Spohn OM Dreams

[Eliot]

I thought some of you might be interested in my journey in acquiring a new Spohn Mahogany OM, as well the plan Max and I have concocted to create another Mahogany OM, with a cutaway, and a few other distinct features that he will build for me over the coming year.

As some of you may know, Max is an incredibly talented German luthier, that I met through my association with Don Latarski, an equally extraordinary guitarist out of Eugene, OR, and newly retired professor of guitar from the University of Oregon where he taught for 30 years.





Don is a mentor, as well as a friend. I love his style of playing, which, I might describe as jazz naturalist, with extraordinary composition and arrangement chops, and a deep appreciation of nature, which thoroughly translates to his recordings! If you've seen any of his YouTube videos, heard any of his CD’s or seen any of Max Spohn's demos, then you have an inkling of Don's talent.



And as some of you may have seen documented on the forum, Max recently delivered to Don a new Mod D baritone that Don loves!



Decades ago, in the early 80s, at Berklee, in Boston, I had a scholarship for a couple of years as a horn player. And I studied piano as a means of composition. Only as a child had I studied classical guitar when the instrument was bigger than I was, though casually through my adulthood I’d always had a guitar around. So, though I had not played either in decades, other than noodling about on occasion over more recent decades, the decision to work on finger style guitar (at age 65), was one I took on, with my partner Bobbie’s enthusiasm, quite seriously, and with great joy and dedication.

As a musician, I have decades of experience, mostly in jazz, but relatively little real capability or experience on guitar! Yet, at this point in my life, living part time alone on an island in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to be able to accompany myself, and have the harmonic expression that a piano, or guitar could offer, that a wind instrument can’t.

At that point, I had an old but very playable1990 Taylor 710 Dreadnaught hanging about in the closet I had acquired in LA from 20 years earlier, but given the large body size and very narrow neck, I decided to let it go.

I bought a 10 year old Martin OM-21 Special, but this too left me less than entirely satisfied. It was a more than representative OM-21, and far more interesting than the Taylor that preceded it, but given my smaller frame and hands at 5’9”, it’s 25.4” scale felt like more work than necessary given the typical jazz voicings I’m working with. So I was inclined to move to a shorter scale instrument. Again, I let it go.

But before doing so, and after some research, what’s next turned out to be a Lowden Cedar/Rosewood S-25c, which, I must say, is a lovely understated instrument, with a responsive warm tone, and easy playability. And of course, lots of overtones. And while some of George’s guitars sell at luthier-built prices, especially with more exotic wood choices, the S-23 (Spruce/Walnut), S-25 (Cedar/EI Rosewood), and 32 (Spruce/EI Rosewood) can be had more reasonably, if you work at it. More than anything, it began to suggest the physical construction, as well as visual and tonal possibilities to be found in a luthier built instrument!

So, for awhile, time simply passed, and I began teaching myself chord melody tunes, which I love. Bill Evans’ voicings on songs like Emily, and Alfie. Not so easily playable, but very challenging and fun to work on! Meanwhile, hearing Don play his Kraut Mahogany OM,



along with his new Spohn Mahogany Bari,



I began to get that now familiar itch for another guitar, this time a truly luthier built instrument, with more focus and clarity! What might that look, sound, and feel like to play? And while I Ioved Ray Kraut’s design style, I simply couldn’t afford one at $16k+ USD. But Don’s own commitment to Max’s guitars confirmed for me that Max has a real gift, and a deviation to the process, as well as the obvious real value he represents at this point in his young career. So, when I asked Don about my interest in collaborating with Max, he was unreservedly enthusiastic! Thus, Max and I began to discuss possibilities.

But this wasn’t a snap decision. Leading up to my discussions with Max was perhaps 100’s of hours playing, and listening to different luthier’s creations, much of it online, along with examining their designs. I also engaged a number of different luthiers in discussions over the phone, and internet. There’s so much talent out there these days! Ryan Gerber, and Michael Bashkin were two in particular, who helped educate me as time passed, and while I haven’t yet pulled the trigger on one of their instruments, it’s unlikely I won’t at some point! But, with a luthier of Max’s talent at hand, along with the inspiration we generated in our long distance discussions, it became impossible to refuse.

Over time, Max and I wrote long detailed emails discussing different design elements, and Skyped a number of times, in the hopes that we could coalesce around a theme, as well as a feature set. He’s sent me numerous images of wood sets over several months, including some spectacular Tasmanian Blackwood, European Cherry, Mahogany, Palo Escrito, Wenge, & Koa, among others. But, sometimes too much choice is a bad thing. Kind of a feature of our culture eh! I can barely buy toilet paper these days without doing research on Amazon! So, the wood choices were tough for me. I’d only known Rosewood up till that point. And while I wanted a Florentine cutaway, and a number of other details he and I discussed, the primary back & side wood selection remained difficult.

But, hanging out with Don, as well as developing my ear for tone color over those months, I had began to gravitate toward both Don and Max’s strong, stated preference for Mahogany as a back/side wood with its bell like fundamental clarity. Thus, when the opportunity to buy an available Spohn Mahogany OM at a good price arose, I thought it would be a great way to see how much I really like Mahogany. How else can you really know? As it turns out, I really do!















I’m sure don’t have to tell you folks hanging out in the custom shop how magical a luthier built instrument can be, but this simple, unadorned, but elegant Honduran Beeswing Mahogany OM is just that! Here’s a sample recording of Peter Finger playing a demo on it at his store in Germany where I acquired it. This is certainly better than I could represent!



So, I’ve come to really appreciate what great Mahogany can look, and sound like! My impression is, it’s a very under appreciated tone wood. Personally, I was always biased towards Rosewood. I suppose some of this might be the usual Mahogany sets we see these days in factory instruments. Often very poor quality, with muddy uninspiring grain! And it appears, typically overbuilt, where warranty concerns seem to be dramatically reducing resonance potential, the result was my own ignorance of how unique and resonant Mahogany can be! Look at most new Martin Standard Series 0, 00, & 000’s these days, for example. I just bought a new 00-18 to serve as a travel guitar. It’s representative, and should hold its value somewhat, but it’s not inspiring to listen to, or look at, at least not in the same way a luthier built instrument is..

But, more to the point, what wood might Max and I use on the OM cutaway? A simple Bees-wing Honduran Mahogany, like my current Spohn OM, or perhaps Tasmanian Blackwood, European Cherry, Palo Escrito (Mexican Rosewood), Black Walnut or Koa? I’m not keen for the flashiest of tone woods. Simple, but with some personality, is much more my natural preference, as perhaps you can see.

Well, enough for this first round. In my next post, if there’s some interest, I’ll talk about the OM cutaway Max and I are still conceiving, and I’ll include of course some pictures of the ideas we’re considering..Max may also contribute to the thread if he’s inclined too.

[Eliot]

[Eliot]

[Eliot]

[colins]

Loving this thread so far Eliot! Max's guitars look incredible and it is great to read the stories that inform each custom build.

You mention walnut for back and sides and with a walnut Baranik as my first custom build I am a big fan of that wood. But you also indicate that the next Spohn for you will be mahogany. I'll be interested to read how you make (or made) the final choice.

Keep the posts coming!

Col

[Bill Kraus]

Congratulations on your recent guitar build. I recently finished my second black walnut guitar in a row, and I can say that walnut can make a wonderful guitar. Looking forward to more of your posts.

[virob]

Enjoyed the intro/background. I’ll be interested to follow along. Thanks for the introduction to Spohn guitars and the wonderful playing by Don Latarski.

[Nemoman]

Max's guitars have a whole new fresh look and aesthetic to them that I find very pleasing!

I hope to get to try one of his guitars someday soon.

Congrats on your custom build--I look forward to following along!

[cigarfan]

Modern lutherie is on a tear! Sure looks like a fine guitar on the way. I'll be excited to watch the build. Thanks for sharing.

[Eliot]

Hi all..Perhaps I've confused a few of you about the coming build..if so, sorry!

I now count myself among those who appreciate Mahogany as much as any other wood! The question for me is whether I will keep the current OM when the new one is built. Why would I let it go? Only one (or perhaps two) reasons. More on the second at the end. But the primary one is simple. No cutaway. I miss it, in practical terms for the limitations it places on the upper register, though much more accomplished players than myself tell me they rarely use their instruments beyond the 12th fret. Of course, "rarely" is a subjective word.

Don is one. I spoke with him about this and he always simplifies things, which I often find entertaining as well as enlightening. He said something to the effect that if the guitar has 14 frets to the body, I don't care about the cutaway. If only 12, he apparently prefers one. No BS here!

That said, I will likely never be as skilled as Don! And playing the current OM, I miss the cutaway. Give me another 25 years of playing (I'm now 66), I may come around to his perspective, even if I never reach his skill level! - )

What does this have to do with the back/side wood? Nothing except that in the interest of variety, I thought, originally, that if I keep them both, the second should be a different back/side wood.

My current thinking here is, if I'm being honest (economically) with myself, I will likely go with the same BeeSwing Mahogany that Max used on this one. I don't think I can do better in terms of the tone color it contributes to the instrument, and not being either a professional player, or someone with no budget, keeping them both seems unrealistic.

As Mary Oliver wrote in her poem A Dream of Trees.."I would that it were not so, but so it is.."

[Eliot]

As to Walnut, I do like it, and for a while lobbied Max in that direction. But, any luthier is limited by his wood availability at any one time, and whether Max doesn't currently have any that he really likes, or that he just prefers some other wood more for our project (we've already established that he loves Mahogany), it never seemed to navigate to the top of our list. I always presumed this to be about availability.

One other note. If you checkout Max's website, (you may need to root around a bit), you may find some images of a very dramatic two tone Walnut B/S build he did not long ago. In my own preference for understated, and non-blingy guitars, it was not as attractive to me as a subtler wood.

The Mahogany OM is about as "bright" as I like them. Light (weight), and dark (color), seem to be my natural preferences. - )