NGD - Claxton OM, Chapter and Verse

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by cbjanne

Your Claxton sounds exceptionally beautiful and expressive. Also, I find your songwriting and playing soothing and ethereally touching. You're able to convey a great deal of emotion with your music. Just wonderful!

Thank you so much for your feedback, Janne! It means so much to me to hear that what I do resonates with people beyond these four walls.

I’ve heard from a trustworthy source (who’s very happy to be building you a guitar at this very moment [emoji6]) that you are quite a gifted musician yourself. I hope someday to hear a sample of your playing, or better yet, to meet you in person and share the joy of music together.

Until then, stay healthy, stay safe, and stay patient, your next guitar will be well worth the wait!

[Bill Kraus]

Now that is a great design, and a beautiful photo to show it off.

[cbjanne]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

I’ve heard from a trustworthy source (who’s very happy to be building you a guitar at this very moment [emoji6]) that you are quite a gifted musician yourself. I hope someday to hear a sample of your playing, or better yet, to meet you in person and share the joy of music together.

Oh wow, I didn't expect this! I sure hope we'll be able to share music in the future, one way or the other.

[Deft Tungsman]

Hey, gang!

This morning, I decided to stare down my inhibitions once again and record another video on the Claxton.

It's a song I wrote in 1999 and never recorded.

I hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nsIcGiSA3s

[El Conquistador]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Hey, gang!

This morning, I decided to stare down my inhibitions once again and record another video on the Claxton.

It's a song I wrote in 1999 and never recorded.

I hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nsIcGiSA3s

I like it very much!

Steve

[Deft Tungsman]

Thanks, Steve!

I hope you're keeping well and playing lots of music. We are certainly lucky to have a passion that enables us to have an entire orchestra on our laps as we ride out this global pandemic.

Guitars rule! (But you already know that.)

[agustinb]

This thread is fantastic – the storytelling, the insider info about Mr. Claxton's designs and wood choices, the song recording inspired by your Claxton OM.

But you know the part I like most?

The fact that, four years later, you're still playing this Claxton.

I stumbled across this forum a couple months ago, and you can easily get whiplash off of the number of posts filled with breathless initial praise for a recently-acquired instrument...only to discover that same instrument was sold off just a few months later.

The fact that your initial excitement has sustained – grown, even – over the past four years is an incredible testament to the truth of everything said here about Mr. Claxton's guitar.

Thanks for the great read (and listens), Marc!

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by agustinb

This thread is fantastic – the storytelling, the insider info about Mr. Claxton's designs and wood choices, the song recording inspired by your Claxton OM.

But you know the part I like most?

The fact that, four years later, you're still playing this Claxton.

I stumbled across this forum a couple months ago, and you can easily get whiplash off of the number of posts filled with breathless initial praise for a recently-acquired instrument...only to discover that same instrument was sold off just a few months later.

The fact that your initial excitement has sustained – grown, even – over the past four years is an incredible testament to the truth of everything said here about Mr. Claxton's guitar.

Thanks for the great read (and listens), Marc!

Thanks, Agustin, for reviving this thread with your very first post on the Forum.

I feel honored, dude.

The only thing that has changed since my last post here is me. I continue to grow and improve as a guitarist and musician. Since I got my Claxton, which Ed confirms is the the last of the four OMs he built, I have also had the good fortune to play a decent number of world-class guitars over several sittings or even had a few on loan for weeks at a time. How so, you ask? Let's just say that I have a small circle of very cool friends.

Traugott, Baranik, Greenfield, Kostal, Circa, Sands, De Jonge, Petros, Bown, Bourgeois and a few others have all spent meaningful time on my lap. Not once have I felt the slightest tinge of envy.

For almost three years now, my roster has held steady with the four guitars in my signature. That's a lot of choice and variety when I'm at home. But I leave home regularly throughout the year for anywhere from 4-5 days to several weeks at a time and only take one instrument with me. Which one depends on where I'm going, how I'm to get there and my general frame of mind. It's a great set up, actually. In addition to the time I spend playing them at home, each of my guitars gets my exclusive attention for extended periods at least a couple of times per year when I'm away.

Every time I come back to the Claxton, it's always the same story.

"Welcome home, Marc."

[Deft Tungsman]

Stupid me. I forgot to mention one very important recent development.

Last year, I acquired a new member in my little circle of cool friends. He's from the UK, his name is Steve and we've actually met in person, unlike steveh, who so far remains an online acquaintance. (One day, we'll meet up, Steve, I just know it!)

