Huss and Dalton TDR Decision

[jw3571]

I've been in the market for a TDR for a few months. I'm having a hard time deciding as I won't be able to play any of them prior. Resale value will be somewhat important as most of the H & D have the smaller nut size of 1 23/32 which is smaller than what i like, but i can probably make it work. Here are the ones i'm considering. I'm looking for a loud and bold dread.

1. Used TDR(Adi/EIR) has the normal H &D nut with of 1 23/32, . This one would be around $3500.

2. Used TDR(Adi/Cocobolo) 1 23/32 nut width, priced somewhere between 3500-4k

3. New TDR(Adi/EIR) 1 23/32 nut width, priced around $5200

4. Used TDR(Ad/Brazilian) 1 3/4 nut width, priced at $7k

[Dyson Guitars]

All good choices!!!

[Brucebubs]

The 1 23/32" nut is only 1/32" smaller than 1 3/4" - is that really a big difference?

That's 0.79mm for us metric people.

[dnf777]

I honestly cant tell a sub-millimeter difference. This was discussed recently, and opinions varied, of course.

[AcousticDreams]

I have played two H&D cocobolo back and sides guitars. I liked them!

What is different about cocobolo is the fact that there is not the midrange dip like there is in EIR. Notes on cocobolo are fat and clear.

With that being said...EIR does have its advantages...a little faster attack time possibly? A little glassier sound.

I do recommend making sure that the guitar you get does have a Ebony bridge. Rosewood bridge on a rosewood back and sides... can sometimes becomes a bit lifeless on the attack times. Still beautiful...just more subdued.

[Zissou Intern]

You're in a win-win-win-win situation. I'd go with the used cocobolo, but if you have the scratch...Brazilian!

[Godfather]

There is an EIR/Adi in the classifieds right now at a great price from a great AGF member, Llew.
I prefer the crystalline mids/highs of EIR.

[JayBee1404]

My Lowden and D-18 have 1-3/4” nut widths, my Brook Lamorna has 1-23/32”. I don’t feel any difference between them width-wise.

[buddyhu]

I once owned a terrific Bourgeois Slope D. Sold it for a variety of small reasons which, taken together, meant that the guitar didn’t get played much. One of those small reasons was a 1 and 23/32 nut. So I voted for the last option, primarily because of the 1 and 3/4 nut.

[Matts67]

Brazilian would obviously be my first choice. I would ask for the weight on that cocobolo model, because I'd wager that it's over 5lbs, which would be a deal breaker for most including myself. The EIR TD-Rs I've owned/played tend to be very scooped in the mids, so keep that in mind - it all boils down to what you prefer.

[brencat]

Used Adi/EIR. Huss and Dalton Cocobolos weigh a ton. Any guitar that weighs more than 4 lbs 8 oz is a no-go.

And the resale value for H&Ds is among the worst of all the boutiques, so definitely don’t buy new if you can avoid it !

[Zissou Intern]

Cocobolo..."baby got back" doesn't work for Matt and Brencat!

[Scotso]

I like saying cocobolo so I voted for it

[LakewoodM32Fan]

I didn't vote, but just dropped in to offer some advice for boutique builders. What I'm about to write is true, in my own personal experience, to the following brands: Santa Cruz, H&D, Collings, Bourgeois, Goodall, Custom Taylors, Custom Shop Martins.

1. The vast majority of all of those brands I've personally been able to play/audition, I would say fall under the "very good to nearly great" category.
2. I've played a very small number of each brand that "didn't do anything for me".
3. I've played a very small number of each brand that "stood heads and shoulders above their competitors in the shop" and either went home with me (consult my sig) or if I had additional expendable income would have (in the case of Goodall and Bourgeois).

Which is all just me trying to say H&D builds some high quality guitars but, just like with the other high-end makers, I wouldn't buy something "on spec" thinking there's a magic tonewood combo that will yield "the best of any particular brand". If it's at all feasible, I'd try to at least demo some in person, or call the dealer and see if they're willing to record a high-quality video for you of the item being played. Absent that, I'd make sure I had an iron-clad return policy.

You say resale value is important. As an H&D owner (and my TD-R is both loud, bold and likely the best overall sounding of my guitars, it's just a bear to play this body size at my height & limb proportions) it hurts me to say this. Resale is somewhat worse for H&D only because of their lack of name recognition. If you live near their home base, you likely won't have an issue getting a decent amount back. The further away you are, the more difficulty you'll have obtaining a similar resale to some of the other boutique builders.

Good luck in your search!

[Erithon]

Which one is newest? Huss & Dalton builds have noticeably improved over time. I have found this to be true in general, but here is one specific example: a couple years ago I was looking for a TOM-R and I narrowed it down to a new Cocobolo model and a 10-year old Brazilian model. I played them back-to-back and the store manager and I both agreed the Cocobolo model far outshone the Brazilian.

So again, which one is newest? Probably the "new" build, not necessarily. And if they are all within a few years of one another I don't think it matters. But if a couple of those builds are 5 or 10 or more years old, I'd eliminate them from consideration.