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#91
10-04-2010, 11:38 AM
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Awesome!!! What a beauty, I agree with Martin Nut you may need to send this one my way for a quality test run with you tube vids.
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Crazy guitar nut in search of the best sounding guitars built today and yesterday. High End Guitar Review Videos. www.youtube.com/user/rockinb23 
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#92
10-04-2010, 11:52 AM
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#93
10-04-2010, 12:26 PM
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A little background on this model:
It started in early 1997. I, being drawn to the music of Phil Keaggy, and a budding luthier decided to make a guitar that would excel at a more modern fingerstyle guitar. I wanted it to be expressive, loud, responsive, enveloping, full bodied yet balanced. I set out to create this. Being the typical young egotistical male I figured I could pretty easily build such a guitar (even though I had only built two guitars prior... what a fool!). I gathered all my notions on how to create this instrument and began. Five months or so later prototype #1 was born. One month later protoype #1 was destroyed (my wife got to smash this one on the ground like a rock star). The first one was rather laughable. It sounded so horrible. Totally unbalanced, muddy, no projection, ect. It was bad. And so my journey began. I was determined to build this guitar that produced a sound like I had in my head. I built 9 more of these models. Some slightly better, some very bad. In 2005 I exhibited at my first Healdsburg Guitar Festival. It was an awesome experience. For one I sold everything at my table which was nice, but even more so were a couple interactions. The first was with Fred Carlson. If you don't know who Fred is you're missing out. He builds incredible instruments. Very off the beaten path, artistic, elegant, wild. www.beyondthetrees.com He came over and he sat and played a little 00 12 fret guitar I had for a good 30-45 minutes. He is such a nice, soft spoken guy and he liked my guitar, and gave me some pointers as well. The second part was a bit of luck, or fate, or whatever. My table was in the midst of some of the worlds best Luthiers. Yes the whole place was filled with the worlds best luthiers, but directly to my right was Ervin Somogyi, Directly to his right was Grit Laskin. Right in front of me was Fred Carlson, Right next to Fred was Charles Fox with his new Ergo guitars when he first released them. I got a chance to play lots and lots of guitars. A few really stood out in my memory. Bruce Sexauer had a fan fret Brazilian guitar that was really nice. Howard Klepper had a small bodied red parlor guitar that was very cool and vibey. Mike Doolin had some really awesome guitars too that I didn't think I'd like, but ended up really digging. Sitting 3 feet from me the entire show was one of the 3 best guitars I've ever played. A Somogyi Brazilian/European OM. It was so unique. It's tone was different. Big and projecting, but hollow (in a good way.. like a reverb in a empty room), and enveloping. Balanced, slightly brittle sounding, but full. It was the first Somogyi I had ever played. In fact I had never heard of Ervin before strange as that may sound to us guitar nuts. It wasn't that that guitar was better than any of the others, but it was just so unique. It really changed the way I thought about this new model I had been working on. I chatted with Ervin for a while when he didn't have a crowd around him (which was almost non-stop). He was very generous with his time and knowledge. He never told me how he braces his guitars but it didn't matter. He gave me some other nuggets that changed the way I thought about things. When I went home I had new ideas I wanted to try. I built 4-5 more and the difference was stunning. I was taking my experience, combining it with other thinking and creating something new. Now these prototypes weren't there yet, and I knew that, but the direction in which they were heading was the way I wanted to go. About a year ago Ervin released a couple books on his thoughts on guitar acoustics and building. I, of course, bought them and have read them through a couple times. There are number of things in there I just don't agree with, Some that were revelations to me, but there is even more than lines up strangely with what I had "developed" (more like discovered for myself) over the past 13-14 years. I incorporated a couple more things and built #16. A Wenge/Sitka model. The results were so close to what I wanted I was taken back. The only thing I disliked about it was the balance. In my effort to build lighter it turned out a bit woofy, and unable to drive at all. But played softly it was magic. I destroyed it (I kind of wish I hadn't now) and started #17 which you see here. #17 has almost everything I would look for in this style of guitar. It gives up a tiny bit of responsiveness and in exchange gained a LOT of versatility and I attribute that tot he top that was used. Normally I would want to use a slightly softer, yet stiff wood on the top. European spruce. I was looking through my top woods trying to find one that I would use on #17 when I came across one of the stiffest tops I've ever felt. It was crazy how stiff and resonant it was. Looking back I probably could have built it even lighter due to the stiffness, but I stopped when I had went further than any guitar before. This Lutz spruce top, even though thin and light, has virtually zero belly behind the bridge. It's got that big, full, hollow, crisp, reverby, harmonically rich tone. To my surprise it handles a pick quite well too. Again I attribute that to the ultra stiff Lutz top. So while my journey for perfection is FAR from over, and realistically it will never end, I feel like I've taken a big leap in the direction I was heading for this particular model.
