Huss & Dalton

[Deliberate1]

I had heard of H&D but knew little more than the name, and rep on this board, when I found a seven year old short scale 000 spruce over mahogany at Guitar Center online. At $2300, and a 180 day return policy, there was little risk. And, now a month later even less chance it will go back.
I did not do a NGD thing because I think takes time to form a sensible understanding of a new guitar, particularly for someone like me who is relatively new to this instrument, and has not been around much.
But, as the proud owner of a lovely custom Larrivee 000-40, Bourgeois Slope D and FB H12, I can say that this guitar plays second fiddle to none of them.
It has a sound that strikes me as thoroughly honest and without affect or pretension. It is the kind of sound I did not know I was looking for until I heard it. Indeed, if someone handed it to me and said it was a FB, I could believe it. It feels very much the same - as easy to play and with a distinctive voice that is consistently rich and resonant from string to string. To my ear, it has the perfect balance between primary tonality with flattering overtones that in no way dominate. Excellent intonation at octave. A very versatile instrument that seems equally comfortable under nail or pick. In fact, it is the one I typically reach for despite my unabashed love for the FB, in particular. Volume is strong with excellent balance from high to low. No oddities or sonic peccadilloes. Just a very responsive, even sensitive tone. That is what draws me to the FB above all else. Its expressiveness and range of emotional access. The H&D shares that quality.
The build quality is excellent, though not on the FB level. Materials are top notch. In fact, I would say that the spruce top is the most gorgeous of any top I own. Lovely silking. And the top seam is so tight and well integrated it nearly disappears. It does not have the elegant construction detail of the FB but is on par with the Bourgeois. The fret work, however, a bit rough, with irregularities on the fret edges where they attach to the fret board. Surely no affect on sound, but a notable flaw, nevertheless.
This is a SP custom model which has a slotted head stock. As is my FB. But unlike the FB, the H&D glossy finish does not fully cover the slots, but fades to a satin finish shortly into the slots - the same finish as the neck. In my judgment, the entire slot should have the gloss because the transition is awkward and rather unfinished looking in the absence of a natural border. That said, the satin finish on the neck is very nice with a very comfortable, tactile feel - more so than a gloss finish. The blend of shiny and flat is very interesting. Again, it is one of those guitars whose pride reflects in its subtleties, not flash. Look carefully at one of these guitars and you will appreciate its thoughtful and elegant modesty.
I am very grateful to have this lovely looking and sounding guitar. The price I paid is inexplicable given the company this guitar keeps. But this may reflect precisely the OP's point.

[zombywoof]

I have little interest in resale value, who plays 'em and such, All I can tell you is about a year back my wife and I played a couple of Martin D-41s, a Bourgeois or two, a few of Santa Cruz's offerings, and a Gibson CS J45. Of the bunch the only guitar we walked away thinking we should have bought was a certain Huss & Dalton hanging on the wall.

[Wade Hampton]

jpd wrote:

Originally Posted by jpd

IMO, very few can find an outlet that stocks the brand. Beautifully built and voiced ...just not easy to find in bricks and mortar shops...unless you live by RP

Then Matts wrote

Originally Posted by Matts67

1) they're a smaller boutique brand that most people don't know about, so that greatly reduces the customer market

and

2) they're a smaller boutique brand that people pay a lot of money for, and therefore when they sell them used, they think they should price them high, and they end up sitting on them for months.

They're outstanding guitars and when they're priced right, they don't last long. People don't realize that most guitars will sell for 50-60% of what they cost new, and they don't want to accept that with a boutique guitar that they paid $6-7k for.

And across the pond boombox wrote:

Originally Posted by boombox

In the UK, they are pretty much unknown...

I think it's all of these things. They're a small shop operation with limited output, they're not cheap, and they're not widely known. Huss & Dalton guitars definitely have a following, but the fiercest element of that seem to be the bluegrassers on the East Coast of the United States.

In other words, there's a regional element at play here. My first professional quality guitar was a Mossman, which was a fine instrument for its day but only well known in the states surrounding Kansas, where they were first built, and then Texas, where they got built after that. Very few musicians on either the East or West Coasts ever encountered any Mossman guitars.

