[Vaillant75]

After owning this superlative instrument for almost three weeks, I wanted to share additional thoughts.

Aesthetics and craftsmanship
I will simply reinforce what I’ve written previously. Completely flawless execution and I often find myself giggling like a teenager when looking at the guitar. Beautiful instruments inspire you to pick them up and are hard to put down, which is key to me. I like Tom’s organic feel to his guitars, as he always put forward the wood natural beauty. His past experience as a cabinet maker has made him quite knowledgeable about wood characteristics and usage, as you can see from his informational (and light-hearted) funboxing video on Youtube. He’s also committed to sustainable sourcing, which I believe is getting increasingly important for the new generation of luthiers.

Playability
One could argue that the guitar’s specs are slightly uncommon. 25-26 fan onto a 12 fret, not within your typical Martin territory. 
Taken separately, all these choices made sense to me: (1) I lean increasingly towards 12 fretters (with cutaway), and I was drawn to the sound of each M-12 Tom has created. (2) I spend ~2/3 of my playing time in a wide range of open tunings, so the extra tension could certainly be a plus. Still, it was unknown territory and I hoped for the combination to fit me well.
After almost 3 weeks of playing and getting familiar with the instrument, I am happy to report that I feel right at home. Like Marc said, the transition to the fan is completely seamless, and I confirm the ergonomic advantages I read about on AGF (specifically on the fretting hand). The wider string spacings (1-13/16 at the nut, 2-5/16 at the saddle), and the perfectly carved neck make for such an enjoyable playing experience. It is also surprisingly comfortable to hold, despite a lower bout close to 16’. Some of it can be attributed to the mini-bevel, which I recommend strongly. I have been playing the guitar for extended sessions (up to 3-4 hours) without any fatigue or discomfort.

Tone
I already mentioned the guitar’s innate sweetness and resonance, which to me were the most noticeable attributes after an hour of paying time. The guitar is incredibly responsive and really shines when given space for the the overtone content to swell from the sound hole. This guitar has outstanding sustain, while never losing clarity. It holds true especially in open tunings, likely reinforced by the fan fret arrangement.
The bass is cavernous (which is quite discernible from the recordings), and I’m very pleased by how the trebles have gotten fatter with more playing time. I know the term “opening up“ can be polarizing, but I seem to notice considerable improvement for the high E/B notes past the 12 fret that were a bit tight in the first week of playing. Is that me getting in tune with the instrument? Who knows… In any case, I am very much looking forward to seeing how the voice will slowly evolve over time.
Finally, I expected that guitar to be best suited for fingerstyle but to my pleasant surprise it is really versatile! I sometimes strum to accompany my partner (who sings) and the guitar complements her voice quite nicely.
At the end of the day, Marc said it best. It’s a guitar you want to keep playing, and that's what matters the most.

Beyond the guitar
We currently live in a world with so many great builders, and I could quote at least 50 luthiers capable of building a lifetime instrument. I’ve fallen before in the superlative trap during the guitar honeymoon, but I now realize that a successful build experience will significantly contribute to the connection with the instrument. Tone can always be challenged, sometimes surpassed, but memories remain.
It’s my first custom build and I can’t thank Tom enough for this outstanding experience. Tom advocates that guitar building is partly about the relationship, and I can guarantee he stands by his words. From all the calls at the beginning of the process to the countless number of pictures and videos he shared along the way, I have felt very involved in the creation of Dolores. I also value the time and effort Tom put in sharing about his craft, while he could just be building more guitars. Very few luthier create such high quality content for everyone to enjoy, and it tells a lot about Tom’s personality.
My only regret is that I could not meet up with Tom to pick up the guitar in his workshop, but I know we’ll make up for it in the close future and cheer to Dolores over a fine whiskey. This custom build has been a highlight of an overall challenging year, and I will continue to follow his work with close attention… until my next build starts! Yep, I’ve just put down another deposit for a model S… This is how much I look forward for this experience to start again.

Finally, thanks everyone for contributing to this thread. It has also contributed to the positive experience. I’ll be sharing additional recordings at a later stage but I wanted to give my final opinion.

Cheers,
Tom