NGD: Claxton Malabar, European spruce / maple. Photos + video.

[cbjanne]

Thanks for all the comments, guys! They are all truly appreciated!

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

What a beauty! And the guitar is nice too... hahaha

Your daughter sure seems to be enjoying it in the pic! Very nice playing, and the instrument sounds as wonderful as it looks.

Congratulations and ENJOY!!!

Paul

Paul, thanks. She sure seems to enjoy the guitar and my ukulele too!

Originally Posted by Vaillant75

I've long waited for that post since I saw the build thread. The guitar looks exquisite and the tone is really sophisticated. Nice nuanced playing also, you're already exploiting its dynamic range with great effect.

I have played Marc's (deft) Claxton a few times already, even having it for 2 weeks when we swapped guitars, and I've automatically connected with it. Intuitive is the right word, everything feels "right". I hope you guys can meet one day and write poems in the glory of Ed

Don't hesitate to post recordings, it's always appreciated to hear the guitar over time.

Best,

Thanks! I sure hope we'll meet and share the joy of music one day. I plan to make more recordings in the future, and hopefully get better at it.

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Congratulations! Ed's Malabar' are special, and you're making this one sound terrific.

Doug, thank you. Coming from you, this means a lot -- I'm a long time fan of your music, and found Ed's guitars partly because of your videos. I've also tried to learn recording technique from you, and I'm still fiddling with the mic placement to most accurately catch what I'm hearing. I think this clip still has more bass and less definition than I like, but that might be because of the non-ideal room. The mics might be a bit too close too.

Originally Posted by MThomson

Congratulations and thanks for sharing. The guitar is beautiful and did great in your hands. But the picture of you with your daughter outshines every other thing in this page. May you have many happy musical memories as she grows up.

What a lovely post. Thank you!

[gitarro]

Very classy looking guitar!

[Diamondave]

As good as it gets...! Congrats

[Deft Tungsman]

Hi Janne!

Like Thomas, I was wondering when you’d finally feel ready to share your impressions of your gorgeous Malabar with us here on the Forum. Thanks for spoiling us with more than words!

The video showcases the timbre and responsiveness of your guitar with great honesty. I dig the tune, the playing and the quality of the recording.

You say that your room sounds dull, and while that may be true in real life, my ear likes the dry, direct sound you’ve captured in the video. The mic placement seems just right to me, certainly not too bass-heavy or congested in the midrange. The voice I hear bears a striking resemblance to that of my OM, with perhaps only a tad less overtone content. The entire spectrum is so balanced, so warm, full and clear, it truly sounds like everything I could ever want in an acoustic guitar. (Like you, I’ve discovered that I’m not all that interested in playing a six-string grand piano.)

As a haptic experience, I’ve never played another guitar that feels or responds like my Claxton. Listening to the video, I can easily imagine what plucking your guitar’s strings must feel like, how the notes project and how that projection varies as you change your attack. After spending a few days or weeks enjoying the charms of my other guitars, when I return to the Claxton I realize immediately that it has a magic none of the others can match. You are truly gifted at articulating what that magic is all about, and your words echo my experience perfectly.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and the pictures, especially the one with your daughter. It’s the very portrait of spontaneous joy and a fitting tribute to the immediate, umbilical connection you’ve made with this beautiful example of Ed’s handiwork.

I sure hope we get the chance to share the joy in person one day in the not-so-distant future, my friend!

[BrunoBlack]

That’s a killer guitar. Thanks for posting & enjoy!

[dcn]

Beautiful clear voice and articulate playing, thanks for sharing.

[cbjanne]

Thanks again for the comments, they made me smile!

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Hi Janne!

Like Thomas, I was wondering when you’d finally feel ready to share your impressions of your gorgeous Malabar with us here on the Forum. Thanks for spoiling us with more than words!

The video showcases the timbre and responsiveness of your guitar with great honesty. I dig the tune, the playing and the quality of the recording.

You say that your room sounds dull, and while that may be true in real life, my ear likes the dry, direct sound you’ve captured in the video. The mic placement seems just right to me, certainly not too bass-heavy or congested in the midrange. The voice I hear bears a striking resemblance to that of my OM, with perhaps only a tad less overtone content. The entire spectrum is so balanced, so warm, full and clear, it truly sounds like everything I could ever want in an acoustic guitar. (Like you, I’ve discovered that I’m not all that interested in playing a six-string grand piano.)

