#76
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Many years ago I was fortunate to play #18 when Al Petteway owned it and that guitar forever changed my frame of reference for what's possible with a maple b/s guitar. John reserved #218 for me as a subtle homage to that guitar.
Amy can be seen near the beginning playing this guitar here - Al let go of that guitar eventually (due to lack of cutaway) not too long after he got this lovely thing - I was fortunate to play this guitar the day it arrived and it sounds even better in person! It has been a long road ... we're almost home! Last edited by usb_chord; 01-27-2021 at 02:21 AM. |
#77
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Well, here’s a fun development -
The Circa 00 arrived, but it’s not the one you think! A lovely gent based here in Colorado took delivery of his 00 a week ago, reached out and asked if I could give him my thoughts on it. I took a little drive south of the Rockies and came back with this - This guitar was built on spec by John as an excuse to use this beautiful (four piece) back. Most of you know the MRW trees are quite small in diameter and yielding a set large enough for a two piece back is a certain type of luxury. I’m glad John decided to make something happen with this set of wood because the resulting guitar is *really* good. Right out of the gate, this one has warm and clearly defined bass notes. The bracing scheme here is something of a hybrid between two-ish build styles. It’s not as low an X brace as pre war spec, but not quite as tall as typical Slobod-spec. It’s pretty strong across the whole frequency range and works *surprisingly* well with a pick. John and I seem to agree, as nice as this is now, it’s gonna be a little devil in 6 months to a year. Strings are tarnished and old sounding and the thing still sounds great. I can't wait to change them! This is one of those that screams "high-end" just as much across the room as right up close. I mean, the finish work is downright outstanding. The ivoroid binding looks GREAT here . . I love how thin it is and the way it sorta melts into the sides and top. I admit to underestimating the ivoroid look. The Adirondack top is gorgeous in person. I like the belly bridge in the context of the 00 body - it imparts this “cuteness” to the aesthetic. Fun stuff. Oh, and the white fretboard boarder is always classy - reaaaally glad I got that on mine!! My Circa is projected to ship tomorrow and I’m gonna try to get John to overnight it, assuming the Fedex bill for that isn’t completely nuts. John seems very happy with #218. Says it has a lot of the qualities of this guitar - http://www.om28.com/ProductDetail?product=P170107003 Juston can attest to that guitar’s brilliance to the same extent I can. If what John’s saying is true, I need to prepare to mind to handle it. |
#78
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DOUBLE-DROOL !!!!
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#79
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Quote:
Of course he was right - you had to look hard to find the joins and the guitar sounded fabulous. A pal of mine has a Christoper Dean classical with a 4-piece top - it's amazing. If its good quality wood, use it. Quote:
Cheers, Steve |
#80
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Brian, I'm confused - did you buy that 00 Madi?
__________________
Tom Martin Custom Authentic 000-28 1937 Martin 1944 00-18 |
#81
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No, this guitar does not belong to me.
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#82
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It sure is cute!!!
These instruments are drool worthy for sure!
So do we get to hear it? Your playing is always so easy on the ears!!! Salud Paul
__________________
3 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS: Big Maple/Cedar Dread Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro 96 422ce bought new! 96 LKSM 12 552ce 12x12 J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut More |
#83
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#84
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Outstanding development in this 7 year epic journey!!!
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#85
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Very exciting!!!
Best, Jayne |
#86
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So... so... so....
__________________
Franklin Jumbo African Blackwood/German Spruce Franklin Dread Mahogany/Adirondack 1929 Martin 2-17 |
#87
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Well, 24-hour acclimation has to be over. Open the box already!
__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates .... |
#88
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Your expectant public are waiting...
Cheers, Steve |
#89
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For the last two days, this thread is the first thing I go to when I enter the AGF. I think this may be the most anticipation I've had for a guitar that is not mine.
Can't wait to read (and hear!?) the review! |
#90
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Sorry for the delay in assessment, guys! I’ve been a little busier between work and domestic life lately than I’d care to admit.
So, the Circa arrived last Thursday and it’s one of the best sounding guitars I’ve ever played. I was in denial about that initially because . . . well, frankly, I routinely play incredible stuff by some of the most talented (and expensive. . . ) makers out there. I thought maybe the room I was in was too flattering, so I went to the deadest room in the house. Still felt that way. My initial evaluation was with a pick (like Slobod does) so I switched to fingerstyle. Still felt that way. I put the guitar down for a couple hours and went back to it later that day and It sounded even better when I picked up again. Sooo . . . yeah! It’s really strong throughout all the registers with a lot of “cut” to the sound. Not a particularly deep guitar, but it has has a surprising amount of low end and overall tonal depth for the size. The mids are John’s typical focused and brilliant affair and the trebles REALLY pop on this one with a surprising complexity of overtones. It’s not as "rounded off" through the registers as some of the other 00 maples I've played by him, certainly not as mellow. Here’s an excerpt of what John had to say about the guitar - Quote:
One quick note on the video - it’s impossible to get the real gist of the guitar’s personality here due to the capo and the unusual arrangement I worked up for this piece. I’ll do something more generalized soon! In short, when taking into consideration, the sound of this guitar, the way it looks, and how easy it is to play, it’s in the top 5 best instruments I’ve ever encountered. If this is what it sounds like within a week of ownership, I can't handle what could possibly happen 10 years from now with this thing. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing lacking here, nothing to critique. I’m coming to grips with that slowly. Whew . . . Last edited by usb_chord; 02-10-2021 at 09:28 PM. |