CIRCA GUITARS: 0012-Fret [German Spruce | Malaysian Blackwood]

[justonwo]

MOSTLY erudite discussion, Paul. I’ll be sure to bring down the overall level of comportment.

[jmagill]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Genus Sobodiae...

Sobodiae?

Slobodiae.

[jmat]

Originally Posted by jmagill

Sobodiae?

Slobodiae.

Such exacting taxonomy, takes me back to the fruit flies and fetal pigs of a yesteryear’s biology class. Who didn’t prefer a physics lab with a quick explosion, revel in the mayhem, grab some measurements and skedaddle.

Looks great Bob. Knock on (tone) wood: I am inclined to say that John S can’t miss. Jinx? Nah…

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Beautiful woods, Bob--I look forward to seeing this one come together!

That makes two of us…

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

This thread will be a real thrill ride.

Beautiful woods, Killer Luthier, and erudite discussion. What more could we want?

I LIKE the top with that bit of oxidation. Almost like a faint edge burst…

Congratulations and have FUN

Paul

Thanks Paul (we’ll be watching yours come together!)

Originally Posted by justonwo

MOSTLY erudite discussion, Paul. I’ll be sure to bring down the overall level of comportment.

I knew we could count on you…

Originally Posted by jmagill

Sobodiae?

Slobodiae.

Jim, that was Juston’s effort to bring down the level of comportment with his take on botanical taxonomy…

Originally Posted by jmat

Such exacting taxonomy, takes me back to the fruit flies and fetal pigs of a yesteryear’s biology class. Who didn’t prefer a physics lab with a quick explosion, revel in the mayhem, grab some measurements and skedaddle.

Looks great Bob. Knock on (tone) wood: I am inclined to say that John S can’t miss. Jinx? Nah…

See you at Artisan…

[justonwo]

What are you trying to achieve with this guitar tone-wise compared to John’s “standard” offering. I think if left to his own devices, John targets authoritative mids, projection, and headroom. Although he is walking back a bit from his taller X brace designs, his recent builds differ from what he was doing at the beginning of his career. I’m curious, particularly given the other guitars you own, what you’ve asked John to do with this guitar.

[iim7V7IM7]

Juston, it has been over two years since I had that conversation with John and it is all a bit fuzzy in my head. I suspect that it is a bit fuzzy in his as well at this point…

That said, John knows the type of music that I play. John has both seen me play and has auditioned many of my guitars, so he knows what I like. We will see each other in four weeks at the Artisan Guitar Show and we can refresh the tone goals face to face. I will have some guitars with me as well so we will revisit our earlier discussion.

Originally Posted by justonwo

What are you trying to achieve with this guitar tone-wise compared to John’s “standard” offering. I think if left to his own devices, John targets authoritative mids, projection, and headroom. Although he is walking back a bit from his taller X brace designs, his recent builds differ from what he was doing at the beginning of his career. I’m curious, particularly given the other guitars you own, what you’ve asked John to do with this guitar.

[Diamondave]

This is a really fun project, Circa builds the best and I really think Malaysian BW is a cool wood, I owned a Sexauer out of it and always regretted selling it... Excited to see this come together...

[usb_chord]

Originally Posted by justonwo

What are you trying to achieve with this guitar tone-wise compared to John’s “standard” offering.

You know, I was just reading this thread and about to ask the same question!
Whatever you decide I'm sure it'll be an impressive one. I love John's sound - it's a bit different from your typical Martin-influenced build, and I think this wood combo/body size will emphasize the myriad of great tonal qualities associated with his work

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Diamondave

This is a really fun project, Circa builds the best and I really think Malaysian BW is a cool wood, I owned a Sexauer out of it and always regretted selling it... Excited to see this come together...

Dave, thanks for your well wishes and sorry to hear the regret in your voice regarding a guitar long gone. I am looking forward to trying your latest when I see Laurent in a month. I hope he finishes it. It is getting close .

Originally Posted by usb_chord

You know, I was just reading this thread and about to ask the same question!
Whatever you decide I'm sure it'll be an impressive one. I love John's sound - it's a bit different from your typical Martin-influenced build, and I think this wood combo/body size will emphasize the myriad of great tonal qualities associated with his work

Brian, John and I had the client luthier chat in Dec 2021, so I am embarrassed to say that I can’t exactly remember any more (the dendrites in my brain are pulling a bit farther apart ).

I will have the pleasure of spending some quality time with John at Artisan in a month. He will have some guitars with him (actually three 00s! in BRW and Cocobolo). I will have some of mine with me. We will refresh a common language describing tone in the best possible way (by playing) to refresh his tonal goals for the instrument. I will answer both Juston and you after the show.

In the mean time. I picked a case: Visesnut Active Series Classical in Light Grey (7.25 lb.).

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Dave, thanks for your well wishes and sorry to hear the regret in your voice regarding a guitar long gone. I am looking forward to trying your latest when I see Laurent in a month. I hope he finishes it. It is getting close .



