Olson SJ maple - Page 3

JoeCharter · #31 06-10-2015, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-F C

Congrats Mau !

A great maple SJ is a great pleasure... that, I know myself !

I'm very happy for you, as I know that this new guitar will bring new tone and sounds, and these are fantastic sources of inspiration for a talented artist like you.
I'll be following this thread, of course, and will be waiting for your music to treat us all.

JF

Merci JF.

I'll always be a rosewood guy -- but there's something about light-coloured guitars that I find very appealing. I'm really looking forward to strumming this one!

ukejon · #32 06-10-2015, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Thanks Kevin.

I expect a more fundamental tone with a somewhat brighter trail and a broader dynamic range.

Not sure if I already mentioned it -- but the maple SJ will also feature a black pickguard. Very important detail.

Beautiful guitar. As you already know, maple can really surprise you with deep, resonant bass and sparkling highs. Very cool....

Cocobolo Kid · #33 06-10-2015, 02:51 PM

Congratulations Mau on another stunning looking guitar. The maple is gorgeous as others have stated, and the top looks to have zero runout just like you prefer. I can't wait to hear it.

JoeCharter · #34 06-10-2015, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redpick

Congratulations Mau, I think this guitar will be a perfect addition to your stable. Looking forward to following this thread and watching it develop from wood to sound. On another note, loved your latest video and the contrasting style-can't wait to hear your jazz-style playing.
Thanks for sharing, I'm sure I speak for many when I say we get a lot of pleasure from your commissions and playing.
PS I'm sure I've got socks older than 39 years old, you've got more than that still to go, so don't get that 'old' feeling just yet, music keeps us all feeling young.

Thanks so much for your supportive words and for listening to my recent recording.

Don't expect too much from me as far as jazz is concerned though. I've seriously tried a few times but I'm just not very good at it. Perhaps a nice guitar would keep me motivated? We'll see.

I studied a Joe Pass classic on my PRS electric for months. By the end of it, my frets were all worn out -- but I still couldn't play the darn tune properly...

JoeCharter · #35 06-10-2015, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonBarclay

Congratulations Mau!

This will allow me to continue vicariously after my own build thread is finished… and in style too

Can't wait to hear you playing this!

Jon

Thanks, Jon!

The build thread is just the beginning of the journey...

JoeCharter · #36 06-10-2015, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Vines

A big YES on the Maple. A very under rated tonewood....I am sure you will love it.

I'm confident I will love it as well. With a back like this, it won't really matter how it sounds...

JoeCharter · #37 06-10-2015, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukejon

Beautiful guitar. As you already know, maple can really surprise you with deep, resonant bass and sparkling highs. Very cool....

Thanks, Jon.

I typically hear two kinds of bass -- the fundamental bass and the "breath".

While I expect the fundamentals to remain more or less the same across all SJs, the "breath" will likely be much more trebley. I can hear this clearly when I compare my rosewood and mahogany SJs -- the latter lacks no bass but the former definitely sounds warmer.

JoeCharter · #38 06-10-2015, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cocobolo Kid

Congratulations Mau on another stunning looking guitar. The maple is gorgeous as others have stated, and the top looks to have zero runout just like you prefer. I can't wait to hear it.

Thanks so much, John.

For the top I hesitated between Sitka and red spruce. Euro spruce was never in the cards as I wanted a more utilitarian look.

When Jim mentioned he had some old stock Sitka that was nearly flawless, I gave him the OK right away.

Coffeeaddict · #39 06-10-2015, 03:13 PM

That is some nice maple! You have another winner on your hands Mau.

Can't wait to see the pictures and hear the inevitable sound clip.

Once you have it, you should make a road trip to Ottawa and bring it to me - I'll make room at my place so you can store it safely.

iim7V7IM7 · #40 06-10-2015, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Last night was the first time I ever saw the woods on my guitar. Jim Olson is probably the only luthier I would trust to select the tone woods without getting involved. I'm very happy with the set that he picked out.

I'm not sure what kind of maple it is exactly -- and to be honest the question never crossed my mind. All I'm seeing is a very light coloured piece of maple with tight curl that is consistent from edge to edge.

If you do get a chance when you speak with Jim please ask (Bigleaf or Sycamore Maple). I am sure Jim chose the set because it had the mechanical properties that he wanted along with the visual properties that you desired.

JoeCharter · #41 06-10-2015, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coffeeaddict

That is some nice maple! You have another winner on your hands Mau.

Can't wait to see the pictures and hear the inevitable sound clip.

Once you have it, you should make a road trip to Ottawa and bring it to me - I'll make room at my place so you can store it safely.

Hey Colin,

I've been driving for over 20 years. I drove to Toronto at least 100 times, rarely making the trip in more than 4.5 hours (do the math). Meanwhile, I think I only went four times to Ottawa in my entire life.

Last week I earned a speeding ticket on my way to Chelsea. It was my third ticket in my entire life -- and my second in the NCR! Besides, I was only going 127 kph -- and driving a minivan! Sigh...

Coffeeaddict · #42 06-10-2015, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Hey Colin,

I've been driving for over 20 years. I drove to Toronto at least 100 times, rarely making the trip in more than 4.5 hours (do the math). Meanwhile, I think I only went four times to Ottawa in my entire life.

Last week I earned a speeding ticket on my way to Chelsea. It was my third ticket in my entire life -- and my second in the NCR! Besides, I was only going 127 kph -- and driving a minivan! Sigh...

Good job!! Chelsea is gorgeous, some nice little places to eat in that area. Only a short hop to Ottawa from there....

Given I have Ontario plates and the SQ love out of province drivers, I'm shocked I've never been picked up in Quebec. A few years ago I was dating a girl who had family in Trois Rivieres so I spent a lot of time on Quebec highways (and the joy that is Montreal construction). A lot of that driving was spend up around 130 kph and zero tickets.

Got lucky like that driving hwy 2 between Calgary and Edmonton years ago. Blew past an RCMP cruiser in a rental - not sure how I managed to avoid being pulled over that day.

gstar · #43 06-10-2015, 06:57 PM

Congrats on your new project. Would you mind commenting on the choice to go with ivoroid bindings instead of wood?

mesa · #44 06-10-2015, 07:19 PM

This is going to be a special guitar, Mau! Congrats, I'm very happy for you.

JoeCharter · #45 06-10-2015, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gstar

Congrats on your new project. Would you mind commenting on the choice to go with ivoroid bindings instead of wood?

Thank you.

As for bindings, I should have a simple answer but it was actually a long thought process.

First of all, I don't view plastic as being inferior to wood. Martin and Gibson use plenty of plastic and it's a look I've grown to appreciate.

For an Olson guitar, I wanted all specs to be as classic as possible -- so no flamey stuff, no "alternate" tone woods, etc. Jim used BRW bindings on my previous SJs but I wanted something that was lighter-coloured to match with the maple.

Also, if you browse Charlie Hoffman's site for long enough, you'll see some really interesting old photos, like this one:

When I visited Jim in 2012, he was building a bunch of BRW guitars -- so in 2013 I got a BRW SJ. When I dropped by his shop last year, he was building a maple SJ and now I've ordered a maple SJ. I think there might be a pattern there.

Here's the SJ that Jim was working on last year: