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#91
11-01-2018, 06:20 PM
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In the archtop world, it's the wood of choice for back and sides. I think the stereotypes surrounding the wood stem from the production models from the big "3." Torres was using maple on a few of his Spanish guitars in the 1880s, so he knew a thing or two about its viability I suppose....  In the hands of Bruce, I'm sure nothing short of spectacular... 
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#92
11-02-2018, 04:39 PM
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Bruce's guitar that he made for me as documented in this thread has arrived safely to my home. OK, where do I begin. Tadol rated it the number 4 Sexauer that he has played, well those other 3 must be out of this world good as I would have a hard time imagining a guitar sounding, looking, playing any better than this one. The finish is amazing, the BRW stunning, the snakewood binding, bridge and finger board is so cool. The neck is very comfortable and the set-up appears perfect to me.
The sound is quite amazing. I do not know if I own a guitar with the sustain that this one has. The richness and volume of the bass is fantastic. The overtones present, but not over-powering. Strong midrange which seems to support the trebles, great string separation, and very clear strong crystalline trebles. It is everything a guitar is suppose to be. I played several guitars in Bruce's shop the day I was in Petaluma, all fantastic, IMO all fall short of matching this guitar. Bruce was just finishing up his Imagine Dragons guitar made of BRW when I was there, I feel like that one and this one are close family members although one is owned by a famous person and one by a nobody. My guitar may not have fame, but it will have a loving home. Thank you Bruce, I would say you outdid yourself, but I have a feeling this is normal for you. Anyone thinking of that once in a lifetime guitar would do themselves a disservice to not consider Bruce in that short list. Selfless plug, to meet Bruce in person (which is a treat in itself) and this guitar, please join us at B.I.G. 2019 as they will both be there. I don't think you would have any regrets. Tom
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PS. I love guitars!
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#93
11-02-2018, 04:54 PM
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That sounds terrific Tom. Enjoy your new guitar. I like the whole guitar, but that fretboard is spectacular!
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#94
11-02-2018, 04:56 PM
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And yes, Bruce is one hell of a guy, and some of my most cherished moments at WILS were conversing with him - and sharing some laughs along the way. My playing at WILS is usually the equivalent of tire-kicking at a Porsche dealer, but I had the opportunity to play an amazing, well-worn Sexauer 000 at Dream Guitars (a worthwhile trip in itself) in a more intimate setting and was blown away (Honduras rosewood?) Hope our paths meet again Bruce!
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#95
11-02-2018, 05:01 PM
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So far in my career, on average, the guitars are noticeably better one after another! I don't really make the same thing twice, let alone twice in a row, so you probably have to be me to see the progression. Tom's is one of the guitars where the growth is tangible, hard to miss, possibly even obvious. Of course not every guitar is right for every person, so I am very relieved that Tom has found it so . . . and Thank You, Tom, for saying so publicly.
I am off to a good start on the next project, a Maple/Adi Schoenberg "standard":  Eric views this as his bespoke backstrip, and I honor him by not using it on any of my similarly inspired non-Schoenberg guitars, but many others have also found favor with it. 
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#96
11-02-2018, 05:19 PM
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Looks awesome so far... Question, and I may have just noticed this now. Do you use the parallel lower bout bracing of all your Schoenberg builds?
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#97
11-02-2018, 05:19 PM
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That said, he has built quite a number I did not get a chance to play and might possibly deserve to be on my list, and there are some that are every bit the equal of a Sexauer I already own, but again, I have to go with the “bird in the hand” rule - his black limba should probably be on the list too, but then yours came along, and it’s hard to not love the Brazilian - Glad you’re enjoying it, I doubt you need to ever play any other guitar now - ;-). Tad
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More than a few Santa Cruz’s, a few Sexauers, a Patterson, a Larrivee, a Cumpiano, and a Klepper!!
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#98
11-02-2018, 05:23 PM
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Man I wish you the best in trying to make it to the event. Would love to have you as I think we would get along just fine!!! Plus I will promise to put this one back into your hands for some private time! Tom. PS Totally envious of your Italy trip!!!
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PS. I love guitars!
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#99
11-02-2018, 05:27 PM
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I never had any doubt that Bruce would make you a superlative instrument Tom...
 . Congrats to both of ya...
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
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#100
11-02-2018, 05:32 PM
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Awesome news that the Sexauer arrived safely! Sounds like it's everything you wanted and more--it sure is a stunner.