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#95
10-05-2010, 09:06 AM
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Great to read the background John. The guitar certainly looks great, wish I could hear it!
__________________
Martin D-15 Mahogany Recording King RAJ-122 Sitka/Mahogany Gibson L-00 Sitka/Walnut Taylor GA8 Sitka/EIR Reverend '21 Charger 290 Gibson '03 Les Paul Studio Swamp Ash Fender '94 American Std Strat Squier Classic Vibe Baritone Telecaster Many are gone but not forgotten...some are just forgotten
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#96
10-05-2010, 09:49 AM
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Thanks for sharing the background John (and the guitar looks great as well but then I've already said that a few times haven't I
 ).I was thinking, maybe you should write a bit of the background on an official certificate or Prototype certificate type of document that will go with the guitar - will maybe add value to it later as well as entice potential buyers. Just a thought ....
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#98
10-05-2010, 03:09 PM
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#99
10-06-2010, 07:56 AM
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I will bring my H4 to record it a bit if that will help, John. I haven't made but a few recordings, but they've turned out very nicely.
I'll also have some mics, mixer, and amp (and line out) at the Oklahoma Gathering on Nov 13, and will work up a way to line in to the H4. I can bludgeon whatever we record into an MP3 file so we can post it! But any playing to show it off will have to be from you!! My simple picking may not show it at its best!!! At the Gathering there may be some players who can make it sing... I'll be dropping by John's shop early next week I hope, for those interested, and will hope to get some sounds out shortly thereafter. Cheers-fully, Phil
__________________
Paragon RW/Macassar Ebony Baritone Rainsong S OM1100-N2 Woolson LS RW/30s African mahogany LG 12 Baranik LS RW/"tree" mahogany OO Baranik Blue Spruce/"tree" mahogany OM Boswell RW/koa OO Baranik Retreux Parlour Adi/Pumaquiro Baranik Blue Spruce/Coco Meridian "Geo" Baranik Blue Spruce/Kingwood OO Woolson T13 RW/Walnut SIG
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#100
10-06-2010, 12:10 PM
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I had totally forgot I had a Yamaha Pocketrak thing. It's cheap and sounds OK, but it's something. The standard "it sounds much better in person" is a huge understatement in this case....
http://www.mayesguitars.com/17.mp3
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#101
10-06-2010, 12:31 PM
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Wow, John. I'm sure you lose a little on the sound quality with a less than ideal recording setup, but you can certainly tell how supremely balanced and clear that thing rings out. I was surprised at the presence of the bass for a smaller bodied guitar.
Alright, so guess my order is ready - well except for the payment part. Maybe we can work something out - you cut me a nice discount and I'll swipe a few mosaic tiles from the Hagia Sofia to use for inlay on your next Healdsburg build... 
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#102
10-06-2010, 12:36 PM
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John,
That's one beautiful proto. Are those Alessi tuners? What scale length did you use? It looks a bit longer than standard. I love the subtle scallops in your bridge. Is that a new design for you?
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#103
10-06-2010, 12:43 PM
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Quote:
The are Schertler tuners. I've used them on my past few builds. They are very much Alessi style. Scale is 25.5. Yes the bridge design is new. It's the same footprint as my old belly bridge, but the contours are different. Below is a better shot of the bridge design. These bridges are African blackwood. My favorite material. Looks like ebony for the most part, has much better resonance. The bridge takes some design ques from Ervin of course. 
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#104
10-18-2010, 06:32 PM
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As a followup here is a quote from the owner of this guitar:
"You should be very pleased with this creation, as I am humbled by the ability and expression of this guitar. The tone is enormous, but yet develops every note perfectly. Anyplace on the fret board a song may take you, the sound and clarity are there also boasting an elegant mingling of rich tones. I often fine that even with the best guitars some area's up the neck the notes will just fade and not be there. I haven't found that on #17. The guitar has a wonderful vibration as the music played comes to life. I'm still not sure if I am leading this guitar, or it is leading me. It is a guitar that will inspire a player to explore new dimensions in music, and is without any reservation the best guitar I have had the pleasure of playing."
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