Brian, John and I had the client luthier chat in Dec 2021, so I am embarrassed to say that I can’t exactly remember any more (the dendrites in my brain are pulling a bit farther apart ).

I will have the pleasure of spending some quality time with John at Artisan in a month. He will have some guitars with him (actually three 00s! in BRW and Cocobolo). I will have some of mine with me. We will refresh a common language describing tone in the best possible way (by playing) to refresh his tonal goals for the instrument. I will answer both Juston and you after the show.

In the mean time. I picked a case: Visesnut Active Series Classical in Light Grey (7.25 lb.).

Great choice for case. Visesnut makes (make for my British friends) excellent, lightweight, odor-free cases. I look forward to hearing about what you guys have in mind, tonally (or is it timbrely?) speaking.

[gitarro]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

I have commissioned a 00 sized, 12 fret guitar with South Portland, Maine luthier John Slobod (aka, Circa Guitars).

http://www.circaguitars.com/

John and I have known each other for a long time now and I have auditioned many his guitars across the years at both the Artisan Guitar Show, the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase and some individual guitars owned by friends. Many of you know of John here on AGF, but for those who do not, John primarily builds acoustic flattops derivative of the Nazareth tradition. John has been building guitars for about 30-years now. He first worked for Maine luthier Dana Bourgeois at Pantheon Guitars where he cut his teeth contributing to the crafting many instruments and after that with Massachusetts luthier Julius Borges (making instruments for Eric Schoenberg) before putting out his own Circa Guitars shingle about 25-years ago.

I have grown to like the extra power of a long scale on small bodied guitars. I also find the extended upper fretboard access of a cutaway combined with the timbre a 12-fret to the body to be a great combination in an instrument. So choosing a long-scale 00 sized 12-fret, guitar while not traditional is a great choice comfort and timbre wise for me.

After discussing my tonal goals for this guitar with John, he chose a soundboard set of Picea abies that he sourced many years ago from German tonewood purveyor Andreas Gleisner. The set says “Master”, but by traditional aesthetic wood grading standards, I would say it is more like a AA/AAA set (i.e., tight grained, tending to somewhat more open in its grain spacing toward the outer edges with some color variation and late wood). What is most important to me is that John felt that had fantastic tap tone, with the right density and stiffness for the tonal target he is aiming to achieve.





For the back and sides, I spoke with John about trying some of his non-traditional hardwoods that he had that he always wanted to try for this project. Like many luthiers, John has been accumulating wood sets for decades now (luthiers simply can’t help themselves!). The back and side set we decided on was a beautiful, well seasoned set of Malaysian Blackwood that displayed brown heartwood with a greenish hue with some black veining, with some golden sapwood that he purchased from Todd Taggert at Allied Lutherie about 15 years ago.



Here it is with a bit of solvent wiped on where it appears darker. He has oriented it to avoid the sapwood.



The name “Malaysian Blackwood” is actually a common name used by the guitar making community coined by Malaysian luthier Jeffrey Yong who introduced the tonewood to USA at the Guild of American Luthiers (GAL) show in 1998. Sets of this wood actually come from a number of different Malaysian ebonies, which may explain why some sets are reddish, chocolate brown and others are brownish green in their heartwood color. Like other ebonies, it is a very dense, stiff and hard wood. Its density can range between Honduran Rosewood to African Blackwood. This set has some rosewood like, sustaining tap to it.

In Malaysia, there are a dozen or so species of native ebonies (Diospyros) and the common name for the wood is “Kayu Malam”. This translated means “Night Wood” or “Blackwood”, so it is easy to see how the confusion may have arose with respect to its name. All ebonies belong to the Diospyros genus and Ebenaceae family. Jeffrey may have interpreted it as Diospyros ebonasea (a luthier’s take on botanical taxonomy…). I believe the correct taxonomy would be Diospyros sp. (species pluralis) ex Malaysia.

The guitar body is a traditional length, width and depth but the scale length is Martin long scale and a standard nut width with wider string spacing.

Dimensions:
Model - 00
Lower Bout Width - 14-1/4”
End Depth - 4-1/8”
Frets to the Body - 12
Scale Length - 25.4”
Nut Width - 1-3/4”
String Spacing - 2-5/16”

Materials:
Soundboard - German Spruce
Back and Sides - Malaysian Blackwood (Kayu Malam)
Neck - Honduran Mahogany
Fretboard - Gaboon Ebony
Bridge - Gaboon Ebony
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Tuning Machines - Waverly Three-on-a-Plate, Ebony Buttons with Ebony Buttons
Frets - Jescar EVO - 0.043” x 0.080”

Features & Decorations:
Cutaway - Venetian
Rosette - Style 42/45, Green Abalone w/Maple
Top Purfling - Curly Maple
Bindings: Ebony
Fretboard Inlay - Diamond and Squares Short Pattern
Headstock - Slothead
Bridge - Pyramid
Fretboard Position Markers - Diamond & Squares Short Pattern
Case - Visesnut Active Series

More when I get it…

As always, your descriptions are always exact and correct in all particulars and your write ups of new builds are always a thread to look forward to on AGF!