I met Steve in Brittany in April 2022 at a guitar workshop with Will McNicol. He and I were complete strangers. One of the first things I asked him was whether he knew any of the people in the UK that I correspond with from time to time, including steveh. He said that they had never met in person, but that for several years he'd been trying to persuade steveh to part with one of his guitars, a guitar he'd played a couple of times way back when. When I asked which guitar, he said, "He's got a Claxton OM that is the best guitar I've ever played." "Well", I said, "have I got a surprise for you! I have a Claxton OM, and it's the guitar I've brought along to the workshop."

Over the next four days, Steve got to play my guitar as much as he wanted during breaks in the instruction schedule and after hours, while he let me have my fun with his Bown OM. Sad to say, the experience made Steve's Claxton crush even worse. After the workshop ended and we all went back to our respective lives, Steve contacted steveh one more time about the Claxton, who again stated that he had no intention of selling.

Several months later, right before Christmas in fact, he tried again. Lo and behold, in the meantime steveh had given his guitar collection a thorough rethink and decided that he would be willing to part with his Claxton.

So at this year's edition of the Will McNicol Brittany Guitar Workshop, Steve showed up with Claxton OM#3, the one Ed built a year before mine with Adirondack spruce over Cuban mahogany. Boy, did we ever have a great time playing our "sister guitars"!!

Icing on the cake? We both failed the blind test we conducted to see if we could tell them apart. We tried it again the next day, and failed again.

Steveh is right. Ed may very well be the most consistent builder out there. What a legacy.

And what a treat for those of us lucky enough to have one of his guitars.

[gitarro]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Stupid me. I forgot to mention one very important recent development.

Last year, I acquired a new member in my little circle of cool friends. He's from the UK, his name is Steve and we've actually met in person, unlike Steve H, who so far remains an online acquaintance. (One day, we'll meet up, Steve, I just know it!)

I met Steve H [the other one] in Brittany in April 2022 at a guitar workshop with Will McNicol. He and I were complete strangers. One of the first things I asked him was whether he knew any of the people in the UK that I correspond with from time to time, including Steve H. He said that he and Steve had never met in person, but that for several years he'd been trying to convince him to part with one of his guitars, a guitar he'd played a couple of times way back when. When I asked which guitar, he said, "He's got a Claxton OM that is the best guitar I've ever played." "Well", I said, "have I got a surprise for you! I have a Claxton OM, and it's the guitar I've brought along to the workshop."

Over the next four days, Steve got to play my guitar as much as he wanted during breaks in the instruction schedule and after hours, while he let me have my fun with his Bown OM. Sad to say, the experience made Steve's Claxton crush even worse. After the workshop ended and we all went back to our respective lives, Steve (H [other one]) contacted Steve (H) one more time about the Claxton. Mr H again stated that he had no intention of selling.

Several months later, right before Christmas in fact, Mr H [other one] tried again. Lo and behold, in the meantime Mr H had given his guitar collection a thorough rethink and decided that he would be willing to part with his Claxton.

So at this year's edition of the Will McNicol Brittany Guitar Workshop, Steve Hill showed up with Claxton OM#3, the one Ed built a year before mine with Adirondack spruce over Cuban mahogany. Boy, did we ever have a great time playing our "sister guitars"!!

Icing on the cake? We both failed the blind test we conducted to see if we could tell them apart. We tried it again the next day, and failed again.

Steve H is right. Ed may very well be the most consistent builder out there. What a legacy.

And what a treat for those of us lucky enough to have one of his guitars.

That Claxton ÕM in cuban mahogany and adi was a very special guitar indeed from all the clips I heard of it and as I told steveH before, it was the one that I always thought sounded the best among all the clips he shared of his previous guitars. However since he sold it to another steveH, it's almost as if nothing has changed! LOL

As for me, I am a poor plucker but despite me being all thumbs, my Malabar in euro maple and euro spruce continues to delight me when I pick it up to play. I think that after years of chasing the grail guitar, being contented with this one full sized guitar is a good thing indeed...

[agustinb]

Thanks for this follow-up confirmation that all is well with your Claxton OM.

Your posts about your Claxton – plus steveh's various comments and a few others sprinkled here and there – introduced me to a builder I'd never even heard of before. (Though to be fair, until a few months ago, I hadn't heard of many steel string luthiers other than the big names like Somogyi, Olson, Walker...)

I'll refrain from sending this thread onto an unrelated tangent with stories of my recent Claxton encounters.

Let's just say I've been a very good student of your posts and can confirm firsthand that Ed's instruments are extraordinary.

[montfort]

Thanks Marc for the recent post - it prompted me to finally put pen to paper. As of January this year, I became the proud owner of the 3rd OM guitar that Ed Claxton made. Many thanks to Steve H for kindly letting me purchase it from him and for putting up with my various emails over the years querying whether he might consider 'letting it go'.

