NGD - Claxton OM, Chapter and Verse

[Deft Tungsman]

Chapter 2

…or how pearls of great price are missed in plain sight

I must say that I shall forever marvel at the fate of an instrument of this caliber, hanging unsold for almost five years in a well-known boutique with one of the world’s best offerings of hand-built instruments and a steady stream of informed browsers passing through. In a further twist, the guitar would wind up being purchased online, sight unseen, by a guy with no first-hand experience with the builder’s work. It’s as if there’s been some huge mix-up, and I’m the unintended beneficiary.

Throughout those long weeks, months, years, this guitar went unnoticed. Well, not exactly unnoticed, for I know it was greatly appreciated by a number of people who’d had the pleasure of playing it in the shop, including our very own steveh. Still, no takers after all that time, how could that be? Was something amiss? Who knows? Maybe it was just the random interplay of all the barriers, whether real or imagined, we bring along with us whenever we try out a premium instrument in order to keep ourselves from doing something reckless, like taking one home, for instance. Such reservations may help explain why this particular Claxton had such a long run as resident wallflower.

Let’s address those pesky concrete barriers first. There’s no denying that Ed’s guitars are large-ticket items that very few people can afford. Of those pickers wielding big wampum, many happen to have other interests as well and may not be prepared to lay down such lavish sums on a single guitar.

Those few remaining souls who are so inclined will find options galore in today’s market, where the supply of high-end guitars exceeds demand and makes the investor in us jittery about potential re-sale value. Hedging strategies are iffy at best these days, save for those lucky few with the wherewithal to scale the rarified heights where a clutch of mythical outliers toil away, order books long-closed, with slots on their build list trading like some hybrid financial derivative in a market stoked by the vicissitudes of name-recognition, dollars wagered on the fame game, social currency its yardstick and profit its prize. My apologies, no rant intended. (I really need to work on reining in the rambling prose.)

To my knowledge, Ed Claxton has never been this week’s poster child for hand-built acoustics. Despite a distinguished career of excellence in the craft, he keeps a laid-back, low-key profile, even in this age of the all-knowing Internet. A quick search here in the Custom Shop will turn up only a small number of hits, albeit rave reviews, one and all. And while some of the most highly-regarded younger names in the luthier game cite his work as sensational, inspirational, even seminal, Ed Claxton is not widely perceived as a celebrity, blue chip, “bankable” builder.

To the extent that his work is known, Ed has always had far more orders for his small-jumbo EM than for any other model. One could say it’s the guitar that put him on the map. Many customers also relish the prospect of raiding his stash of Brazilian rosewood, the stuff of legend he uses on many, if not most builds. My guess is that, if you’re shopping for a Claxton and have the ducats, you’ll go whole hog and get the iconic model with the all the bells and whistles. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

As luck would have it, my guitar ticks none of those "premium status" boxes. Ed developed his current take on the traditional OM less than a decade ago for a client who wanted a Claxton with a smaller, shallower body to complement his beloved EM. Mine is only his fourth, in a series that by now may total a dozen at the very most. To top it off, mine’s a wildcard Claxton, the only one Ed has ever crafted using what my pal Juston calls “the red-headed stepchild of tonewoods”, walnut.

I’m pretty sure that these non-monetary, psychological factors played a part in keeping this oddball out of the limelight. I remember that prior to commissioning my guitar, Trevor had two other Claxtons go through his shop, the first a majestic example of Ed’s flagship EM-C with a German spruce top over some eye-popping Macassar Ebony, the other an Adirondack/Cuban Mahogany OM, a classic shape in a time-tested tonewood combination people know and love. In the words of one forumite, this guitar was TAMCO’s “pearl of great price” and sold within a matter of months, as did the even pricier EM. (The OM now lives with steveh, see above.)

Those subjective barriers notwithstanding, in the end it all boils down to money, old filthy lucre, the ultimate reductionist standard, the greatest hurdle of all, regardless of which rung on the wealth ladder we currently call home. Case in point, several years ago I had the pleasure of visiting TAMCO for a few hectic hours to shop for and buy a guitar. I’d been browsing their website at the time and knew that this very OM was hanging right there on the wall with all the others. I also knew that it cost twice what I was prepared to invest. Knowing next to nothing about Ed Claxton, I didn’t even bother to pick it up and see what the fuss was all about. Once again, a pearl of great price would be missed in plain sight.

[steveh]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

One favor, if you please, mister Steve. I don't think I've ever heard the story of how you wound up with your OM. Care to elaborate?

