A new Brook guitar - with more 'thump'???

savvas · #1 07-17-2020, 05:58 AM

Hi Folks,
I have a Brook 'Lyn' in Rosewood and Euro spruce, and perhaps the best '00' sized guitar I've ever played. Over the past 40 years I've worked my way through several Martin 00s & larger models, some Larivees and a few other hand-made instruments but this Brook really sings. Every note in just about every position is clearly articulated with wonderful immediacy and responsiveness, sustain and a subtle richness I've never found before.

But why do I want to sell it and replace it with another Brook? Because I want this same response, singing sweetness and clarity with a bit more 'thump' in the bass and more headroom in the mids and top end.

So Brook fans and players - which model do I need to look at please? I'm sure I should look at one of the larger models for the bass - but which one? And in Rosewood or something else? I'm many thousands of km from the closest Brook retailer and the workshop and can't afford the plane fare so I'll need to buy via email. Please help me before I go out and buy a LL Yamaha (which is probably what I really should do!
ta, Sam.

JayBee1404 · #2 07-17-2020, 06:11 AM

I think you’ll find that Brook guitars have a ‘signature-sound’ that is, for want of a better description, clean, clear, and above all, balanced, no matter which model. My Lamorna (OM) has developed into what I regard as a perfectly balanced sound - certainly the most balanced of my current guitars. I don’t believe you’re going to get that Martin-esque bass ‘thump’, even in their larger-bodied guitars.

But why not give Andy and Simon a call and get their advice? Nobody knows their guitars better than they do!

https://www.brookguitars.com/contact.html

savvas · #3 07-17-2020, 09:08 PM

Thanks for the insights JayBee. Yep - I will contact the Brook guys and see what advice they have. It's interesting to hear that all the Brooks may have that similar sound. Maybe 'thump' is a poor description of what I'm after - I'm certainly not after a Martin bass sound - I find it too 'tubby' and ill defined. I guess the bass sound that Bert Jansch got out of his Yamaha LLs defined what I'm after - a big, crisp, snappy and resonant counterpoint to the mid and treble notes - something that'll really drive the melody along. Hence my off-hand mention of the Yamaha LL. Unfortunately the only LL's I've heard all sound a bit constrained in the top end. May be a 'new guitar' thing of course! I should also have mentioned that I have a '90s Thompson T2 '00' sized guitar. It was just about my first good smaller finger-style instrument and is very different to the Lyn - but remarkable in its own right. But like the Lyn, just a tad lacking in head room. I guess I'm focussing on the Brook workshop because their guitars are within my price range and are half-way familiar to me. Maybe I should look around a little more! Thanks again, Sam.

BOOSE · #4 07-18-2020, 02:58 AM

The Tamar model is the one i'd look at, big guitar but the Brook boys make guitars that play like butter so you don't really notice it at all, i would e-mail Andy and Simon and tell them the sound your after and take it from there. A Tamar with hog b/s and Euro spruce top , now iv'e got gas!!

JayBee1404 · #5 07-18-2020, 03:19 AM

I tried a Tamar when I bought my Lamorna, which is the Brook OM size. There was a definite increase in the low end with the Tamar, but the Lamorna’s overall balance was exactly what I was looking for - my Lowden and Martins are my bass-monsters and I was looking for the clean, clear-as-crystal, balanced sound I found with the Lamorna.

I’m currently considering ordering a custom Brook, which would be a Tamar with Sitka top and either Walnut or Crelicam Ebony B&S.

While I was at the Brook workshop, just before lockdown, I played a couple of their new ‘big-body’ models, the ‘Blackwater’ and the ‘Okement’ - very comfortable to play and with the increased bass you’d expect from those body-sizes. Something else worth considering?

Check them out on the CodaMusic website... https://www.coda-music.com/acoustic-...nufacturer=245

Spineycat · #6 07-18-2020, 03:25 AM

Have you looked at the Teign ?

Feste · #7 07-18-2020, 06:53 AM

I have a cedar topped Taw with a back in Vietnamese Rosewood and Tasmanian Blackwood. I have owned a spruce/rosewood Tamar. Both have/had plenty of bass. I wonder if you have tried different strings? I use predominately bluegrass of medium-light gauge strings. Another thought is to give a Tavy a go... when I was in Devonshire I played one that really rumbled. Of the course the best advice is to talk to Simon, he will sort you out

Robin, Wales · #8 07-18-2020, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savvas

Thanks for the insights JayBee. Yep - I will contact the Brook guys and see what advice they have. It's interesting to hear that all the Brooks may have that similar sound. Maybe 'thump' is a poor description of what I'm after - I'm certainly not after a Martin bass sound - I find it too 'tubby' and ill defined. I guess the bass sound that Bert Jansch got out of his Yamaha LLs defined what I'm after - a big, crisp, snappy and resonant counterpoint to the mid and treble notes - something that'll really drive the melody along. Hence my off-hand mention of the Yamaha LL. Unfortunately the only LL's I've heard all sound a bit constrained in the top end. May be a 'new guitar' thing of course! I should also have mentioned that I have a '90s Thompson T2 '00' sized guitar. It was just about my first good smaller finger-style instrument and is very different to the Lyn - but remarkable in its own right. But like the Lyn, just a tad lacking in head room. I guess I'm focussing on the Brook workshop because their guitars are within my price range and are half-way familiar to me. Maybe I should look around a little more! Thanks again, Sam.

I'm sort of assuming that you've already tried lots of different string types on your Brook in the search for the tone you describe?

BOOSE · #9 07-18-2020, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feste

I have a cedar topped Taw with a back in Vietnamese Rosewood and Tasmanian Blackwood. I have owned a spruce/rosewood Tamar. Both have/had plenty of bass. I wonder if you have tried different strings? I use predominately bluegrass of medium-light gauge strings. Another thought is to give a Tavy a go... when I was in Devonshire I played one that really rumbled. Of the course the best advice is to talk to Simon, he will sort you out

That's the model i meant to say, Tavy not Tamar!!

Feste · #10 07-18-2020, 08:34 AM

This may not need mentioning, but I have always felt cedar tops have a more pronounced bass response. Perhaps, that is a possibility for your next Brook. I know Shoreline Music offered a spectacular all deep bodied Taw in the past which also might be to your liking. You might even find a video for it on YouTube. I’m sure Simon and Andy would b willing to revisit that model for you.

sevenpalms · #11 07-18-2020, 10:37 AM

I’ve been playing my Webber 000 with 12-53 Elixirs...but slacked down 1/2 step from standard. I find that this gives it a lot more thump... maybe worth a try before buying a new guitar.

JayBee1404 · #12 07-19-2020, 02:18 AM

Savvas - if you talk to Simon or Andy, please report back here with their recommendations?

savvas · #13 07-30-2020, 07:26 AM

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and especially for those who have offered their experiences. I do need to revisit the drawing board and talk to Brook! And I do need I think to try different strings as several people have suggested. Currently I'm using D'Addario EJ24 which are .013 - .056. I think a couple of years ago someone here advised me to try them on my little Larrivee 00-03 - they definitely brought that guitar out of its shell a bit! Probably not what the Brook fellows would advise though for the Lyn - I think they actually recommend a lighter set - the EJ24s are a sort of mix of light and medium gauge strings. The larger Brook guitars sound interesting but I'll try some new strings first... Thanks again all!