NGD: Kostal OM (and why I chose it over two Somogyis)

[bdm0509]

Over the last six years, I've gone through a number of custom builds, including a few that I've highlighted and chronicled on this forum. Unfortunately, none of those builds resulted in a lifetime guitar for me... in many cases, this was a matter of reality and expectation not matching up. Someone recently posted about the stresses of custom builds, and I can heartily concur!

On Searching for a Guitar that Exists NOW

Although I've talked with Jason Kostal a number of times–and very nearly commissioned a guitar from him twice–I think I most value a conversation he and I had nearly 4 months ago. He strongly suggested that, based on those builds that hadn't satisfied, I avoid another costly build with someone unknown, if not altogether. He really believed (and this was in the context of him having the ability to easily sway me into writing him a check instead) that my best course was to find an actual guitar that I could put in my lap, try out, and say, "This is it!" Remove the expectations, the long waits, the frustrations, and just find a great guitar and buy it.

Although I kinda ignored him when I was presented with a chance to get a Traugott again (and only kinda; Jeff was a known quantity to me, both in the build process and the final result), when I sold my Kraut to Rick, I thought a lot about what he said. I knew I wanted a guitar sooner rather than later, I had accrued a significant guitar fund, and I was almost untethered in what I could get, depending on how deeply into the rabbit hole I was willing to dive, and if I was willing to consider pushing back the Traugott.

A revolving gallery of incredible guitars to audition

So I contacted Mike Joyce, who has sold a few guitars for me. I kept threatening to fly out there, but work and the like made that hard. In any case, he began sending me guitars over the last month. (Obviously we agreed on terms for this and I covered all the costs as well as the ultimate purchase price.)

First, I tried a Brondel A2c. Beautiful, traditional in appearance, great great neck and setup, but a tone that just wasn't for me.

Then, Mike sent me a Franklin OM in mahogany. Oh my goodness. Someone should go call Mike RIGHT NOW and get this guitar. It's easily the best guitar under 15k I've –ever– played, and I've heard several others concur. It is sweet, incredibly easy to play, has a clear tone... boy. If you really like a laid back, clear, strongly fundamental tone with just a hint of sweetness and richness, you need this guitar. Mike Joyce said it easily held up to mahogany Walkers for him, and Bill Gennaro (who I've come to both enjoy and trust) said it feels like it competes with his Traugott.

I struggled all weekend with that one. Ultimately, though, it was just TOO laid back for me. I like a guitar that's a little growly with some attitude, that you have to tame a bit. I like a guitar with moxy. That said, if I were a guy that sat on my back porch at night and wanted to play a guitar with a glass of cabernet nearby, that's the guitar. Even moreso than the amazing Fredell XS I reviewed so long ago.

But, it wasn't right. I sent it back.

An Interlude on Luthier's Collection

At this point, I have to say, Mike Joyce was and is a dream to work with. He never gave me crap about trying guitars; he was gracious, patient, and accessible; and he guided me without insisting. Just well worth a look. I've found he and Craig Snyder at CR Guitars to be the best I've ever encountered.

Going for Power

In any case, after sending back the Franklin, I spent about a week just collecting my thoughts. I reached out to Mike again, and was able to explain just what it was about the Franklin that made me send it back, despite having nothing negative to say. Largely, it was about power: I wanted a powerful guitar, one with guts and moxy. I wanted a guitar that sat in my lap less like a high end Mercedes or Maserati (the Franklin or a Walker) and more like an F1 race car, ready to explode.

Mike said, "Oh. You want a Somogyi." It was quite funny, really. Just very matter of fact. I think I've bought into the idea that Somogyis are rich to the point of being too much for my tastes–I like a strong fundamental that is "the thing" more than the choir of angels deal–but Mike suggested that good Somogyis were just that... with tons of power and headroom and guts. Sweet! He even had a maple SJ that he could offer at a relatively (we're in Somogyi-land, remember) good price.

