Quote:
Originally Posted by Metal Tiger
Hello everyone,
Based on your experience, what are the differences between older and newer builds from the same builder?
I am looking to buy an OM/GC style guitar and I am contemplating whether I should go for an older Wingert from 15 years ago or get a newer Santa Cruz from a couple of years?
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These are two distinctly different questions.
Question 1: A good luthier can produce a great guitar at any point in their career. That said, guitar making is a journey in enlightened empiricism. The more time at the bench, the more consistent the result. Builders with more experience tend to produce more consistent results. Also, 15 years is an entire career for some luthiers and a small portion to others. So it depends where those 15 years fall in the context time at the bench in my opinion.
Question 2: A Santa Cruz and a Wingert will sound quite different in my experience. Some players will prefer one over the other. Both are fine instruments. One is made by a small team of builders and the other by a single luthier. Guitar preference is quite heterogeneous. You will not get consistent answers here. It is very much influenced by the player, their technique and type of music that they play. The only thing a new Santa Cruz and a used Wingert may have in common are 6 strings and a price tag.