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Old 11-17-2015, 11:50 AM
nobo nobo is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: London, UK
Posts: 576
Default 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
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Bown OMX Lutz/Braz
Eastman AR405E & T486
Kostal MDC German/claro and OM Euro/Madrose
Larrivee L-05MT
Lowden O35cx cedar/EIR, New Lady, Baritone, O12 and O12-12
McIlroy A25c custom Cedar/Kew black walnut
Montgomery fan fret parlour Euro/ebony
Sands Baritone Swiss/Ovangkol (another due 2022)
Wingert Model E German/Braz
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Last edited by nobo; 03-25-2016 at 05:26 PM. Reason: typos!
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