Kostal Memphis Madness!

[steveh]

Originally Posted by jdelin86

I was at TNAG HQ at the weekend and had the opportunity to play their latest Kostal 00. My lord what an incredible instrument! If you were to close your eyes, you honestly wouldn’t believe it’s an 00-size guitar!

I’m also getting to know Michael Watts’ Kostal MD. There are no words - it’s a truly astonishing instrument.

Hey Joel - what gives? You have Michael's MD at home? Where's the GF gone, or is Michael's standing in for its replacement?

I also thought the 00 was fabulous although, as I keep telling people, it's not really that small- just smaller than Jason's other guitars.

Anyways, sounds great; no murder there.

Cheers,
Steve

[jdelin86]

Hey Steve!

Yeh sadly I have parted with the GF. I do miss it, but I only need one Greenfield in my life...the new one arrives later this year.

If you fancy giving the GF a whirl, it's currently on display / for sale at The North American Guitar!

Anyway, while the painful wait for Mr G to build my G2.2 continues, I've been getting to know Michael Watts' rather special strummer. Suffice to say, it has tone so thick you need wellies to wade through it! Unfortunately he tells me he eventually wants it back...how mean of him

The TNAG OO really is awesome isn't it? Jason seems to be building consistently wonderful instruments - if I didn't already have the Greenfield on order I'd be giving serious thought to commissioning a Kostal. Staggering tone, and (correct me if I'm wrong) but he seems to really nail voicing the guitar for a players' particular preference. Case in point - the 'tree' MD fits Mr Watts' playing perfectly.

Oh god this all sounds rather cringe. Do excuse me, got a bit carried away!

Joel

[CoolerKing]

How interesting is it that Jason has a 6 year closed wait list and that GF has a <2yr list? I'm sure price is a big factor but still it's fascinating to ponder.

Let's see pix of the GF when it arrives!

[jdelin86]

Ah to be clear: my new one is a G2.2. Will of course post pics once it finally arrives!

Joel

[Michael Watts]

Lovely video Joel, nice to hear 32 from the passenger side!

The GF is here at TNAG HQ London, it's in great condition and sounds even better than it did when I recorded this video (which tonally is actually one of my favourites!)



More pics and info here

[Michael Watts]

Originally Posted by gfc

Really looking forward to the proper TNAG video.

Michael, you are right about esoteric signal chain. Miking the aircon unit (left mike as you look at the vids) something I have never seen before. Is it a sneak preview that the forthcoming Vetiver album is going to mark something of a departure into more experimental post industrial noise territory?

That's actually one of my favourite genres! You'll no doubt have spotted the influences of the Club d'Essai running deep in my own compositions...

Well, maybe on the next album...

[steveh]

Originally Posted by matthewpartrick

How interesting is it that Jason has a 6 year closed wait list and that GF has a <2yr list? I'm sure price is a big factor but still it's fascinating to ponder.

I'm sure price has a lot to do with it (and quality obviously!), especially if the builder was very well-priced to start with. Simon Fay comes to mind here - his guitars were 4k base not long ago and a lot of people got on the list. Faced with several years worth of work, it makes sense to close the list and take stock etc. I know because I decided to order a guitar from Simon and found out he'd closed his list just the week before. Jim Olson was another IIRC, whose base price was out of kilter with demand at one time.

Some builders are also loathe to raise their prices too much, for fear of pricing people out. I know a very highly regarded classical builder whose guitars are played by several professionals but whose instruments are relatively reasonably priced. His take is that pricing them too high moves the pendulum too far towards the doctors/lawyers and away from young professionals. His aim is to attract both types of customer, but the consequence is an ever lengthening list. Differential pricing would be one way to solve that, but is clearly unpopular.

Or you could do a Daniel Friederich, who apocryphally auditions potential customers and choses exactly who he builds for.

Cheers,
Steve

[steveh]

Originally Posted by jdelin86

Staggering tone, and (correct me if I'm wrong) but he seems to really nail voicing the guitar for a players' particular preference. Case in point - the 'tree' MD fits Mr Watts' playing perfectly.

Yes, I have found perhaps a bit more variation in his sound than some others are prepared to commit to. Michael's guitar is very different sounding to my MD and that of a mutual friend's.

Michael (and he can chip in here) needed a loud instrument that projects, and without too much bottom end "bloom", which would play havoc when amplified live, whereas I enjoy mine in the privacy of my own home, where I can be as boomy as I like. My MD has perhaps a few more overtones and is more responsive - I have a lighter right hand than Michael.

My pal, who plays a lot of nylon string, wanted a steel-string with big, fat nylon style trebles, and that's what Jason built him. He's delighted.

All of that is, clearly, operating within the Kostal envelope though. He's not going to build you a guitar that sounds like a Martin or Olson etc.

When playing the 00, I did speak to Michael regarding the "Kostal sound". He believes, and I think he's right, that it's from a Somogyi lineage (clear, responsive, sustainy, overtones etc.) but with a bit more projection and power - a shade of Sobell thrown into the mix perchance? Care to comment Michael?

Cheers,
Steve

[CoolerKing]

Originally Posted by steveh

Or you could do a Daniel Friederich, who apocryphally auditions potential customers and choses exactly who he builds for.

Cheers,
Steve

If that were the case for more luthiers, I'd probably be playing an Esteban.

[Michael Watts]

Well gents, here it is...

Staggering.

[Michael Watts]

And here's a little video of Jason adding the wax seal to a Mod D...

[CoolerKing]

He said something funny in Memphis, that the fact that his logo looks like a J never occurred to him. The part about it looking like a guitar in profile and kanji was intentional apparently. I guess it's like a Rorschach test

[westman]

Originally Posted by Michael Watts

And here's a little video of Jason adding the wax seal to a Mod D...

OK we just gotta know what # guitar the label 'went on fire' - Jas ?
how real.

[gfc]

Here is the clip of the Jumbo played impeccably as ever by Michael Watts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-obyhtJ7eA0



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-obyhtJ7eA0

[Fsgeek]

Nice score on the Jumbo

Here are mine