I played the same guitar about 8 years previously at TAMCO in Brighton and was sorely tempted to buy it then, but finances dictated otherwise. Anyway, I pursued the guitar on and off over the successive years and finally took possession of it earlier this year. I am very grateful to Steve.

As Marc says, playing his Claxton OM last year at Will McNicol's Brittany workshop reminded me just how special Ed's guitars are and when I got home I couldn't get it out of my mind. This year at Will's workshop we were able to compare the two OMs and were amazed just how similar they sounded - surprising given the very different tonewoods (adi over cuban mahogany versus Italian spruce over claro walnut). We had many happy hours playing and discussing all things Claxton and I look forward to doing it all again next year too.

As both Steve and Marc have already mentioned in various posts over the years, Ed's guitars have a habit of just feeling and sounding right. Their playability is unsurpassed and the tone is just so balanced and addictive that everything else can seem a little underwhelming. When I contacted Ed to let him know that I had bought one of his guitars he responded without delay was genuinely interested to hear about my 'journey' in acquiring one of his guitars. A happy guitar story.

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by agustinb

I'll refrain from sending this thread onto an unrelated tangent with stories of my recent Claxton encounters.

This is my thread, man. If you want to share a story about Ed or his guitars, you won't be derailing the love train one iota. Bring it on, Agustin !!

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by montfort

Thanks Marc for the recent post - it prompted me to finally put pen to paper. As of January this year, I became the proud owner of the 3rd OM guitar that Ed Claxton made. Many thanks to Steve H for kindly letting me purchase it from him and for putting up with my various emails over the years querying whether he might consider 'letting it go'.

I played the same guitar about 8 years previously at TAMCO in Brighton and was sorely tempted to buy it then, but finances dictated otherwise. Anyway, I pursued the guitar on and off over the successive years and finally took possession of it earlier this year. I am very grateful to Steve.

As Marc says, playing his Claxton OM last year at Will McNicol's Brittany workshop reminded me just how special Ed's guitars are and when I got home I couldn't get it out of my mind. This year at Will's workshop we were able to compare the two OMs and were amazed just how similar they sounded - surprising given the very different tonewoods (adi over cuban mahogany versus Italian spruce over claro walnut). We had many happy hours playing and discussing all things Claxton and I look forward to doing it all again next year too.

As both Steve and Marc have already mentioned in various posts over the years, Ed's guitars have a habit of just feeling and sounding right. Their playability is unsurpassed and the tone is just so balanced and addictive that everything else can seem a little underwhelming. When I contacted Ed to let him know that I had bought one of his guitars he responded without delay was genuinely interested to hear about my 'journey' in acquiring one of his guitars. A happy guitar story.

Hello there, my friend. Your guitar story isn't just happy. It is EPIC !!

Until we meet again, stay well.

[agustinb]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

This is my thread, man. If you want to share a story about Ed or his guitars, you won't be derailing the love train one iota. Bring it on, Agustin !!

Alright, so, inspired by this thread (and other mentions of Mr. Claxton's guitars sprinkled around this forum), I became extremely interested in actually playing one. Keep in mind that all of this is my introduction to high-end luthier-built guitars. I play primarily nylon string classical/fingerstyle. And being from Nashville, Tennessee, I just always thought of Martin and Gibson dreadnoughts whenever steel string acoustic guitars came up.

I'd been aware of Guitar Gallery here in town for years. I'd just never actually been aware of what they were carrying – which, apparently, is a huge array of amazing high-end luthier-built acoustics.

About a month ago, I emailed Robin at Guitar Gallery and we scheduled a time for me to come by and try out some guitars.

This was a few weeks ago – and Robin was so kind, so gracious. I probably played 15 or 20 guitars while I was there, one after the other. Many which were absolutely stunning instruments.

After so many great guitars, I just had to ask. Because I had this thread on my brain.

"Do you happen to have a Claxton guitar?"

The answer was "yes but no."

Yes, she had one.

No, it wasn't for sale. It was in her private collection.

But.

She would let me try it out.

So here she comes with this next guitar – a not-for-sale Ed Claxton EMC with Brazilian Rosewood back and sides.

I'd already played all sorts of amazing guitars – a Kostal 00, a couple Lowdens, a truly incredible Strahm 00, a couple Ryans, a Wingert, an Urlacher, an Osthoff...others I'm forgetting.

But the moment she handed me the Claxton, it was just obvious. It was the best guitar I'd played that day and the best guitar I'd played probably ever.

The fact that I got to try so many amazing guitars one after the other made the contrast even more apparent. I could have happily gone home with one of the Ryans, or the Kostal 00, or the Strahm 00, or the Wingert...

And then there was the Claxton.

So, just to affirm the whole theme of this thread: Mr. Claxton's instruments are astonishing. I'm grateful I got to play one of his guitars, even if just for a few minutes.