Well, I keep putting hours on it and, as advertised by diamondave, it just keeps getting better. In fact, if it never changed from its present sound, I would say without equivocation that this is the best Martin OM style guitar I've ever played. When John and I first started talking about a guitar way back in 2009, I sent him a page long description of what I was looking for, tonally. I kind of laugh at those days because my approach to commissioning guitars has changed pretty radically. With the exception of picking the top and back woods, I don't really tell luthiers how I want the guitar to sound. I gather enough experience with their work that I have enough confidence to tell them simply to "do their thing."
In this case, John's thing is obviously vintage Martins, and I didn't want to constrain him in any way with regard to how he wanted to voice the guitar. I told him simply that I play heavy handed and with fingerpicks. He produced a guitar that melds so ridiculously well with my style and tastes, that it's really hard to imagine a luthier producing a more satisfying end product for a commission. I have played many, many, many luthier-built guitars based on vintage Martin OMs, and I've played a few at Schoenberg. I have played none better.
Such is my satisfaction with the guitar, that I have commissioned another Circa. My signature reads 000-12 maple, though I anticipate when things are nearer to start that I'll be more likely to switch to a mahogany OM. We shall see. For those of you looking for a vintage OM-styled guitar, look no further than John.
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