But man, he also had this 2013 Kostal OMC I'd been staring at for a while. Now, I personally didn't fall in love with Eric's Kostal Mod D (which makes sense; it was built for Eric, not me!), but I just really, really liked Jason, his sensibility, etc. It also –seemed– like when we talked, the things he described liking in a guitar are what –I– like in a guitar.

So, why not, right! What's a little extra shipping cost. I had Mike send me a 2004 Somogyi SJ in maple, and a 2013 Kostal OMC in Brazilian.

Next up... this.

[ericcsong]

Love it! Congrats sir!

[billgennaro]

Ahh!!!! The story unfolds.

Congratulations on your new purchase. Jason enjoys a stellar reputation.

[steveh]

Man, there are more twists and turns to your guitar journey than there are alleyways in Venice (the Italian one...).

Looking forward to hearing why you made the decision you did, after auditioning the guitars you were sent.

cheers,
Steve

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by steveh

Man, there are more twists and turns to your guitar journey than there are alleyways in Venice (the Italian one...).

Looking forward to hearing why you made the decision you did, after auditioning the guitars you were sent.

cheers,
Steve

Steve-

It's been tough. I am, without any doubt, gun shy. I'm also married with three kids, and while my wife is completely supportive of my having a couple of instruments (in fact, when I started playing again, she was the one who said, "Go get yourself a nice guitar."), it's hard to spend money at this level and not freak out a bit. At least, it is for me.

Jason's advice to not do another build has really stuck with me, although–as you've seen–has been something I've started to ignore a few times, and then pulled back. I almost commissioned a Brondel; I almost commissioned a Somogyi; I almost purchased one of Jason's own Memphis guitars. At each step, though, the fear of finding myself in another spot where I had a guitar show up on my doorstep–10k or 15k or 20k already spent–was overwhelming.

I haven't bought a guitar "off the wall" (regardless of whether that wall was a local store or a virtual boutique shop) in maybe 5 years. I *like* the build process. I *like* getting to know luthiers. I *like* the idealized waiting and customization and the whole process. But I've wrestled with that.

And, frankly, I've wrestled in public, and on this forum, and I'm sort of just willing to let that be. I have made some really good "digital friends"–Eric Song and Bill Gennaro and Mike Desmarais come to mind–and I tend to now email with them more than, and before, I post to the AGF. And I get some folks that PM me or say I'm wishy washy or frustrating or whatever.

So be it. I'm willing to live with that, and certainly willing to live with my mistakes (although I get as embarrassed by them as anybody else when I feel like I'm eating my own words or flipping my mind).

OK, so now I'm just waxing philosophic, Steve, heh. Anyway, I guess I'm saying that I think I could have laid off the forums and appeared a lot more deliberate, and smarter. But I tend to post somewhat stream-of-consciousness/stream-of-life. For those that like to go along for the ride, this has probably been great. For those that think spending 20k on a guitar is easy, this may not be the thread for them. Or maybe it's JUST the thread for them ha ha.

-Brett

p. s. More on the actual story here soon...

[Michael Watts]

Congratulations Brett! That is awesome news!

[Cocobolo Kid]

I like reading your threads Brett. I too like the custom build process, and have gone through two builds, one with Mike Baranik and one with Marc Beneteau. I lucked out and really liked the tone of the guitars I received from each of them. I understand completely where you're coming from, though, as I remember feeling filled with nervous anticipation as I played each custom guitar for the first time, desperately hoping I would fall in love with the sound that was about to come out.

I also bought two guitars that were already built ("off the wall" as you put it), the Black and Blue (Colorado Blue Spruce and African Blackwood) Baranik CX and a gorgeous Hamblin GC in German/Ziricote. I was able to play each guitar before deciding whether or not to purchase them, which took a lot of pressure off me. Plus, just as the custom build process has its fun side, so does buying an expensive guitar on the spur of the moment.

So having a Somogyi and Kostal in your hands, why did you choose the Kostal? What about the tone/sound of that one did you fall in love with?

