Blazer & Henkes

Elmark · #1 07-15-2020, 01:58 PM

Anybody with some experience on Blazer & Henkes Guitars ?

jt1 · #2 07-15-2020, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elmark

Anybody with some experience on Blazer & Henkes Guitars ?

I consider both gents friends. Both have visited my home and I have visited their shop and stayed at Willi Henkes's home.

These two build as fine a guitar as can be had today.

FormerFoodie · #3 07-15-2020, 08:25 PM

Roger that. I have an OM28 that is superlative in every way. In fact, the original owner dubbed the guitar, "the Alien", presumably because the guitar was not of this world.

Rudy and Willi nail the vintage tone. With a bullet. Pandemic aside, we live in an amazing time with a number of great luthiers. Rudy and Willi are among the top echelon; their guitars are among the best on the planet.

justonwo · #4 07-16-2020, 09:29 AM

I own one and have played one other. To the extent that those guitars are representative, I'd say they're amazing builders. My guitar is a Euphonon - a copy of an old Larson brothers design. I've also played the used OM28 at Schoenberg. It's up there with the best OM replicas I've ever played and would happily own it.

antsdmb · #5 07-16-2020, 12:15 PM

I will concur with everything said here. I have a 12 fret shadetop D-18 from them that has no equal. If vintage is your thing there is no better. They are as good or beyond as human beings as well. I could not recommend them more.

imus586 · #6 07-16-2020, 02:12 PM

I would point out that their guitars are not exactly made to vintage specs - things such as carbon fiber truss rods and differences in bracing (such as no side braces/cloth strips)

justonwo · #7 07-16-2020, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imus586

I would point out that their guitars are not exactly made to vintage specs - things such as carbon fiber truss rods and differences in bracing (such as no side braces/cloth strips)

Yes, they try not to recreate the annoying parts. They also don’t use red spruce.

invguy921 · #8 07-18-2020, 08:14 AM

I know a guy who has several Blazers and I've played them all. SUPER guitars. Not for the "modest" budget however...

usb_chord · #9 07-18-2020, 12:55 PM

They're the best of the best.

Tim Porter · #10 07-18-2020, 02:13 PM

I have a Blazer & Henkes 12-fret 000-34 "Milwaukee", a Larson-esque Brazilian and European spruce model. Just wonderful; what they say above is all true.

Dave JH · #11 03-27-2022, 03:07 PM

How do the euro spruce tops compare tonally to red ‘Adirondack’ spruce? Does it have the same complexity or is drier/ more fundamental?

justonwo · #12 03-27-2022, 03:11 PM

I’d say it’s hard to tell. Spruce is so variable in properties, and there is a ton of overlap. The one Blazer I owned had great focus on the fundamental and tons of power and projection.

gitarro · #13 03-27-2022, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FormerFoodie

Roger that. I have an OM28 that is superlative in every way. In fact, the original owner dubbed the guitar, "the Alien", presumably because the guitar was not of this world.

Rudy and Willi nail the vintage tone. With a bullet. Pandemic aside, we live in an amazing time with a number of great luthiers. Rudy and Willi are among the top echelon; their guitars are among the best on the planet.

FF, so it was you who ended up with the "Alien"! The original owner used to post about it on the old collings forum and then shared he had to sell it for financial reasons, if i recall rightly. I had sometimes wondered what happened to it. How does it compare tonally with your circa?

FormerFoodie · #14 03-29-2022, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitarro

FF, so it was you who ended up with the "Alien"! The original owner used to post about it on the old collings forum and then shared he had to sell it for financial reasons, if i recall rightly. I had sometimes wondered what happened to it. How does it compare tonally with your circa?

Haha... You know of the Alien! To say that the original owner loved this guitar, is an understatement. I believe I am the third owner.

The Circas I've owned are special, but the Blazer is every bit as special. I'm so bad about describing guitars, but here is my feeble attempt.

At one point I owned three Circas and each Circa is distinct and compares differently.
OM28 - Adi/Braz/Bar Frets/Banjo Tuners - I always like to say that she has an old world presence, a real authoritative tone. She has a crazy dry tone. I would say the Blazer matches closest to this one. The Blazer has a smidge more complexity, but both these guitars really nail that vintage vibe. If I had the coin, I'd try to buy this guitar back.
OM42 - Adi/Braz - Relatively speaking, this is one of John's more recent guitars so it is voiced a little different - not as much of a distinct vintage vibe. Tone wise, this guitar was sublime. It has some of that coveted bloom you were asking about in the other thread. If it had a 1 3/4" nut, I never would have let it go.
OM28 - Adi/Maple - This is my go to guitar. I love this one the most. This happens to one of the few guitars I commissioned. It's got a nice punch and growl. I keep using the adjective authority to describe John's guitars, and that word comes to mind for this one too.

Anyone who has played John's guitars know just how special they are. But I would say the Blazer is easily in the same stratosphere.

gitarro · #15 03-29-2022, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FormerFoodie

Haha... You know of the Alien! To say that the original owner loved this guitar, is an understatement. I believe I am the third owner.

The Circas I've owned are special, but the Blazer is every bit as special. I'm so bad about describing guitars, but here is my feeble attempt.

At one point I owned three Circas and each Circa is distinct and compares differently.
OM28 - Adi/Braz/Bar Frets/Banjo Tuners - I always like to say that she has an old world presence, a real authoritative tone. She has a crazy dry tone. I would say the Blazer matches closest to this one. The Blazer has a smidge more complexity, but both these guitars really nail that vintage vibe. If I had the coin, I'd try to buy this guitar back.
OM42 - Adi/Braz - Relatively speaking, this is one of John's more recent guitars so it is voiced a little different - not as much of a distinct vintage vibe. Tone wise, this guitar was sublime. It has some of that coveted bloom you were asking about in the other thread. If it had a 1 3/4" nut, I never would have let it go.
OM28 - Adi/Maple - This is my go to guitar. I love this one the most. This happens to one of the few guitars I commissioned. It's got a nice punch and growl. I keep using the adjective authority to describe John's guitars, and that word comes to mind for this one too.

Anyone who has played John's guitars know just how special they are. But I would say the Blazer is easily in the same stratosphere.

FF, thanks for your comments. The original owner of your Alien always used to post very well written even pithy posts - short but very well chosen words. I used to really like visiting the old colling forum and it was a shame when it disappeared the way it did...

I have owned an om42 circa in adi and brw as well - whta I remember of it (apart from the unearthly perfect fit and finish) was that it had the most amazing punch - literally. Every time I hit the strings the guitar punched me in the gut sonically!

I may have played a Blazer and henkes om before years ago and from what little I recall of it, it was responsive but the tone was a little too dry for my taste which is more towards the modern tonality. The Circa straddled the modern and vintage tonal divide and could exist in both domains.