Build Thread: LeGeyt CLM - Carpathian Spruce and Koa

[Deft Tungsman]

Beyond words.

[inc0herent]

It's a shame you didn't go through with your original Lute Bass design. They are wonderful, underappreciated instruments. Here's a shot of me with mine. These will be making a huge comeback I predict. Long live the Lute Bass!

[Jamiejoon]

That is a smoking hot little guitar, Juston. Just gorgeous. Congrats, and enjoy it in good health.

[SColumbusSt]

That is not a guitar, that is art. I'd be worried I'd just stare at it all day and forget how to play guitar. Just beautiful!

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by inc0herent

It's a shame you didn't go through with your original Lute Bass design. They are wonderful, underappreciated instruments. Here's a shot of me with mine. These will be making a huge comeback I predict. Long live the Lute Bass!

Is that John Paul Jones?

[inc0herent]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Is that John Paul Jones?

Indeed it is! Preparing for a performance at the Renaissance Fair I'd imagine.

[jmat]

Amazing guitar! I would love 30 minutes with that beast. I look forward to your report and video!

[justonwo]

Another outstanding creation from Burton. More later.

[gitarro]

The fit and finish are very high level but the design sense behind all the touches really make this guitar one with a lot of style - one that you can imagine Danny ocean of ocean's 11 playing if he were a guitar player...

[rockabilly69]

That guitar ticks every box I can think of. WHAT A WORK OF ART!!! Congrats.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

That guitar ticks every box I can think of. WHAT A WORK OF ART!!! Congrats.

Burton would be the first to disagree! With the ART part. I'm sure he would appreciate the complimentary intent, however.

Very beautiful and unusual instrument Juston. Hope you will post a music clip.

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by Dogma

Burton would be the first to disagree! With the ART part. I'm sure he would appreciate the complimentary intent, however.

Very beautiful and unusual instrument Juston. Hope you will post a music clip.

I don’t have a clip of the koa CLM. But here are some clips of the rosewood CLM I’ve had for a while.

[Dogma]

Nice! Good team-work - you and guitar. Sounds great.

Thanks!

[justonwo]

I just want to check in here because I don’t feel this instrument has been given its due, and this instrument deserves serious praise. From my perspective, this CLM is more or less a perfect guitar. Tone, touch sensitivity, volume, complexity, clarity, playability, and quality of construction. Not to mention the gorgeous design. I love Burton’s unique aesthetic. It has all of the things I look for in a guitar and no deficiencies.

This guitar is incredibly light and it plays and responds like a guitar that’s very lightly built. Notes just want to jump off the soundboard. Whether you’re using a light touch (a rarity for me) or leaning in (more common), you get a sweet, clear response. Just enough overtone content to put a smile on your face without sacrificing clarity. If you’re really feeling like filling up the room with tons of volume, there’s plenty of volume and headroom there to allow you to play more or less as hard as you want. The tone is never harsh or ice picky. Always smile-inducing. I absolutely love a guitar that can get super loud. I think it’s the result of a light build. And this one can be REALLY loud.

I’ve spent the last week playing in drop tunings. Down to open C. Not all of my guitars sound amazing in that tuning. They can sound ok, but only a few sound amazing. This CLM is one of those guitars that just eats up drop tunings. The bass holds together fantastically, and the trebles retain their sweetness and projection. This is one of those guitars that could function as my only guitar . . . if I had to make that kind of choice.

Burton gets top marks for build quality. You won’t find many builders with this attention to detail. If you’ve followed any of his build threads, you’ll know he’s obsessive about details. In fact, when I asked him to match the neck profile on one of my guitars, he sent me a set of laser-cut plastic templates to figure out which was closest to my desired profile. And he really nailed it. The neck is incredibly comfortable. The woods are incredible. The decoration is breathtaking (he inlaid the tuner posts!) The varnish finish is so rich and beautiful in person. I don’t know what thickness he ended up with, but it plays like it’s allowing the guitar to reach its full potential.

This makes the fourth LeGeyt I’ve played. The first two were at SBAIC in 2016. Burton called me out by name and asked me to play his two guitars. They were both highly memorable. Perfect guitars. Just. Perfect. Especially that mahogany CLM. Oh man. I placed an order very shortly thereafter. Then I purchased my CLM from LC. Another perfect 10. And now this. Consistency is one of those things I look for in a builder. These days I’m pretty shy about ordering a guitar unless I’ve played multiple examples from a particular builder. Burton isn’t building an exceptional guitar every once in a while; every guitar he builds is exceptional. For my tastes and in my humble opinion, he’s one of the very best luthiers working right now. I couldn’t recommend his work more highly.

[Rwpierce]

Very high praise indeed and I couldn’t agree more. My CL is a world class guitar that absolutely sings and punches way above it’s barely 3 lb weight. Incredible guitar in every way. Burtons varnish finish is also one of the best that I’ve ever owned.