#31
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No Morgan it’s not just you
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#32
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Quote:
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Circa OM-30/34 (Adi/Mad) | 000-12 (Ger/Maple) | OM-28 (Adi/Brz) | OM-18/21 (Adi/Hog) | OM-42 (Adi/Braz) Fairbanks SJ (Adi/Hog) | Schoenberg/Klepper 000-12c (Adi/Hog) | LeGeyt CLM (Swiss/Amzn) | LeGeyt CLM (Carp/Koa) Brondel A-2 (Carp/Mad) |
#33
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You folks are so fancy.
Me? I just want cool stuff. Guitars that make me happy the moment I pick them up, even before picking a note. Guitars that no one else has. I've spent decades playing guitar, attending guitar festivals, and writing about guitars. I own two varieties of guitars: 1) rare vintage models and 2) guitars that luthiers in the unobtanium category built for me. Yes, I've owned a bunch of guitars. Yes, I've sold a bunch of guitars from both of my categories. Yes, my current collection makes me happy. There are few experiences in life that make me happier than playing one of my guitars while thinking, "I'm lucky to be playing this thing." My only bit of advice: don't fall for the current fad of believing that the guitar with the most miter joints that features the thickest, shiniest finish you've ever seen is the instrument for you. There are a lot of mediocre "luthier" built instruments out there in our guitar geek world. Choose carefully.
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John |
#34
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I’ve had just that experience with the Edwinson Zephyr I got a couple of weeks ago and I was fortunate to be able to travel to their shop and A/B this guitar against one of my benchmarks. That Zephyr was new and Steve had built it to what he believed he could do best with the design spec he had for it. To a big degree IMO, that is what you are getting with builders like Froggy Bottom, SC, and Collings.
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Doerr Trinity 12 Fret 00 (Lutz/Maple) Edwinson Zephyr 13 Fret 00 (Adi/Coco) Froggy Bottom H-12 (Adi/EIR) Kostal 12 Fret OMC (German Spruce/Koa) Rainsong APSE 12 Fret (Carbon Fiber) Taylor 812ce-N 12 fret (Sitka/EIR Nylon) |
#35
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I lived in West London from 1970 to 1975 when I was really getting into guitars, and well placed to react to classified ads in a weekly music paper (The Melody Maker).
Stuff I bought often needed repairs, and I became good friends with a local luthier, who did me a lot of favours. In 1973 I changed jobs and tripled my income. He was starving, so I commissioned two (or three) guitars from him. Looking back they weren't that great and one (a Martin style 12 fret 12 string, failed completely). This was partly for the fun of having a design built which smply wasn't available in the UK at the time. In '98 I fancied a 12 fret 00 size guitar and my tech (and main Martin supplier) built me one commissioned by my wife for my 50th birthday. For my 60th, I ordered a Roy Smeck type of guitar from a company in the south east of the USA -a customised version of one of their standard models. It was unplayable from the start. The experience was extremely expensive, disappointing and the customer service appalling for me and the dealer. No further custom builds for me me unless my dreams are fulfilled and I get them from builders than I know and trust -but its not going to happen.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#36
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I picked up a used Martin OM-28V with a 1 13/16" nut width for a very good deal and loved the way it played. At the time I had a Heritage Golden Eagle archtop, which was a beautiful instrument, but it had a 1 11/16" nut which was significantly narrower than ideal for me.
I decided that if I was going to own a good archtop, it ought to have the neck I want, and discovered that finding an archtop with a neck other than 1 11/16" was not so easy. So after some research I commissioned a Mark Campellone Special with the neck I wanted. That guitar turned out to be insanely good. Somewhere in there, after salivating over things like Lowden redwood/African blackwood guitars, I decided I needed a first rate finger style guitar. I didn't want to spend Lowden money, though. I found the Breedlove Concert FS redwood/Braz, which was relatively accessible at $5k. However, after a couple of years I faced the fact that while it was an excellent instrument, it was not a "lifetime" guitar for me. Around that time I discovered that the luthier Steve Kinnaird, whose work I had seen on this forum and elsewhere, was none other than the Steve Kinnaird I had known in the early '70s when he was at Stephen F Austin University. Knowing that he had sold a guitar to one of my musical heroes (John Sebastian), I got in touch with Steve, visited him and Ryan in Nacogdoches, and commissioned a Lucky Strike redwood/ziricote deep body OM (after consultation). The result was magnificent. I have some other very nice guitars, but the Kinnaird OM and the Campellone Special are my "thank you" guitars. Whenever I play them, I'm thankful for the privilege of getting to play such fine instruments whenever I want to. |
#37
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Creating a functional work of art that should be still being played long after we are no longer around and that will help bring music and simple joy into peoples lives.