Jason works just two hours from me, and I've been meaning to get up there. However, I'm kind of afraid to as it could mean trying to figure out a way to pay for another guitar I just can't afford now.

Enjoy your new Kostal and keep posting.

Thanks.

[bdm0509]

So I'm sitting at my house with my poor Collings O (not a bad guitar by any means), a Somogyi SJ in Maple and European Spruce, and a Kostal OMC in Brazilian and German.

For some context, the Somogyi was very well played... 10 years and it had seen some play wear. That's good; it was broken in. The Kostal had (we think) less than 10 hours of actual play wear. It had been bought in 2013, played briefly, and then sent for consignment (maybe a year ago? maybe a little less?). Regardless, it was essentially a new guitar.

Initial Impressions

So I tuned them both up, played a little on the Collings for a baseline, and started with the Kostal. And...

...honestly...

...it was just OK. I mean, it was clearly a bolder, stronger guitar than the little Collings O. And I loved the feel, the solidarity of it (Kostals are somewhat heavy by design). But the tone was ... OK.

So I switched to the Somogyi. DADGAD, some airs and melodic things in D and F. Wow. First,the Somogyi was and is the easiest playing guitar I've ever had my hands on. INCREDIBLE setup. Effortless. Responsive. Silky and smooth.

And the tone was astonishing. I mean... not so much the choir of angels thing that everyone describes. It was a strong, fundamental tone with plenty of character, but nothing mushy at all. And the bass was DEEP. Way down in your chest. It got out of the way of the mids and trebles in a really amazing way. I mean... just another register. It was VERY appealing.

I went back to the Kostal, and it just was ... not lively. I won't say dead, but it didn't have that sparkle and edge and all the things I expected.

So then I took another piece of advice Jason had given me: I changed the strings.

Another Interlude: Old Pristine Strings

Something that I don't think ever occurred to me until this week: if you put new strings on a guitar, barely play them, BUT keep the guitar in a good case, the strings don't oxidize (much). So they look new. They feel new. You don't have the wear and rusting and grease of fingers that always tell me, "Oh, change the strings." But the strings still are OLD. Maybe months old.

The Kostal had old but pristine strings. It fooled me. (Or, if it had new strings, they were awful. But I'm betting on old pristine ones.)

The Kostal Makes a Comeback

So I put on new strings, and... voila! Holy moly! I've never experienced such a dramatic turn in an instrument with a simple string change. I mean, this thing WOKE UP.

Suddenly (and I emailed Mike Joyce at this point), the Kostal was a real contender. The bass was powerful and snarly and growled, things I really like... but the trebles were rich and hung in there.

The setup was still just OK. (I'd later understand this was on purpose; this guitar had come from Jason with a stock setup because it went to a dealer and Jason had no context for the environment into which it would enter; then it went from New York to someone's home to Los Angeles to a case, and then finally to Texas. That's rough on a setup.) It was NOTHING like the Somogyi to play.

But it had tone. LOTS of tone. It felt good, too. That same sort of "ready to go wherever you can handle" thing was happening, and I really liked it.

The Kostal had a different bass than the Somogyi: more forward, more projecting. The Kostal was all power... I can't imagine what his Mod Ds are like. It was strong and bold and forward, and whipped its way out of the box with a fast clear attack. Not over-powered; at least not for my tastes... but strong indeed.

The Somogyi bass–which I quite liked, but was altogether different–was a bit airier, a bit deeper, without getting all mushy and diffuse. It seemed to more cleanly move all out of the way of the rest of the guitar, making movement between registers beautiful. I now think this was about the maple back and sides, the SJ body, and 10 years of playing.

But now, after almost a half day of fighting between meetings at work to get playing time in, I had two guitars that I was really torn between... although the Somogyi still held an edge.

Next up... I do an old-fashioned shootout, first playing for my wife (a trained singer herself), and then for my buddy and finally listening to him play, to hear things from the listener's side.

In other words, this:

[Chedeng88]

Those are great guitars Brett!

