The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #76  
Old 11-21-2019, 08:04 PM
ManyMartinMan ManyMartinMan is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: In The Hills, Off Mulholland
Posts: 4,101
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by El Conquistador View Post
5 year old thread!
Has SCGC changed in that time? If not, it's still a relevant question for those who care (I don't). I would rather pick, strap, capo.... threads be reactivated rather than have 10 new ones every week.

Last edited by ManyMartinMan; 11-22-2019 at 11:25 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #77  
Old 11-21-2019, 08:24 PM
jimmybcool jimmybcool is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 775
Default

You are starting from a point where you have nice guitars. And as every guitar is slightly different even between large production (like Martin D28s) you might already have a special guitar in your stable,. So it is possible you won't be wowed by SCGC products.

My only experience with them is a Vintage Jumbo I bought used from a fellow American in Thailand. I kept that guitar there for almost 10 years in my condo. The AC would not be running in the months I was in the USA and humidity would rise to tropical levels. On return I would fire up the AC and after a day or two the guitar was playing and sounding perfectly. Action stayed put and intonation was excellent. And when the excess moisture was drained out by the AC it sounded perfect. I liked it a lot.

Is/was it great? I don't know. I currently own a McPherson Brazilian I think is better and a Ryan that is awesome. I think it is a better guitar than my R Taylor (which is an excellent guitar). But I'd not feel deprived if that SCGC was the only guitar I would have the rest of my life.
Reply With Quote
  #78  
Old 11-21-2019, 10:50 PM
JoeYouDon't JoeYouDon't is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Posts: 98
Default

In my experience, yes.
Reply With Quote
  #79  
Old 11-22-2019, 12:34 AM
Charmed Life Picks's Avatar
Charmed Life Picks Charmed Life Picks is offline
AGF Sponsor
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 9,032
Default

Yes. I put them right there with Collings.
__________________
CHARMED LIFE PICKS
[email protected]
Celebrating Seven Years in Business!
Reply With Quote
  #80  
Old 11-22-2019, 06:01 AM
guitararmy guitararmy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 4,202
Default

I have a rosewood SCGC D P/W, and recently compared it to a Collings D3 and my personal favorite a Larrivee D03R.

The SCGC has a very nice lower midrange tone, and more presence than the Collings. The Collings is very balanced. My Larrivee sounds similar to the SCGC...
Reply With Quote
  #81  
Old 11-22-2019, 06:07 AM
RP's Avatar
RP RP is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Posts: 21,238
Default

Are Santa Cruz guitars really that great?

Pick one:
  • YES
  • NO
  • MAYBE
__________________
Emerald X20
Emerald X20-12
Martin D18
Martin 000-15sm
Reply With Quote
  #82  
Old 11-22-2019, 07:54 AM
SprintBob's Avatar
SprintBob SprintBob is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,253
Default

My SCGC Skye 00 is amazing in terms of the volume and clarity it produces. Being a small body, the bass is somewhat subdued but it's the perfect amount for fingerstyle playing which was the design basis of the guitar. Fit and finish is superb.

So from my experience with this guitar (it's a forever guitar), I'd consider another SCGC and the H-13 looks intriguing.
__________________
Doerr Trinity 12 Fret 00 (Lutz/Maple)
Edwinson Zephyr 13 Fret 00 (Adi/Coco)
Froggy Bottom H-12 (Adi/EIR)
Kostal 12 Fret OMC (German Spruce/Koa)
Rainsong APSE 12 Fret (Carbon Fiber)
Taylor 812ce-N 12 fret (Sitka/EIR Nylon)
Reply With Quote
  #83  
Old 11-22-2019, 08:57 AM
EverettWilliams EverettWilliams is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 755
Default

I think they build nice instruments. The construction is consistently good and they seem reasonably consistent in tone. While I’ve played a lot of them, I’ve never found one I wanted to take home. I acknowledge that they make nice instruments and I understand why people would like them, but my tastes in production instruments tend towards vintage Martins and Collings - two admittedly different beasts that I admire for their differences. To me, Santa Cruz seems to be aiming at the vintage Martin sound but not quite nailing the target. I understand why people like them and would never question someone’s judgment for saying “I love Santa Cruz guitars” - but I don’t.
Reply With Quote
  #84  
Old 11-22-2019, 09:01 AM
hairpuller hairpuller is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Sonoma County, CA
Posts: 3,012
Default

I adore the company and their guitars! I had a 000 slothead a couple years back that I mistakenly traded. It's the one guitar I miss. Someday I bet I own another SC...they are fantastic guitars.

scott
Reply With Quote
  #85  
Old 11-22-2019, 09:15 AM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: North of the Golden Gate, South of the Redwoods, East of the Pacific and West of the Sierras
Posts: 10,569
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by EverettWilliams View Post
I think they build nice instruments. The construction is consistently good and they seem reasonably consistent in tone. While I’ve played a lot of them, I’ve never found one I wanted to take home. I acknowledge that they make nice instruments and I understand why people would like them, but my tastes in production instruments tend towards vintage Martins and Collings - two admittedly different beasts that I admire for their differences. To me, Santa Cruz seems to be aiming at the vintage Martin sound but not quite nailing the target. I understand why people like them and would never question someone’s judgment for saying “I love Santa Cruz guitars” - but I don’t.
I appreciate your perspective as I am one of those folks who have played a lot of Collings guitars and never taken one home. I have never thought of what Richard Hoover has been doing at Santa Cruz as trying to produce a guitar that sounds like a vintage Martin. I have played quite a few of both brands and they seem like apples and oranges to me. To me SC have a unique voice that isn't Martin, Gibson, Collings or Bourgeois, etc. but it's own flavor. If someone was playing a Santa Cruz and expecting it to sound like a vintage Martin, I can see why it wouldn't meet their needs.