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In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... |
#38
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Great Question - I'd love to see this become a 'sticky' topic
Quote:
Had you played the builder's guitars before ordering one? What really sealed the deal was several trips to the 'Woodstock Invitational Luthier's Showcase' (WILS) where I met Dale Fairbanks. Plus, at the time, Dale lived in my town. Dale focuses on building Gibson-style guitars from the 1930s and it turns out, was perfectly suited to my playing ragtime and fingerstyle songs in the style of Rev. Gary Davis and Hot Tuna. I couldn't really hear the guitar well at WILS (it's a zoo), but it felt great. Later, I was able to play several of Dale's guitars in smaller settings and confirm they were a good match. Was it an expensive leap of faith? My build is still in progress. Link The wood was supplied by a good friend who had recently lost his ten year battle with cancer. Knowing Dale personally, I wanted him to build it. This guitar is a tribute to my friendship with Larry Fox. So yes and no. I knew what Dale's builds looked and sounded like. I knew that my guitar would be similar to those, but it will still be unique. Words of wisdom? Yes, many. Being a participant in the build is a fantastic experience. As far as hobbies go, guitars are not that costly. So if you have that dream guitar built, it will be a good friend forever. You might want to listen to the episodes of the "Luthier on Luthier" podcast available on 'The Fretboard Journal site'. There, you can get a feel for the most prominent luthiers in the country. But there's a another route: you may have some luthiers living and working in your vicinity. You may have to do a little digging to find them, but the personal connection is an added bonus. Also, if you can get to a regional guitar show, you may meet your builder there. And, most important, let your significant other know about this in advance! He\she knows how much pleasure your guitar brings to you, but may have a few different priorities for spending the family income! I've found the best purchases and achievements in life are those that require a substantial amount of planning and anticipation. I have spent hours drooling over my build pictures in anticipation of the guitar. And when it comes, it may take a little bit, but I'm pretty sure that we'll bond and become lifelong friends. best, Rick PS - You'll be dead a long time, so why not go for it before it's too late?
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”Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” Last edited by srick; 11-04-2020 at 12:13 PM. |
#39
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I was very lucky to pretty much have stumbled into the world of hand made acoustic guitars back in 2003. I was playing the Martin M-38 that I had saved up for ten years earlier and the 16" lower bout was giving my bum shoulder fits. I was looking for another guitar and happened to mention that to a new guitar playing friend of mine that happened to be in a writing group that I was in. (The Reverend Heng Sure for those who know him as "Monk" in the guitar community.)
He told me about the Healdsburg Guitar Festival that was taking place pretty much in my back yard in a few months. He also mentioned the names of a few luthiers, including Jim Olson, Kathy Wingert and Dana Bourgeois. He advised that I go to some guitar shops and play as many guitars as I could, paying attention to how they felt and sounded. This was the best counsel that I could have received as I discovered so much about what I wanted in terms of tone and feel. I met with several luthiers at the festival and Kathy checked all of the boxes for me, including my budget. I decided to take the plunge and I am so glad that I did. She soon became a much sought after builder and her prices grew with her well-deserved reputation. Two years ago, I decided to go through the process again to obtain a guitar that had a different tonal signature and decided to go with Sparky Kramer. I have played many of his guitars over the years and always loved the tone, aesthetics and overall quality of them. Wonderful process and I couldn't be happier with the result. Some things that I learned along the way:
I am so grateful that I have been able to go through this process twice with outstanding luthiers who have exceeded my expectations. Please let me know if you have any other questions about it as I am happy to help anyone who wants to take the plunge. Best, Jayne Last edited by jaymarsch; 11-04-2020 at 01:36 PM. Reason: Fixed typo |
#40
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Thank you guys. I appreciate all the input and find it helpful.
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#41
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I was moved to a custom order by the beautiful tone that every guitar made by Drew Heinonen is capable of producing.
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#42
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An article in Bluegrass Unlimited on Doc Watson and his Gallagher - in 1974. So just before Christmas in 1974 my BIL and I drove the 600 miles to Wartrace, TN, and met with Bill and Mr. JW about the guitar I wanted and it was a pretty cool process. Still have the guitar and it's a cannon! Love it!
David
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David My Woodworking YouTube channel - David Falkner Woodworking -------------------------------------------- Martin, Gallagher, Guild, Takamine, Falkner |
#43
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I just posted here in this forum b/c I too am thinking of commissioning one.
As to the OP's question, what led me to do so, it's not being able to find a 12-string that is the right ergonomic fit for me.
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https://soundcloud.com/99ben99/sets/solo-guitar |
#44
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I had always played inexpensive (the kind I could afford) guitars.
When the 2000's rolled around I got added on to a kind of contractor side-job software thing. Related to that, I was on a trip and after the day's meetings I was walking around in Provo (Utah) and came upon a guitar store. I walked in and they not only sold guitars, but the personable and talkative guy there also made them, you could see parts of his workshop. I liked him and the guitars of his that were there. When I found out his guitars were "only" two or three thousand dollars and not ten thousand, I got on his list. After a while, my new guitar showed up at my house in South Carolina ... As a cheap guitar player, I didn't carry around a bunch of pre-conceived notions about Martins and Gibsons and Taylors or their differences. Had I had those notions, who knows what kind of guitar I might have gotten then, but I ended up with a Ken Stika guitar, which I now know is as different from a Martin/Gibson/Taylor as they are from each other. Now I'm retired and have a Gibson and a Martin too, and pre-conceived notions about them ... -Mike |