Just adding some details, ebony is also known as "eboni", "kayu arang" (charcoal wood) or "kayu hitam" (Black wood) in Malaysia and Indonesia. Jeffrey Yong coined "Malaysian blackwood" as a trade name for malaysian ebonies which does effectively distinguish them from the macassar ebony from Indonesia.

I have not actually gotten to try a Malaysian blackwood guitar yet. Having once owned a macassar ebony guitar, I am curious if Malaysian blackwood does have more rosewood tonalities than macassar does, as some people have suggested on the forums in the past.

[colins]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Great choice for case. Visesnut makes (make for my British friends) excellent, lightweight, odor-free cases. I look forward to hearing about what you guys have in mind, tonally (or is it timbrely?) speaking.

Not to forget your Aussie mates, although we seem to be ambivalent about that one.

And I regret to advise that Visesnut cases are not always free of odours (no ambivalence there!). The one that came with my Baranik 00 needed to be left open on a number of occasions as the volatiles found their way out. Still an awesome case though. Light and strong, and my set-up guy drools over the latches!

[iim7V7IM7]

Like many things in wood in guitars, because the chain of custody from the forest to a luthier’s wood locker is complex (e.g., local tree cutter, processor, exporter/importer, wood merchant to luthier etc.) the exact species of a trade named wood such as Malaysian Blackwood (or several Rosewoods for that matter) are difficult to identify. There are MANY ebonies native to Southeast Asia. The different regional names add to the complexity of identifying what it truly is. I am fairly certain that tonewood marketed as Malaysian Blackwood (aka Kayu Malam, Kayu Arang, Kayu hitam etc.) is several different regional Ebonies of Malaysia.

Some of these sets when processed tend towards reddish/brown/black.



Others like the set John is using is greenish/brown/black.



Hardwoods have lots of variability to their physical properties even within a single tree. John chose these two sets (shown above) because they were quartersawn, beautiful in their figure and when interrogated by him presented promising sonic potential. This wood has been in his locker at least 15 years. John being a builder in the Nazareth tradition, clients mostly come to John for Brazilian Rosewood, Honduran Mahogany with the occasional Koa and Sycamore Maple instruments now and then.

I have no expectation that Malaysian Blackwood is “rosewood like” in its overtone contributions. For that matter, I have no expectation that other rosewoods sound like Brazilian Rosewood 😊. Malaysian BW is dense, stiff and hard wood like Dalbegias such as African Blackwood or Cocobolo but has higher internal damping. It is by no means “dead” like some Ebonies and still produces a sustaining “gong” when tapped as opposed to the metallic ring of rosewoods.

I also have no experience as a player, nor has John built with it before (he has built with Macassar Ebony). If you were to ask me to guess, I think it will be like Macassar Ebony, but somewhat richer. These woods fall in-between the known sounds of Mahoganies/Koa and the spectrum of rosewoods in how the interact with a soundboard. Matched with a German Spruce soundboard which also is in the middle ground in its overtone complexity, I expect a guitar with balanced fundamental/overtones with moderate attack and some sustain.

Originally Posted by gitarro

As always, your descriptions are always exact and correct in all particulars and your write ups of new builds are always a thread to look forward to on AGF!

Just adding some details, ebony is also known as "eboni", "kayu arang" (charcoal wood) or "kayu hitam" (Black wood) in Malaysia and Indonesia. Jeffrey Yong coined "Malaysian blackwood" as a trade name for malaysian ebonies which does effectively distinguish them from the macassar ebony from Indonesia.

I have not actually gotten to try a Malaysian blackwood guitar yet. Having once owned a macassar ebony guitar, I am curious if Malaysian blackwood does have more rosewood tonalities than macassar does, as some people have suggested on the forums in the past.

[jmagill]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

I also have no experience as a player (with Malaysian Blackwood), nor has John built with it before (he has built with Macassar Ebony).

John built me a 00 with Italian spruce over Macassar ebony (his first) in 2010. You can find my exhaustive review of that guitar with lots more pictures here.

[iim7V7IM7]

Jim, thanks for sharing that. I have visited your website before and read your extensive reviews of your guitars. I have played a number of Macassar Ebony guitars (I own a Adi/Macassar 000) but just not Malaysian Blackwood guitars.



I believe I know the general tone territory the wood will impart and I have played 10-15 of John's instruments across the years (including 2-3 of his 00s). The decision to go with John (the builder) the 00 (size) and German Spruce (top) all will be far more influential than Malaysian BW (back & sides). I own two other 00 sized guitars as well (a Swiss/Koa by Michael Bashkin and a German/Mad RW by Mark Blanchard) so this one will be a bit different which is nice.

Originally Posted by jmagill

John built me a 00 with Italian spruce over Macassar ebony (his first) in 2010. You can find my exhaustive review of that guitar with lots more pictures here.