Often times I'm guilty of this too -- judging and comparing guitars without changing the strings first. It could be a VERY costly mistake and you might unknowingly choose to part with one of the best guitars you could have ever owned.

[BenjaminPaldacci]

What a wonderfull Thread! Thank you for all these great impressions about those marvellous instruments!

[Neelix]

Beautiful Kostal! Congrats! When you say you feel the Somogyi is more comfortable to play are you referring specifically to the neck and setup or the overall body size? How do you like the Manzer wedge on your Kostal?

[StringMeUp]

Congratulations! I cannot wait to try one of Jason's guitars. He is an amazing guy.

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by benbenbenben

What a wonderfull Thread! Thank you for all these great impressions about those marvellous instruments!

Absolutely! I count myself very lucky to have had them all here. I was telling a friend that without all three guitars at one time–the Somogyi SJ, the Somogyi MD, and the Kostal OM–I would have a lot more doubts.

Much more to come though...

-Brett

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by Neelix

Beautiful Kostal! Congrats! When you say you feel the Somogyi is more comfortable to play are you referring specifically to the neck and setup or the overall body size? How do you like the Manzer wedge on your Kostal?

Great question. I'll give you some thoughts here, and then there will be more as I get into my conversations with Jason on just this a little later in the story.

First, the Somogyi neck and the Kostal neck feel similar to me. There are differences, but nothing I'd consider really significant. The Somogyi might be a little thinner, but I'd consider it pretty minor.

Second, the action of the Somogyi was MUCH lower. As I mentioned earlier, the Kostal has a stock setup, but both Somogyis clearly had been dialed in for finger style players. Both were buttery smooth and low.

Third, and this will matter later, both Somogyis had INCREDIBLY low saddles. The Mod D in particular very nearly had the strings scraping the bridge itself coming off the saddle. I'd guess that the Mod D needs a new saddle within a year of solid playing... the SJ not so soon, but still relatively soon. The Kostal saddle has a LOT more height and room to work. When Jason adjusts mine, he'll have plenty to work with.

Fourth, the Somogyis–especially that SJ–felt sleeker, silkier, and looser... despite the SJ actually having a 25 1/4" scale and Jason's OM having a 25" scale. That's something that I also learned can be adjusted; more on this later.

So in short, it was action, the "feel" of the tension, and the natural tendency of a played-in guitar to just feel better. The neck, nut width, string spacing, etc., were all identical.

-Brett

[bdm0509]

Originally Posted by Neelix

Beautiful Kostal! Congrats! When you say you feel the Somogyi is more comfortable to play are you referring specifically to the neck and setup or the overall body size? How do you like the Manzer wedge on your Kostal?

Oh, two more things, Neelix... despite the lower action of the Somogyi, it didn't feel feather light. In other words, it didn't have that slightly unpleasant (to me) feeling where you barely touch a string and it's down on the board. I don't care for that. I want to fret when I –want– to fret. Not before, not after. I don't like guitars that are so "low" that you can't get clear harmonics, you get constant buzzing, etc.

The Somogyis and the Kostal all had great harmonics, and I was playing in DADGAD, standard, DADEBA, open D, etc.

As for the wedge: I don't notice it. Honestly, on the OMC, I'd just as soon not have it. It cuts out a little bit of air volume and the OMC is easy for me to play size-wise. That said, I can hardly imagine what this OMC would sound like with MORE air volume (unless you go up to an SJ, which I am already starting to imagine).

If the guitar were a Mod D or SJ, though? I'd want one. The Somogyi SJ was a –huge– guitar. Honestly, it felt big... not horribly so, but somewhat uncomfortable. I would have loved a little wedge to alleviate some of that. Sounded great, so I got over it, but still... the wedge for me belongs on really big guitars, rather than smaller ones, and for my size (I'm 6 foot), the OM is still a relatively small guitar; certainly small enough to not need the wedge.

That said, it was thrown in and I don't dislike it at all.

-Brett