NGD Doerr MD Select Cedar/Mahogany

[Kenny B]

I’m so glad I took a chance and picked up this guitar from Tom Doerr. Thanks goes to Bobby Swanson for giving me a nudge in this direction as I have been contemplating a new custom build by Mr. Doerr but was not sure of the body size. The results are a stunning example of a custom guitar with not a lot of bling or fancy upgrades but a really solid sound machine.

But first, I just wanted to say that I love reading all the posts here about custom builds and seeing the results of so many remarkable luthiers. There are so many great guitars available from so many amazing builders; it can be difficult to pick which guitar would be the best choice for one’s playing.

My initial impression after receiving the guitar was how light it feels. I put it on my bakers scale and it checked in at 4.15 lbs, practically the weight of an OM. Then I couldn’t help but noticing the look of the mahogany which is absolutely stunning in appearance. I had to look hard on the back to find the seam, and still not sure if there are two pieces joined together. I mean it does not look like any mahogany I’ve ever seen. The grain just looks so enticing and the light warm color is wild!!! I’m enlivened just to look at it which is ultimately what you want from a custom build.

I mentioned this to Tom and this is what he said,

“The mahogany came from a retired builder and was from the 80's. I also do some special things in the finishing process to enhance the mahogany and I think it looks great.”

Soundwise: Well this guitar has the bass that reminded me a bit like the Solace I had. Very similar in response and depth of sound. Trebles and mids are excellent as well. Everything sounds great and it is a joy to play. I did have some concerns that the bass felt too heavy… but after all it is a large body guitar. I changed the top two strings to .017 and .013 from the lighter gauge top end strings and that did improve the balance.

Tom’s comments, “I don't feel the bass is too heavy when the mids and trebles retain clarity throughout the register. I think that they do and so for a big guitar like the MD it's still very balanced and that can be difficult to do. Also the way I brace and voice my guitars the fundamental is not drowned out by unwanted overtones especially cedar. It's all in the bracing."

Tom’s comments ring true once you’ve had some time with it and can appreciate the tonal balance.

Other Notes: The response of the guitar to light playing is enormous. Just touching the strings brings a musical response. Very nice and unique to my collection. I haven’t had a cedar topped guitar for a couple of years now and really miss that one attribute I feel it has over spruce topped guitars.

One more thing, this guitar comes with stainless steel fretwire. Over the years I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews on stainless steel fretwire, most of them negative. In this case, I hardly notice any difference except how smoothly the strings sustain and how easy it is to apply vibrato or bend string. I would order a guitar with stainless steel frets in the future.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier in my decision to buy this guitar and highly recommend Tom Doerr’s guitars.

Now for some build pics.

[SuperB23]

Awesome Kenny, looks great!! I bet it sounds just tremendous!! There's a reason why Tom is one of my favorite builders!! Thanks for sharing

[Kenny B]

So I've had this guitar for about 2 weeks now and have been playing it everyday or at least every time I sit down to play. It is just a great guitar, simple in design but very musical and wonderful to hear and play.

I did a few videos yesterday and will load them here. Youtube messes with the sound quality but I don't know of an easier way to upload videos.

Notes about video: Shot on my iPhone 12 with inputs from Apogee Symphony II headphone jack. There is a tiny delay, few milliseconds between audio and video but I don’t really notice it.

Advantages: You get to use your quality microphones and DAW to set up the audio preferences/mixes. Its very simple to setup and use with remote control, i.e., don’t have to move around much to record. I choose not to add any of the FX (EQ, Compression, Reverb) like I would normally do for recording and mixing audio.

Edited in iMovie. No FX used except FabFilter L2 limiter to increase volume.

Remote used: CamKix Camera Shutter Remote Control with Bluetooth Wireless Technology $6.99

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1








https://youtu.be/2XwaF4xIeZU

https://youtu.be/JKUns8imKqA

[Guitars44me]

Very classy axe! Enjoy!!!

Videos not working, say check back later???

I will!

Salud

Paul

[Kenny B]

Fixed video embedded link

[islandguitar]

Congrats to you!! AWESOME sound!!!

[naluguy]

Always enjoy the awesome custom builds too on this forum. Your Doer MD is musical indeed. The video quality is great and love the tone of your mahogany and cedar, very rich and round notes. Balance and sustain sounds fantastic, thanks for sharing!

[swiftz07]

Congrats! What a beautiful guitar. In my opinion, Tom is one of the most talented Builders of our time. Enjoy!

[Ukulele_Eddie]

It’s sounds and looks FANTASTIC, but that’s expected given it’s a Doerr. Welcome to the family. Hope it provides you many years of beautiful music. Congrats!,

[fitness1]

Last time I talked to Tom he said he had a guitar I should play. I'm betting it was this one, as he knows my love of Mahogany, and he does very few!

That's incredibly nice...

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by naluguy

Always enjoy the awesome custom builds too on this forum. Your Doer MD is musical indeed. The video quality is great and love the tone of your mahogany and cedar, very rich and round notes. Balance and sustain sounds fantastic, thanks for sharing!

Yep! Looks great, sounds fantastic, and the videos are working for me now.

What a sweetheart! Enjoy

Paul