#46
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It is the Circa! And that legendary Circa OO you mention certainly inspired me to commission the maple OM. We had an amazing set of adi and maple to work with and my direction to John was not to reproduce Al's guitar, but to "Build this guitar as if this guitar will be for you." I provided a lot more input for the cosmetic appointments. When all the saw dust settled, I definitely gained a new appreciation for maple.
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#47
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I use Imgur, but it’s buggy sometimes. +1 for becoming a Charter Member, it’s much handier and supports the Forum !
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____________________________________________ 1922 Martin 0-28 1933 Martin 0-17 1974 Alvarez/Yairi CY120 2010 Baranik Parlor 2013 Circa OM-18 2014 Claxton OM Traditional 2014 Blackbird Rider |
#48
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Double post
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... |
#49
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Was your maple circa made of euro maple?
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... |
#50
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My friend cbjanne has yet to join the conversation because he's been very busy these days. I hope he finds the time to do so soon. His 2020 maple Malabar is such a stunner!
I've listened to the clips he's made many, many times. Fabulous stuff. Janne has also sent me some tracks he's recorded with his band, which plays very slick modern prog rock. He's used the Malabar on quite a few tunes, and boy does it shine! Clear, warm, musical, it maintains its presence even in a mix of synths and electric guitars! I want one!!!
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____________________________________________ 1922 Martin 0-28 1933 Martin 0-17 1974 Alvarez/Yairi CY120 2010 Baranik Parlor 2013 Circa OM-18 2014 Claxton OM Traditional 2014 Blackbird Rider |
#51
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Actually, it was not euro maple, but rather sugar maple. A number of John's maple guitars are euro maple paired with German spruce. But my axe was an aberration of adi and sugar maple. I believe this is the only one of John's guitars built with sugar maple as it was a one time deal. In fact, I wanted a OOO cut, and he told me that since we only had one set of back and sides, he didn't want to do a cutaway in case something happened during the bending. So, it was a standard OM instead! Talking to John, he was always super interested in building with sugar maple, but never had the chance until this build came along.
If I had the coin, I'd love to commission a kissing cousin OOO cutaway with him. Adi + Euro Maple + Awesome Sauce |
#52
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Here's another attempt at photo sharing...
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... Last edited by gitarro; 01-13-2023 at 10:35 PM. |
#53
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The whole guitar's finish is French polished shellac. It also has been made more amber-toned in colour by Ed claxton's proprietary ozone treatment booth. It looks like maybe how a stradivarius may look like if it did not have stain on its finish? There is also a strong fragrance that smells a little intoxicating all the time when I hold the guitar which actually smells a lot like brazilian rosewood, which i do not understand since its mostly made up of spruce and maple. I really like that scent...I hope any other owner of a French polished claxton can enlighten me kn where the smell comes from - is it the shellac? Last edited by gitarro; 01-13-2023 at 10:36 PM. |
#54
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... |
#55
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... |
#56
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Thanks so much for the pictures, man.
WOW !! It's so Ed. The colors, textures, the rosette !! You must be over the moon, since you're not in the snapshots. :-) Quote:
We classify luthiers into different "schools" to facilitate our basic understanding of their instruments in the abstract. It makes sense to say that John Slobod and Ed Claxton both draw inspiration from the Martin guitars of the 1930s. We also know that, failing any hands-on experience with a given instrument, such labels tell you very little. On paper my Claxton and Circa share countless similarities. Playing them in turn is like chasing a Cabernet from California with a Cabernet from Bordeaux, two greatly different tastes of the same flavor, if that makes any sense. Their most important common denominator ? A truly rewarding playing experience. Like drinking fine wine, every time.
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____________________________________________ 1922 Martin 0-28 1933 Martin 0-17 1974 Alvarez/Yairi CY120 2010 Baranik Parlor 2013 Circa OM-18 2014 Claxton OM Traditional 2014 Blackbird Rider |
#57
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I have very much enjoyed every Claxton guitar I've played - absolutely top notch. In particular, I very nearly bought a macassar ebony EM which I loved, but couldn't get the funds together for.
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Cheers, David
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Wolfram Perfecting the interface between you and your guitar.
wolframslides.com Endorsed by Martin Simpson and Tony McManus. |
#58
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I finally found the time to chime in. What a beautiful guitar, man! May it serve you well. And I'm sure it will.
I used an awful lot of time and energy a few years back to find my dream guitar, and it turned out to be a Claxton Malabar made of spruce and maple. Just like Marc said (and thanks for the kind compliments) it's an intuitive instrument above all. With no other guitar can I form such a connection. The combination of the very light build, superb quality woods, beautiful execution and general good karma from Ed's supremely capable hands just makes it... right. Gitarro contacted me before he made the purchase, asking about my experience comparing the Malabar with my other quality guitar, a spruce/BRW Blanchard. I said that in the Blanchard I hear a really tight bass vs the rounder response of the Claxton -- the former stops ringing the nanosecond I dampen the strings, the latter has a slight boominess. The midrange is slightly scooped in the Blanchard, prominent and expressive in the Claxton. The highs are brilliant and shimmering in the Blanchard, drier in the Claxton. When I strum or play with a singer, my first choice is the Blanchard. It gives room for the midrange in the vocals and compliments it with the sparkling high overtones, usually with beautiful results. But when I play fingerstyle and really want to express myself with melody, there's nothing as good as the Claxton. It sings and responds in a way that is difficult to explain in words. I just know it's right for me. Here's my guitar. It's finished in French polished spirit varnish too. Ed makes his varnish using a recipe that contains different wood resins in addition to shellac. This might contribute to the scent Gitarro asked about? And I cannot help but attach a song here. It's called Saturnus, and it's written by me and my vocalist friend. The Malabar is there every step of the way, blended in the mix with other instruments. A couple of acoustic solo parts can be heard too. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6wYg6...54900c9de34769 Youtube:https://youtu.be/yvFzIQtYBgI Congratulations on new guitar once again! |
#59
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Does anyone in the UK know who wound up with that one ? I remember the beautiful pictures Trevor posted of it very well. Unforgettable.
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____________________________________________ 1922 Martin 0-28 1933 Martin 0-17 1974 Alvarez/Yairi CY120 2010 Baranik Parlor 2013 Circa OM-18 2014 Claxton OM Traditional 2014 Blackbird Rider |
#60
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Which guitar of Mark’s do you have? I have two of his instruments (a 14”, 12-fret Pinyon and a 15-1/4”, 14-fret Bristlecone) and I find Mark’s guitars to be beautifully balanced but fat trebles to be a signature aspect to its timbre.
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |