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NGD: Santa Cruz OM Adi over EIR (also got to play Collings and Bourgeois!)
TL;DR: Traded in Taylor 914ce v-class + cash for a Santa Cruz OM Adi/EIR, don't regret the decision at all.
Warning, lengthy post below! No offense taken if you just look at this pic and realize I traded in the guitar in the left for the one in the middle, the right is still mine. L to R: Taylor 914ce v-class (now the shop's), my new Santa Cruz OM Adi/EIR, my Lakewood M32 I meant to get this up sooner, but I've been enjoying the new SCGC OM so much I am now just getting around to it. Set up a one-on-one by appointment audition this past Saturday. My local shop had a lot of Collings OMs that I liked, but no SCGC OMs and is not a Bourgeois dealer. I knew my next guitar was going to be a smaller OM body since I'm not a big guy and wanted a smaller guitar for the stable. This San Diego based dealer carried all three of the makers, and had OMs in each one (OM2HA and OM1AJL for Collings, OM Vintage and OMC Generation for Bourgeois, and the SCGC OM). To top it all off (inadvertent pun), these all had Adirondack tops. My GAs have Sitka and my D has Euro spruce. I was very eager to see what difference that wood would make on the sound (in addition to the body size and construction differences). We agreed on the logistics, day/time, precautions we'd take (gloves, masks, physical distancing, hand washing, sanitizing sprays). Due to closure these models had been in storage and were untouched for weeks, but he was still going to do what he could to clean them. As per my usual process, I brought the M32 and 914ce as my "reference tones". I was once burned by buying a guitar that sounded good in a room, without hearing what mine sounded like, only to bring it home and find my M32 was preferable to me in every way. But this wasn't going to be a "shootout". I knew I wanted a different sound in my OM. The Lakewood and Taylor are very similar in sound characteristics, and I wanted my OM to be a complimentary guitar, a tone that was sufficiently different from my existing cache. I spent over 2 hours playing all of those guitars, and my own, going back and forth, chatting with the owner, who was extremely helpful and not at all pressuring. He was extremely knowledgeable with advice and telling me what he heard (which largely mirrored what I thought I was hearing but kept to myself so I could get his uncolored feedback). All three makers make exceptional instruments. All of the OMs had similar-ish sound signatures (i.e. closer to a traditional sound than the Taylor/Lakewood more bright/forward tone) except the Julian Lage which was more bright/forward sounding than the other OMs, and maybe had a bit more emphasis on fundamental tones, and slightly less overtones. Had I played any one of those in isolation, I could have gone home a happy new owner with any of them. Since I was able to play them against each other, there was one I kept gravitating to. Just something about the tone, it was exactly what in my head I was looking for. The neck (both the smoothness of the back, the shape, and the fret/fretboard setup) seemed to make chord changes easier and faster for me. I realized the adage is true: at this level, you're comparing excellence. Now it's up to personal preference. And that one, for me, was the Santa Cruz. But it was also more than I wanted to spend. I asked the question I had no inkling (as of that morning) that I would even contemplate. "What kind of trade-in can I get for the 914?". He gave me a good trade-in value, especially considering I had gotten a discount from my friend who worked at Guitar Center, on top of a small discount for the SCGC OM. I admit, I'm not much of a haggler, but I did do my homework so I know he gave me a little bit of a break, but I'm sure others here will say I could have gotten more. He had been so helpful, genuinely friendly, and the furthest from a pressure-salesman tactic, that I made peace with the price. I spent another 15 minutes going back and forth with my M32 and 914. It's funny but it wasn't until I was in that room that I critically compared the two back to back. At home, I would just pick up one or the other and that was my guitar for that particular session. I never realized how much they sounded alike. The M32 could get a little louder, and maybe had a bit more lush overtones than the 914, which was not as loud, maybe a little more even across the EQ spectrum, and had more controlled overtones. But they're essentially 95% similar in overall tonality. And I'm never selling the M32 (sentimental value, custom build, and has an attractive piece of Sitka on it that has aged fantastically in terms of tone and appearance). It's been 48 hours now and I don't regret leaving the 914 behind. 72 hours ago I would have thought this impossible. The SCGC (and the Collings and Bourgeois) really do have a quality difference to the big brands, even the best models of the bigs. Here are my initial thoughts with about 10 hours of play on the SCGC.
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts (and pics) in the future. My...I won't call them dislikes, but things I'll miss...
Phew! That's all for now, thanks for reading if you made it this far! Back to work, and then playing some more. I'll update more in the future with any new thoughts/experiences, as well as pics.
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Santa Cruz | Huss & Dalton | Lakewood Fan (and customer) of: -Charmed Life Picks -Organic Sounds Select Guitars -Down Home Guitars Last edited by LakewoodM32Fan; 05-04-2020 at 06:45 PM. Reason: fixed typos...ugh |
#2
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One of the best guitars I ever played was an Adi/EIR Santa Cruz OM at Rudy's in NYC 5 years ago. That thing was so loud you couldn't believe it. I wonder if I would like it as much today, now that I am mostly into bluegrass.
Anyway, Congrats and play her in good health!
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Merrill | Martin | Collings | Gibson For Sale: 2023 Collings D2H 1 3/4 Nut, Adi Bracing, NTB -- $4100 shipped |
#3
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Seems like a reasonable tradeoff.
Enjoy! |
#4
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Congrats and HNGD.
SCGC's are wonderful. |
#5
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Congratulations! Santa Cruz makes a wonderful OM guitar!
- Glenn
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My You Tube Channel |
#6
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My Santa Cruz OM/PW Rosewood/German is my current favorite. Congratulations on your new guitar!
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#7
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Thank you all for the kind words! @brencat I agree that the OM can get surprisingly loud. It sounds fantastic everywhere from soft fingerpicking (admittedly not a strength of mine) to loud strumming. Percussive palm-muting also sounds great on it!
I'm afraid of the small-builder door I've just opened, in terms of future wallet pain. There really was something special to all of those OMs I demoed. Oh, and here's a shot of where the neck joins the body, that I don't want to ruin the aesthetic and feel by putting in a strap pin. But I also don't like looping in at the headstock either. You see what I'm talking about in terms of "high quality furniture look" to the mahogany in the neck, right? I'm sure it's varnish of some kind, though not gloss finish. But it's so meticulously applied, I love the look as opposed to the standard look where you can see the grain of the hog. Reminds me as a child of the old, antique furniture my parents would tell me was for "looking" not "sitting"
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Santa Cruz | Huss & Dalton | Lakewood Fan (and customer) of: -Charmed Life Picks -Organic Sounds Select Guitars -Down Home Guitars |
#8
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You picked the right one to say goodbye to.
I’ve never had the great fortune to be in the presence of a Santa Cruz, but they sure look nice, and their reputation is definitely there. I only see one dealer in Canada, and it is nowhere near me. For me the pricing on them sends my brain into “can’t compute territory”. We all have our mental limits on guitar purchases. For this reason I will have to live vicariously through you. Much cheaper that way Congrats! Get some better/closer pics up if you can.
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2020 Yamaha LL56 Custom 2021 Boucher SG-51-BMV 2020 RainSong CO-WS1000N2 2019 PRS Silver Sky |
#9
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Quote:
Don’t dwell on the strap pin thing. Get it installed properly in the heel. I have a 000-18A with a gorgeous gloss neck and Brothers Music found a nice ebony strap pin that complements the overall aesthetic. I prefer dark strap pins as you notice them less, and you’d want that on your neck I think too.
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Merrill | Martin | Collings | Gibson For Sale: 2023 Collings D2H 1 3/4 Nut, Adi Bracing, NTB -- $4100 shipped |
#10
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Beautiful guitar. I own a German/EIR SCGC OM and love it. You did good, enjoy.
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#11
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Your wish is my command!
https://i.imgur.com/7CzQMLn.jpg https://i.imgur.com/A6mJcwn.jpg https://i.imgur.com/R2e5T1y.jpg Here are some full sized shots, so I put them in as links so they don't mess with the forum software. It's so tricky to get a good pic of the back without a ton of reflections due to the gloss. Sorry for the odd angle on the last photo. Oh and that first photo also reminds me that I should mention this is one of the poshest cases I've ever seen! Quote:
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Santa Cruz | Huss & Dalton | Lakewood Fan (and customer) of: -Charmed Life Picks -Organic Sounds Select Guitars -Down Home Guitars |
#12
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thoroughly enjoyed your narrative....congrats on an amazing guitar!
it's gorgeous
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Dan |
#13
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Beautiful guitars on the wall!
Do you have any other guitars? |
#14
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Congratulations on a lovely guitar!
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Hope. Love. Music. Collings|Bourgeois |
#15
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How would you compare the Santa Cruz to the Lakewood?
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