Olson Acoustics ... what are your thoughts?

[tomana]

.............................................

[Jschlueter]

To the people who buy them it is so why should it matter? Have you ever played one? You might understand better if you have. They are special guitars and their owners rarely sell them. That should tell you something.

Also his wood choices, fit, finish, and inlays are exceptional and not all of his guitars are $15,000.

[Norskiepete]

It's quite subjective, based on your ear, your discretionary income, and your personal values as to how to dispose of such income!

I once played a $14k Dejonge dreadnought that was stupendous! A pre-war Martin ($20k) that was... eh.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by tomana

...What does an Olsen offer that the $3k models do not, to warrant spending $12k more for it?

Hi tomana...

Sold a 17 year old D-28 which I thought was the best guitar I ever played for 17 years, till I played an Olson. I sold the Martin to help pay for my Olson which I owned 5 years later, and have never regretted it.

So I obviously feel the 'upgrade' was worth it. I bought mine at a time that an Olson cost 3 times as much as a new D-28.

What does an Olson offer to warrant spending $12,000 more? More…of everything that counts.

My Olson is now 20 years old, still my main instrument, and the 3rd best acoustic guitar I have ever played. The best two I played were more expensive (by more than double the price in one case) than my Olson - if I bought the Olson new today.

Enjoyed playing them; never craved them.

If you are ever coming through Cheyenne on I-80 or I-25, get hold of me and drop over for coffee and to play guitars. You can play the Olson the whole time if you like.

On topic; I think there are probably $8,000 - $10,000 which match the Olson for quality and bring noticeable improvement over a custom Martin, Taylor, Gibson etc.

Especially if it is a guitar you commission and it's from a reputable builder with a reputation for building stellar guitars, and who knows how to find out what you want/need.

[DenverSteve]

It's like cologne, cars, women..... completely subjective. Only YOU can decide which one is best for you. In all categories above, including guitars, fights, wars, arguments... have occurred because one person disagreed with another on which was better, prettier, faster and .... You'll have to play some and decide the answer for yourself.

[Glennwillow]

I bought a used Olson SJ (cedar/EIR) about 2 years ago. I am mostly a fingerstyle player, I've been playing for almost 50 years, some of that time professionally, and I felt that I wanted to know what one of these guitars sounded like. When one came available on the AGF Classifieds, I worked out a deal with the owner and bought it.

For me, there is a clear difference between this guitar and most of the other guitars I own. It's worth what I paid for it and I'm very glad it bought it. It might not be worth it to you at all, depending on your preferences, your playing style, etc. And if spending that much money would harm your family, it would make no sense to do it.

I made the move very much with the encouragement of my wife. And when it arrived, we were both elated at how good it sounded.

- Glenn

[gitnoob]

I've never played an Olson, but wasn't it JT who made them famous?

I have played one of JT's other favorite brands: a Northwood MJ. Loved it!

So I have to ask: has anybody here compared a Northwood MJ to Olson's similar body shape (no idea what he calls his -- maybe an SJ)?

If so, how would you describe the differences?

[mesa]

Why spend any money? This is the way to go....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUARc6ufZAk

[drplayer]

Yes...if:

1. You have the money for IT, and
2. It has the sound for YOU

There's really nothing more to it than that...

[wcap]

I've only had opportunity to sit down with a couple of Olsons, and not for very long, but personally, in my hands, with me playing, they did not blow me away the way some guitars have (including Goodalls, some high end Martins, a very special Caruth I played recently, a few very special Hoffmans, etc). 5 minutes with a Goodall the first time was a jaw dropping experience - I had never even imagined a guitar could sound that way before. For whatever reason, this has not happened to me with Olsons (not yet anyway).

That being said, I've heard some very nice sounds coming from Olsons in other people's hands, both in person and in recordings. I've also heard some cases where I thought recordings done with Olsons did not sound as good as comparable recordings done with other guitars.

Certainly there is personal taste involved here. Possibly also there are differences in right hand technique resulting in different people getting different sounds out of different guitars.

I'm certainly intrigued by the whole Olson phenomenon. There certainly are a lot of folks who are huge Olson fans, including some very experienced players, so I'm sure there is something to this. I'm reserving judgement until I have a chance to spend more quality time with an Olson.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by tomana

I brought this over from another thead about one piece soundboards



Wanted to ask, how much more do those qualities honestly improve going from a $3K Martin, Breedlove or whatever, to a $15k Olsen? What does an Olsen offer that the $3k models do not, to warrant spending $12k more for it? What I mean is, I can hear and feel the difference between a $500 acoustic and my $1500 Breedlove; does this difference stay as noticeable going from $3k to $15k and if so, is it reasonable to spend so much money to have it?

If you can hear the difference, and the difference is worth the expense, then it is worth the cost.

TW

[Larry Pattis]

A great guitar is always worth it.

[Jamie9]

This topic is always raising it's head in one way or another on the forum. Most of us know that you get what you pay for on the whole.

[Misifus]

If you can afford it, yes. An Olson is worth every penny. If you can't afford it, the question is moot. The only problem is when you can maybe, just barely afford it. In that case, find one and try it and see if you can find your answer.

-Raf

[sconan]

Was that barbed wire 80/20? Phospher Bronze is the only way to go with barbed wire.