Kraut OM BRW

[japple]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Go for it!

I can get along with pretty much any rosewood/spruce guitar -- but this OM has truly surpassed my expectations.

I am definitely going for it, it is just a matter of when. Ray and I have talked a lot. Thankfully he will work with me, and his build schedule is far enough out to fit my financial schedule. I followed your build on Facebook as he posted the pictures, and each set just impressed me more. I am lucky and live only a few hours drive from Ray, and will be able to get down to pick woods, neck profile, and other details in person with him when it does happen. I doubt that I can afford his Braz sets, which by the way are absolutely incredible as you know, but I am sure what ever would he does have he will work his magic on. Lately I have been thinking Koa and Euro spruce, but that may change in the future.

Congrats on such a great guitar. This one got me excited to pursue a commission again.

[justonwo]

Well, you are definitely setting the bar high. When my Kraut arrives, I hope everyone is entertained by my passionate rendering of Mary Had a Little Lamb!

[KolayaGuitars]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Thanks, guys. Brad, you'll have a VIP download link for no charge...

Here's a picture I took today:

Haha, I just saw this...I gladly accept!!

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by japple

I am definitely going for it, it is just a matter of when. Ray and I have talked a lot. Thankfully he will work with me, and his build schedule is far enough out to fit my financial schedule. I followed your build on Facebook as he posted the pictures, and each set just impressed me more. I am lucky and live only a few hours drive from Ray, and will be able to get down to pick woods, neck profile, and other details in person with him when it does happen. I doubt that I can afford his Braz sets, which by the way are absolutely incredible as you know, but I am sure what ever would he does have he will work his magic on. Lately I have been thinking Koa and Euro spruce, but that may change in the future.

Congrats on such a great guitar. This one got me excited to pursue a commission again.

Koa would be a great fit with Ray's style. A perfect match with the inlays.

Personally, I find the guitar has plenty of note separation despite the rosewood/spruce combination (warm but sometimes a bit "muddy") so I will likely stick with rosewood on my future build(s) with Ray.

Still, I'm curious to hear what a koa or mahogany Kraut OM sounds like. Stronger note fundamentals perhaps, with potentially cavernous resonance and huge clarity. Sounds interesting!

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Well, you are definitely setting the bar high. When my Kraut arrives, I hope everyone is entertained by my passionate rendering of Mary Had a Little Lamb!

I'm still working on that one myself. It's a real challenge to be passionate with four notes and one chord...

In the mean time, here's Down by the Salley Gardens:

http://soundcloud.com/syndicatedarts...salley-gardens

[japple]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Koa would be a great fit with Ray's style. A perfect match with the inlays.

Personally, I find the guitar has plenty of note separation despite the rosewood/spruce combination (warm but sometimes a bit "muddy") so I will likely stick with rosewood on my future build(s) with Ray.

Still, I'm curious to hear what a koa or mahogany Kraut OM sounds like. Stronger note fundamentals perhaps, with potentially cavernous resonance and huge clarity. Sounds interesting!

We are still kicking ideas around. I can't decide between Koa and Rosewood. Thankfully I have plenty of time. I have heard some of the Hog and Koa that he built, both are great. Hog very fundamental comparatively. The Koa is somewhere in the middle, which is why I am leaning that way. Hopefully my next trip to Eugene, I can get together with him and play some that are around. He has some friends there that have those guitars. Should be very helpful in deciding.

[justonwo]

Sounds like fun. Let us know what you think of those instruments.

[JoeCharter]

Here's a picture of me and my guitar.

It's Sunday so I didn't shave today.

[StringMeUp]

That sounds great Joe. Congratulations!

[Billy Boy]

Joe, Thanks for the additional audio...your playing is so nice and melodic...and, by the way, great picture too! Lovin' your Kraut!

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by StringMeUp

That sounds great Joe. Congratulations!

Thank you for listening!

I'm having a blast recording those soundclips. Even the simplest melodies are really inspiring to play with this guitar.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Billy Boy

Joe, Thanks for the additional audio...your playing is so nice and melodic...and, by the way, great picture too! Lovin' your Kraut!

Thanks Bill.

This guitar sounds exactly like the "ideal" tone I had in my head when I commissioned the guitar from Ray.

I often try to play material that's not "melodic" -- but I have a hard time not going back to my "natural" style. I'll eventually stop fighting it...

And talking about melodic stuff, here's yet another cheesy sketch of mine, this time featuring two guitar tracks:

http://soundcloud.com/syndicatedarts...8-kraut-om-brw

[justonwo]

That sounds awesome. The bass in the intro really captures the deep, cello-like bass that really struck me when I first played one of Ray's guitars. When the highs come in later in the song, it almost sounds like two instruments. Beautiful.

[JoeCharter]

Thanks Juston.

I spent most of the day trying to record some originals that I typically play on the Martin -- but unfortunately I failed to come up with anything decent.

Instead I recorded a quick version of Fields of Gold.

The playing is insipid and you can hear the room humidifier kicking in near the end -- but I think the guitar sounds quite good.

http://soundcloud.com/syndicatedarts...sting-kraut-om

[steveh]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

-- but I think the guitar sounds quite good.

A: You're not kidding! Again, phenomenal results.

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

The playing is insipid

A: Not True.

I'd really like to hear you play this guitar into a crappy camcorder mic, like most YouTube efforts, which would give me some sort of handle on how it compares to most of the other stuff I hear. In the absence of that, every time I hear it, I'm left concluding it's a work of genius...

Cheers,
Steve

PS: The first few bars are a dead-ringer for Floyd's "Goodbye Blue Sky".