Now Mossman was attempting larger scale production than Huss & Daltons, so they're not exact parallels in that regard, but the regional zone of influence is the same. Huss & Daltons are as rare as hens' teeth in West Coast music stores. I've played only three or four, and I have NEVER seen any up here in Alaska.

While those of us who participate on this forum might be interested enough about these legendarily good Huss & Dalton guitars to track some down, for the vast majority of our fellow guitarists it's simple: if they don't encounter Huss & Dalton guitars in music stores or musical get-togethers like music parties and bluegrass festivals, then they'll never learn about them at all.

They're not about to spend the kind of money that Huss & Daltons command for a guitar brand that's unknown to them and their picking buddies.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Brucebubs]

Very rare down here ... superb quality but like all American guitars, not exactly cheap here too!

[MHC]

I completely agree with Wade's post above. But to add one more dimension to this...

If you want to be a popular brand, it takes some real PR hustle to get your name out there and while Jeff and Mark clearly love building guitars, and they are indeed aware that they are in a very competitive guitar echelon, they don't seem super motivated with the promotional aspect of the business.

I remember Jeff saying in a video something like "We never wanted to become a big company, we just want to build guitars." I feel like they let the quality sell the guitar.

They have a small shop (way smaller than Collings or Bourgeois/Eastman) and it seems they are not lacking for orders or sales, so... all good.

I myself currently own a wonderful Custom TOM-M, and I've owned two other gateway H&Ds along the way that I sold. Honestly, I didn't have any trouble selling those guitars for a decent resale price -- and fairly quickly too.

[Silurian]

It certainly looks like lack of brand awareness is a factor.

I've certainly heard of H & D, but I just had a look at their website and had no idea they also build electrics.

[Kerbie]

Very interesting posts, guys... fun to read. I'll consider myself lucky that I've been able to play a lot of H&Ds. I've played several dozen over the years. As a matter of fact, I believe it was the very first boutique guitar I ever played. Even then, I looked forward to owning an H&D which came years later. The process of building a custom 00 with them was a joy. All companies have their fans and detractors, but I never played a bad one and can't imagine having difficulty selling one. They were a pleasure to deal with and even went out of their way years later to help me find an unusual H&D on the US market.

[jklotz]

Originally Posted by Silurian

It certainly looks like lack of brand awareness is a factor.

I've certainly heard of H & D, but I just had a look at their website and had no idea they also build electrics.

The electrics are a new thing. I believe they were announced at NAMN last year.

[mercy]

I think the sound is in the traditional category but better than Martin and they have the look of a handbuilt guitar that Martin doesnt have. Play one and youll see what I mean. Mine had no finish or fashion problems. I sold it cause it was a 12 fret.

[jklotz]

All I can say about H&D is I went with a big pile of cash to a shop with a lot of high end guitars. SC, Lowden, Bourgeois, etc and played every one of the OM/OOO sized they had in stock. I ended coming home with a H&D TOM-R. At that time, I had only heard of H&D in passing. Plus it was the least expensive of all of them, although price had very little to do with my decision. Over a year later, I still don't regret buying it.

Would it take a while to move if I wanted to? I don't know. It would probably be dependent on how I had it priced. If I used the formula 50% of MAP like a lot of folks do, I suspect it'd move very quickly.

[J Patrick]

Ive sold three of them...never had a problem....its been a while though...could be that its just a tough time to sell and a good time to buy...

[Dwight]

Huss and Dalton make great guitars and low resale is your friend if you're buying used. I've got a nice TOM-R.

[mlr1122]

Originally Posted by Dwight

Huss and Dalton make great guitars and low resale is your friend if you're buying used. I've got a nice TOM-R.

^Exactly! I love my Huss and Dalton T-00. The rich tone, the feel of the neck, the fit and finish....even the cool case.

[Bear Davis]

Never had a problem moving a Huss, but I have witnessed endless people list guitars on AGF, reverb and everywhere else that are overpriced. 6 months to a year later their guitar still hasn't sold and they can't figure it out...

I've done dozens of deals on AGF alone and most sold within a couple weeks.

[LJOHNS]

I played an amazing H&D in Nashville last fall that I should have brought home with me. It was 00 Custom with waterfall Bubinga back and sides. It was stunning to look at and play. I have played a few others and all were outstanding.