As a haptic experience, I’ve never played another guitar that feels or responds like my Claxton. Listening to the video, I can easily imagine what plucking your guitar’s strings must feel like, how the notes project and how that projection varies as you change your attack. After spending a few days or weeks enjoying the charms of my other guitars, when I return to the Claxton I realize immediately that it has a magic none of the others can match. You are truly gifted at articulating what that magic is all about, and your words echo my experience perfectly.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and the pictures, especially the one with your daughter. It’s the very portrait of spontaneous joy and a fitting tribute to the immediate, umbilical connection you’ve made with this beautiful example of Ed’s handiwork.

I sure hope we get the chance to share the joy in person one day in the not-so-distant future, my friend!

Marc, thank you! I was hoping you'd chime in.

Yes, every time I pick up the guitar I understand better what you've talked about since we connected. The experience of playing on the Claxton is indeed on a different level compared to other high-caliber guitars I've played. I'm still surprised about how big the difference is, though. There's just no contest with my other two guitars, though they are great too. The haptic component plays a big role in that. And all this is very difficult to put into words. I'm repeating myself, but the best description I can come up with is that this guitar "feels right".

About the recording: I've listened to it critically for a few times now, and I think I've found what bothers me. My small room has quite a lot of absorptive material on the walls and the ceiling, but behind that is concrete, and there's no "bass traps" of any kind. Thus, the high frequencies are instantly dampened, but the low reflections linger around, creating a sloppy bass response. It's not terrible, but not ideal either -- it lacks the "snap" I can hear and feel when playing quick passages. I'll have to figure out how to deal with this. I'll post more recordings then!

I'd also love to hear more of your music! And maybe, some day, there'll be a "Claxton gathering".

[Deft Tungsman]

Well, folks, you’ve heard what some of us luthier-build aficionados have to say about Ed Claxton’s work. Cork sniffery? I don’t think so.

About a month ago, a singer/songwriter friend came over to our place for the first time. She told me she’s always been perfectly happy with her trusty Takamine, so you can imagine her lack of exposure to “fine instruments”.

I was excited to show her my guitars, but I could tell that she was only moderately interested. Sure enough, when I played the Claxton, she said “yeah, that one does sound really nice”. I somehow sensed that she was more polite than sincere.

So I handed it to her and said, “now play it, it’s the only way to understand what makes this one extra special.”

Within seconds her eyes opened up really wide, and in less than a minute, her face broke into a huge smile.

Much as she enjoyed the 1933 0-17 and the Baranik Parlor, the Claxton was her hands-down favorite of the bunch.

Feeling is believing.

Janne, I promise to post another song soon. And if the Sinister Doubter inside my head starts giving me cold feet, I’ll think of cbjanne and Vaillant75 to lift my spirits and slap that nasty *bleep* back down where he belongs!!

Stay well, my friend!

[Crash-VR]

Have any of the Claxton owners also ever played as Traugott? These two are at the top of my list for a new guitar.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Crash-VR

Have any of the Claxton owners also ever played as Traugott? These two are at the top of my list for a new guitar.

I own 3 Claxtons, and 1 Traugott, and have played quite a few more of each. They're similar in many ways - both focus on simple elegance, letting the wood be the focus. Ed's old shop and Jeff's were next door to each other for a decade or two. Sonically, both fall into the "Calfornia Modern" camp, you'd not mistake either for a Martin, or a Taylor for that matter. My Traugott is a BK, which is a bigger body than any of my Claxton's so that alone gives it a different voice, but in general, each has it's own sound. My impression, based on playing others is that there may be a bit more variability between different Traugotts than Claxtons. Jeff does a wider range of designs and options, while Ed's pretty focused on what he has dialed in.

[steveh]

Originally Posted by Crash-VR

Have any of the Claxton owners also ever played as Traugott? These two are at the top of my list for a new guitar.

I had a Traugott R, the one Tony McManus played on his “Maker’s Mark” CD. It was an insanely good guitar IMHO - extremely responsive, balanced, and refined.

