose of Jasons MD. I was much less certain for the OM – BRW would blow the budget (despite my lusting after the sets Eric has had up here at the AGF!) and may not make it into the UK.
Jason sent me some JPEGS of various sets and some suggestions and we to and fro’ed by email for the next week or so. One particular set of African Blackwood caught my eye. I’m not a fan of highly figured wood unless well quartered and all of the blackwood guitars I’ve played have been from pretty small trees. However, one set Jason sent me was unbelievably well-quartered and I became increasingly convinced that it would make a great guitar. By juggling a few other specs I was able to afford the upgrade over wenge and decided to go for it. Jason recommended the Blackwood for the MD rather than the OM since he believed that design would make the best use of its deeply resonant qualities. As far as the OM goes, I eventually settled on Honduras Rosewood, attempting to get that dry clarity of BRW but without having to sell my house in order to be able to afford it. Here are the two sets:
First the African Blackwood for the MD:
And the Honduras Rosewood for the OM:
So, two builds on order: An African Blackwood MD and Honduras rosewood OM, both with European tops. I’m really stoked about these. All I have to do now is wait…
I'll wake this thread up when they start. I just hope that's not before too long because I am dreaming about these daily.
Cheers,
Steve