It truly is fabulous that we have so many great choices in guitars with nuances that speak to what our unique tastes in tone are.

Best,
Jayne
Reply With Quote
  #86  
Old 11-22-2019, 09:18 AM
Joe Beamish Joe Beamish is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boerne, TX
Posts: 1,702
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by EverettWilliams View Post
I think they build nice instruments. The construction is consistently good and they seem reasonably consistent in tone. While I’ve played a lot of them, I’ve never found one I wanted to take home. I acknowledge that they make nice instruments and I understand why people would like them, but my tastes in production instruments tend towards vintage Martins and Collings - two admittedly different beasts that I admire for their differences. To me, Santa Cruz seems to be aiming at the vintage Martin sound but not quite nailing the target. I understand why people like them and would never question someone’s judgment for saying “I love Santa Cruz guitars” - but I don’t.
I played a lot of Santa Cruz guitars in shops for years thinking, why does this thing cost so much? Until finally finding a beautiful sounding OM.

For me, there's no single brand or model of guitar in which every instrument -- or even the majority of instruments -- is a wowzer. Including Martin and Collings.
Reply With Quote
  #87  
Old 11-22-2019, 09:34 AM
zmf zmf is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 7,671
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by EverettWilliams View Post
To me, Santa Cruz seems to be aiming at the vintage Martin sound but not quite nailing the target.
Perhaps a bit of an oversimplification of SCGC.

My Santa Cruz go-to is the VS, which is generally their version of a J-45. Compared to the good J-45's I've played, I wouldn't say it replicated that Gibson tone, but it's fine in its own right.

I agree that many SCGC models lean towards the vintage sound. But if you throw in some of their other creations, like the Eric Skye 00, it throws off that generalization.

Santa Cruz guitars are fine guitars, but just one of many great choices available to us. Personally, I haven't been blown away by every Santa Cruz I've played, but when they do speak to you, they're hard to resist.

A lot of comments for a zombie thread.
Reply With Quote
  #88  
Old 11-22-2019, 09:49 AM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: North of the Golden Gate, South of the Redwoods, East of the Pacific and West of the Sierras
Posts: 10,569
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by zmf View Post
A lot of comments for a zombie thread.
The thread might be old but the topic isn't so I guess that is why folks jumped on board. I have found that when we discuss "brands" here that people have strong feelings both ways so many feel the need to speak their minds.

Best,
Jayne
Reply With Quote
  #89  
Old 11-22-2019, 10:58 AM
DesertTwang DesertTwang is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Posts: 5,744
Default

I played a few, and based on that experience I'd say they're probably great guitars, but I didn't deem the sound to be anywhere close to what I expected based on the figures I remember seeing on some of their price tags. Me personally, I'd take a Collings over an SC any day, unplayed and unseen.
__________________
"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with)

Martin America 1
Martin 000-15sm
Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS
Taylor GS Mini
Baton Rouge 12-string guitar
Martin L1XR Little Martin
1933 Epiphone Olympic
1971 square neck Dobro
Reply With Quote
  #90  
Old 11-22-2019, 11:01 AM
tadol tadol is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Berkeley, CA
Posts: 5,216
Default

Whats really interesting to me is that Santa Cruz builds like the best solo luthiers - they can build the guitar you want, with the kind of tone and response you want, but only if you know what you want. I can’t imagine how anyone could spend 30 seconds with a guitar of that quality and feel they understand it.

What anyone interested in a SC needs to understand is that their basic models are built to match a tonal model they’ve established for that guitar, and the different models are truly different - more so than guitars from many small shops and factories. Some builders have a kind of signature tone - bright & sharp, or a dominant bass, and people buy that brand because they want that tone profile - or they’ll excitedly buy the one that has that dominant characteristic tempered. But SC can make adjustments, each model is capable of a range of customization to adjust the tone or response to meet the desires of the customer (its more than choosing the kind of wood) - thats the kind of customization that you can normally expect only from the most experienced solo luthiers. There is a good reason the great majority of their builds are custom, and relatively few guitars make their way into the retail dealer chain.

No one builds a better guitar than Santa Cruz - but I understand that they are hard to find, so hard to try, and I cannot recommend anyone buy one without having played one (or many more!) first - especially since they are not inexpensive. But find the right one (or the right few - 😎 ) and they really are that great - and it really will be, the one you keep -
__________________
More than a few Santa Cruz’s, a few Sexauers, a Patterson, a Larrivee, a Cumpiano, and a Klepper!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=