A truly outstanding build (Lars Rasmussen)

[emboro]

3 years ago, I came across a post by Jason Kostal on Facebook. In it, he described someone he considered to be one of the world’s best luthiers. And yet he was under the radar and ‘low key’. His work wasn’t yet well known. I was intrigued.

I started asking around, and a few people that I knew had tried his guitars at various shows, with rave reviews. He was a teacher at one of Sweden’s best luthiery schools, and had taught Ted Astrand and various other well known luthiers how to build. There were almost never any of his ‘used’ guitars on the market because nobody wants to part with theirs. I managed to find a few sound samples, and a few YouTube videos. I thought his guitars sounded great, and most importantly unique.

The luthier in question is Lars Rasmussen. He apprenticed under Dana Bourgeois for a few years, and then spent some time with Ervin Somogyi. I thought that this atypical background, with one of the better known flatpicker/bluegrass luthiers, and then perhaps the best known fingerstyle luthier, made Lars the potentially ideal luthier for my playing. I play some light folk bluegrass, but also fingerstyle. My band has some very soft acoustic singer/songwriter type songs, but also some higher tempo music with more strumming. I’ve often found that my guitars either have too much ‘fundamental’ or too many overtones. Finding a guitar that has a perfect fundamental to overtone ratio has been hard, but quite important for playing live if you don’t want to bring 3-4 guitars with you to a show.

After a 3 year wait, I just took delivery of my guitar from Lars. I realize that most players wouldn’t suggest buying a guitar without trying first. But in my conversations with Lars over the years, I felt as though he understood exactly what I was looking for, both from a sound and practical standpoint. That he was adaptable and probably able to adjust and customize better than most. I wasn’t disappointed. As there are no reviews of Lars’ guitars on the forum (probably because many of them go to Sweden and Asia), I thought it would be worth writing something

The guitar is his model C, the equivalent of an OM. We went with a master grade Italian Spruce top. Lars travels to northern Italy himself every two years to pick the wood directly with the supplier. For the back and sides, we went with Madagascar Rosewood, which he sources in Spain. Lars felt that this combination would fit well with my playing style. The Italian set he chose was somewhat lower density to increase responsiveness, but also was very stiff. The Madagascar was very resonant and complex.

I’ve now had the guitar for a few days. Firstly, I find it extremely easy to play. The neck is a C shape with a slight V. Super comfortable. The body size has a bit more depth than a traditional Martin OM, but it’s also very comfortable. I decided to go for an ‘in between’ nut width at 1 23/32, which is great for those that play both fingerstyle and flat picking. From a playing standpoint, the guitar is really a joy to play. From an aesthetic standpoint, the craftsmanship is flawless, and the finish work is second to none. We went with an understated look, with Koa for the rosette, and slight hints of Koa in other places, for instance the logo, which I really like. The shape of his guitars is also very pleasing in my opinion, and quite different from traditional OMs

Concerning the tone, it’s exactly what I had hoped for: a truly great fundamental to overtone ratio. The trebles are bright, shimmering, with some complexity. The bass is full and round, but not overly so. The mids are present but not overbearing, which is great for a singer songwriter. It’s very responsive and resonant. I was surprised by how loud it was for an instrument of this size. The sound in general is very rich, but also has great clarity. It has a lot of punch when played with a light touch, but I can also drive it with a pick. The guitar really has two different characters, depending on whether I play with my fingers or a pick. Have never had this before. Lars really has his own sound, which makes it all the more interesting. I really couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I realize that many of these qualities are to a certain extent subjective. But I hope it gives somewhat of an idea about the tone of this guitar

I hope this wasn’t too long of a post. Just wanted to get this out there because I think Lars deserves it. He’s also one of the nicest guys I’ve dealt with. Really cool. I’ve attached some photos of the guitar below, and when I get to the studio, I’ll post some sound clips.

https://flic.kr/p/2kzfaEk

https://flic.kr/p/2kzbBmA

https://flic.kr/p/2kzf735

https://flic.kr/p/2kzf73f

https://flic.kr/p/2kzbBnh

https://flic.kr/p/2kzfLWU

His instagram is also great, with loads of cool photos and sound clips. Also some really cool clips of Satoshi Gogo who plays a Rasmussen, and the young Korean player Sungha Jung, who has one Rasmussen (5 minute mark in the video) and another on the way. He also has some ‘live’ videos each month where he often plays

https://www.instagram.com/rasmussenguitars/?hl=en

https://youtube.com/watch?v=11TGZ_PQDtU&feature=share

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4ghojP4X-SQ&feature=share

Happy to hear people’s thoughts on the guitar. If anyone has any questions, don’t hesitate!

Eric

[hubcapsc]

If anyone has any questions, don’t hesitate!

Why in the world do you use photobucket?

-Mike

[emboro]

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

If anyone has any questions, don’t hesitate!

Why in the world do you use photobucket?

-Mike

I just signed up to it, and it’s...not the best Wish I knew how to insert photos properly. I tried with the app but it didn’t work for some reason. Any suggestions?

[Rmccamey]

Yep, it sure would be nice to be able to upload photos directly.

[Nemoman]

Would love to see your photos, but it requires signing up for a PB account.

Glad you found just the right luthier to build you the perfect guitar for your needs.

Congrats and enjoy!

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by emboro

I just signed up to it, and it’s...not the best Wish I knew how to insert photos properly. I tried with the app but it didn’t work for some reason. Any suggestions?

Shoot me a pm and give you my email. I can post them for you.

[emboro]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Would love to see your photos, but it requires signing up for a PB account.

Glad you found just the right luthier to build you the perfect guitar for your needs.

Congrats and enjoy!

Thanks for the kind words! And for letting me know that the pictures didn’t work! I just changed them to Flickr. Hope those work. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Eric

[fitness1]

Here's a few...

[gitarro]

Very clean construction and scandinavian minimalist lines!

Speaking of satoshi gogo, i didnt know he plays a Rasmussen. I heard gogo plays a spruce/brazilian rosewood isaac jang OM now/as well.

[Racerbob]

And speaking of the guitar itself. Awesome sounding, I'm very impressed. Love the balance.

[emboro]

Originally Posted by gitarro

Very clean construction and scandinavian minimalist lines!

Speaking of satoshi gogo, i didnt know he plays a Rasmussen. I heard gogo plays a spruce/brazilian rosewood isaac jang OM now/as well.

I’m a big fan of the minimalist lines as well

Satoshi actually has two Rasmussens: a model C and a model O. There are some great videos on his instagram of both guitars. The model O has a very sweet sound to my ears, with lots of projection...I really like it.

[Guitars44me]

What a clean axe! Sounds great too...

So many fine builders and so many fantastic players!!!

More music for everyone right away. Haha

Thanks

Paul

[ChuckS]

Great looking guitar. When I was researching using Pernambuco for a tonewood I came across some photos a guitar by Lars, and we had a few PM or emails conversations. Give a report after you've had some more time with it.

[Nemoman]

Originally Posted by emboro

Thanks for the kind words! And for letting me know that the pictures didn’t work! I just changed them to Flickr. Hope those work. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Eric

Hey Eric--I'm seeing them now.

What a beautiful instrument! Really enjoyed the videos as well.

Congrats once again...

[M Sarad]

I met Lars at his first Healdsburg. I fell in love with the Swedish Maple O he brought.