I first played a Claxton at TAMCO in Brighton in the UK. The first thing I said to the owner was, “Gosh - that sounds just like my Traugott...at half the price!” And it was mahogany rather than Brazillian.

I’ve played many of each subsequently and most have been stellar, but, for me at least, it’s pretty hard to ignore the price differential. I sold the Traugott and now have a Claxton. I really do think the two are building a similar instrument and would also agree that Traugott is perhaps a bit more variable. Every Claxton I have played has been mind-blowing, including possibly the best steel-string I have had in my hands, but alas not mine.

Cheers,
Steve

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by Crash-VR

Have any of the Claxton owners also ever played as Traugott? These two are at the top of my list for a new guitar.

You’ve come to the right place for answers to your questions. Steveh is the resident expert on all things Claxton & Traugott, Thomas Vaillant has a Traugott R and knows my Claxton well, and Janne went on a SERIOUS field trip before commissioning his Malabar that included a deep dive into the world of Jeff Traugott. I’ll venture that I’m almost as eager as you are to read their thoughts on the subject.

For my part, I’ve only played two Traugotts. The first was a 00 I played for maybe 15 minutes at TNAG several years ago. I never could have imagined that a steel string acoustic could be so utterly musical. The second is Thomas’ model R, and it too is a supremely refined instrument. Luckily for me, by that time I’d already taken possession of my Claxton OM and turned only the slightest shade of green.

[cbjanne]

I've only played one Traugott, a Model R with Jeff's special "Kentucky" BRW. I played it on two consecutive days, two hours each, and tried my best to get a grip of the instrument. I think post #28 in this thread https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...=555150&page=2 manages to convey my thoughts quite well.

The Traugott was a stunning guitar. It changed my view on how one can truly connect with an instrument. I loved the lightness, the extremely delicate response to slight variations in playing, etc. Visually, I believe it was as gorgeous as a guitar can be, had supremely beautiful woods and let them do the talking. The "floating" back brace delighted me greatly, for some reason.

With all that said, I didn't connect with that particular guitar, and I really don't know why. With Ed's guitars, I connected instantly. Even after dwelling on these things for days, I haven't been able to pinpoint the essential differences. I don't believe it's the tone or the playability, since the Traugott had ample amounts of both. I think this comes down to the thing I said before that Ed's guitars "feel right" for me, for one reason or another. It's probably many small reasons combined. I've settled for the explanation that a skillful builder builds his/her signature "thing" in the instruments, and Ed is just my kind of guy for the job. And as convinced as I am that Ed's guitars are right for me, I'm sure that they are not for everyone. One has to try and see -- no amount of other people's experiences can replace that.

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Janne, I promise to post another song soon. And if the Sinister Doubter inside my head starts giving me cold feet, I’ll think of cbjanne and Vaillant75 to lift my spirits and slap that nasty *bleep* back down where he belongs!!

Now this is what I want to hear!

[Crash-VR]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Such big financial commitments without being able to play first are challenging to say the least. I have no doubt that either are beyond anything I've ever touched before, and I could surely adapt to and enjoy any guitar from either maker, but would like to get as close to my ideal as possible right off the bat.

Has anyone ever played one of Jeff's guitars with the 27" scale? I play tuned down a full step in standard tuning, with a heavy 2mm V Pick, very percussively
and dynamically. I'm 6'4" so I don't mind the extra reach. I have a very unique style and a powerful voice, so I want the loudest most dynamic instrument possible. I'm thinking a 27" BK would be the ideal.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Crash-VR

Has anyone ever played one of Jeff's guitars with the 27" scale? I play tuned down a full step in standard tuning, with a heavy 2mm V Pick, very percussively
and dynamically. I'm 6'4" so I don't mind the extra reach. I have a very unique style and a powerful voice, so I want the loudest most dynamic instrument possible. I'm thinking a 27" BK would be the ideal.

Guitar choice is always personal, but I would not think of Traugott or Claxton as a guitar for a heavy pick/percussive player. These guitars are ultra-responsive, and lightly built. Seems to me you'd rip the strings right off of them :-) Descriptions can be misleading, but based on what I'm imagining your playing style is from your description, I'd think of other guitars you might want to explore, maybe Greenfield, Beneteau, or Lowden? All of these are built for power, and are used by aggressive players, like Don Ross, Jon Gomm, and so on.