Now I agree that Imagine Dragons is a great band, and I enjoy their music. But more famous? You're one of the most if not the most famous guy here on the AGF!!! Glad you're enjoying the guitar--really looking forward to seeing Bruce and playing this one as well. So much to look forward to--B.I.G. will be here before you know it!
__________________
2013 Stehr Auditorium (Carpathian/Myrtle) 2015 Stehr Auditorium (Adi/BRW) 2020 Baranik Meridian (Blue Spruce/Manchinga) 2020 Wilborn Arum (Tunnel 14/Coco) 2021 Kinnaird Graybeard (BC Cedar/Bog Oak) 2022 Kinnaird CS Student Build (Adi/Padauk) 2023 Kinnaird FS (Italian/Koa)
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#101
11-02-2018, 06:10 PM
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Quote:
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__________________
PS. I love guitars!
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#102
11-02-2018, 07:46 PM
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#103
11-03-2018, 08:12 AM
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Don't mean to hijack Bruce's thread as it is not just about one guitar although it really should be lol.
I am not really into doing NGDs in the general forum, but here in the custom shop, I like to share builds and have people follow along and at the end get to see the final results of the luthier's hard work. Somehow that just feels better to me than "hey look at my new guitar". We can all become invested in each other's guitars. I have had this guitar for 13 hours now. I went to bed kinda late last night or I should say this AM 1:50 because around 11 as I was headed up, I looked at this guitar and said, I just need to give it another couple of minutes....well, 3 hours later I went to bed. Everyone has a price point where they feel a guitar is just not worth any more, ie. you don't have to pay over X to get all you need. For some that is 500, others a 1000 etc. Well, I know what my number is and you all know yours. It is not important what that number is as we each have our reasons. Curiosity though always had me thinking is a $35,000.00 starting point for a certain builders guitars worth it in terms of sound etc. How could they be that much better than another four figured hand made guitar? Some is collection value I know, but I mean pure sound. This long winded introduction is all for me to say this Sexauer was worth every penny I paid as it is truly special. I am not saying that it is not a stretch for me to afford, but maybe because of that. This guitar has that something special. When you can drop you low E down to D and strum a full D chord and that sounds like heaven's angels singing, there is something to that. There is just some little extra there that I can't tell you what it is. This guitar is the culmination of Bruce's entire life in some 3 - 4 pounds of wood. His next guitar will have the DNA of this one in it just like mine has 50 some years of previous guitar DNA in it. That is all I can think of when I try to figure out why and what this guitar has. No offence Bruce, but hey, this guy aint gonna be here forever, nor will any of us, why wait, get on board the Sexauer train before the cars are full and you are stuck on the tracks watching a bunch of happy people pull away from the station. I am riding in the front car baby!!!
__________________
PS. I love guitars!
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#104
11-03-2018, 10:47 AM
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Tom, I have been on board the Bruce “train” for a while now. You are correct that great luthiers don’t build forever and after a half century at the bench, he has arrived at the zenith of his craft. I am glad that you decided to pull the trigger last year.
Welcome aboard and congratulations on your new guitar...  Owning four of Bruce’s guitars of different body sizes, top and body woods; I can assure you that they are ALL superlative instruments each in their own way. Different players would no doubt be attracted to one more than another based on their individual timbral preference, but they all make me smile each and every time I play any of them... . Every time I bring one of Bruce’s instruments to a luthier’s exhibition do you know who spends the most time playing and admiring his instruments? Not other players, but other well known and respected luthiers (For example, John Slobod told me that my Sexauer SJ that he played was the best instrument that he auditioned at Woodstock this year!). Quote:
__________________
A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings…
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#105
11-03-2018, 01:21 PM
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Well, if my sharing is as dry and technical as I suspect, you guys are going a long ways toward balancing things out! Takes a village, they say. I suspect I have more than a few guitars left in me, I sure hope so. So far there has been no sign of quality decline, though I do think I am relaxing my schedule a bit. Currently, it looks like I will have built only 10 guitars this year, compared to my lifetime average of 10.9.
Tom's last post sort of suggests that my guitars might be around $35,000, though he didn't say it. They're not, though they can be a bit over half that. They can also be not much over a quarter of that, though many people show less restraint once they see the value. I expect to close the Schoenberg today. It'll be around a third of that, by the way. 
Last edited by Bruce Sexauer; 11-03-2018 at 02:28 PM.
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