I just spent about 3 hours playing this guitar...and I had to write a review to shed some light on Jason's work. Please keep in mind that this is what I hear from this guitar, and I understand that describing tone can be subjective.
I've had the privilege to be a part of some of Eric's ventures, and its given many opportunities to play a lot of top-handmades that we all recognize and venerate. To be honest I have to thank Eric for opportunities that I would not have had otherwise, or would have even known of.
I won't name the builders of the guitar's I've had chances to compare the Kostal with (let's just say most would consider them the elite of the elites in the world of lutherie), because there are people who get sensitive to brand comparison. However, I will say that as for ME , this has been the best guitar I've ever played. So much so that I am going to reach out to Jason about a possible build myself.
My experience with guitars has been that every unique builder brings something to the table that represent their strengths. However, even elite handmades would have one or two characteristics that would prevent me from committing to a whole build. This Kostal masterfully brings together all my favorite things from different builders, and puts it into one devastating guitar.
The guitar is extremely responsive, while not loosing depth and bass that I like. For the most part, the most responsive guitars I have played have usually felt like they weren't deep enough. It also has a wonderful whole-listic sound when driven, while maintaining crystal clarity in note separation when picked. I think the most impressive thing about this guitar was how versatile it was because it responded to every-type of playing style without compromising on something. The best way to describe it was that the notes came out with surgical clarity, but without it being so cold that it's harsh. In all honesty, it's the tone that I have been looking for, for a long time.
It is also aesthetically one of my favorite guitars. Every minute detail to the "in-your-face" rosette...the purposeful disparity in color for different parts of the guitar...all the variables come together in a classy, but with a touch of modernistic art. It's honestly devastating because it forever ruined my standard of "tone."
For anyone who is on the fence about different handmades...do yourself a favor and contact Jason. He's a world-class builder.
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