Yes, and of course it's due to the AGF.

As I said, I'd posted here of my great admiration for the guitar and the owner knew of this.
He decided to get into building himself and needed to fund some tools etc. so put the guitar up for sale.
Knowing of my admiration, he contacted me and offered it but I was (am) heavily into nylon. Indeed, I had just sold two Kostals to fund my new "habit". I was just not in the market for a new steel-string.
However, he kept emailing me, droppping the price each time. Eventually, knowing the quality of the guitar, I just couldn't resist and took the bait.

So, so glad I did. I've had it for over 2 years and it's not going anywhere. It's as lovely as I remember. It's been joined by a Tom Sands which is larger and has a more "modern" tone. Between those two I have everything I want for steel-string. My steel-string GAS has been dead for ages. I've owned a ton of guitars but that is where I ended up and I couldn't be happier.

Cheers,
Steve

[steveh]

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Ed Claxton has never been this week’s poster child for hand-built acoustics. Despite a distinguished career of excellence in the craft, he keeps a laid-back, low-key profile, even in this age of the all-knowing Internet.

I think Ed is a bit like Ralph Bown in this respect. Low profile, Old Skool, hushed tones amongst the cognoscenti. Definitely NOT this month's AGF hype, hot off the conveyor belt, Ervins Somogyi's latest apprentice etc.

I've played loads of hype guitars. Some are good but a ton are "meh". Rarely IMHO do they come anywhere near justifying the price of entry (which goes North rapidly once they become this month's flavour, often contingent on excessive dealer hype).

Someone like Ed has years and years of solid experience under his belt. That's priceless. Difficult to hype - he's been around forever. His experience shows in his guitars, both build quality and sonically.

One other thing I've noticed - irrespective of the back and sides, top, size etc. all of the Claxtons I've played have had a very profound sonic signature - my mahogany guitar just doesn't sound like a "typical" Adirondack hog to me, nor does your Walnut from my recollection. They all sound as if they are made from the finest German tops and BRW back and sides. Uncanny. That's what makes him so consistent IMHO.

Cheers,
Steve

[jaymarsch]

What a beauty. I have had the good fortune to play a number of Claxtons over the years and they are fine guitars. I don't think that I have played a walnut one however so, yes to the sound clips!

Best,
Jayne

[Cocobolo Kid]

Deft,

When I first saw that Claxton up for sale, I was bummed that it was in the U.K. as it was the nicest looking Claxton I had ever seen. That walnut set is really something special.

I am so glad you ended up with this Claxton OM, and I hope you have many happy years making music together. I look forward to hearing your sound clips and your song.

It looks like we have similar taste in guitars and cats!


Her name is Kayleigh (named after the Marillion song).

Cheers!

[Deft Tungsman]

Thanks for the kind words, Jayne and John. I'll do my best to share some audio with everyone in the not-so-distant future.

My cat's name is Wooweez, because that's what we call him. He's somewhat jealous of my other guitars (grab arm, tug, make human stop that infernal racket and pay attention to ME), less so of the Claxton. I think he may be getting a little contact high from huffing fumes from the shellac on the French-polished soundboard. He keeps coming back, sniffing for more. Woo-woo, Wooweez, you da party animal in da grey pajamas!

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by steveh

...of course it's due to the AGF.

Thanks for sharing the backstory on your OM, Steve.

It's one of those heartwarming tales about a lifetime guitar that actually comes knocking on your door, again and again, before you finally wake up to let her in. You know, the kind of things that never happen in the real world.

Welcome to AGF, or as we like to call it, Magicland!!

For more on that, read Chapter 3...

[Deft Tungsman]

Chapter 3

…or how I did not need another guitar

Early last year, TAMCO began a series of special offers on the new instruments they had in stock, lowering the price by a fair margin on many fine guitars, including this Claxton. The news was barely a blip on my radar, though, as I devoted the remainder of 2018 to rocking the Baraniks. But as we rolled into the New Year, TAMCO further reduced the price on the Claxton, suddenly putting it within striking range.

“Hummm,” I muttered to myself.

Okay, okay, so I was defintely not in the market for another guitar, and no, I’d never played a Claxton in real life. But I was aware of Steve’s informed opinion that Ed’s work is on a par with the very best, including Jeff Traugott, who built a 00 that was by far the most satisfying guitar I have ever played, a truly unforgettable instrument whose price, alas, was waaaay beyond my means, even as a second-hand purchase. Steve also reported that the playing experience between the two builders’ guitars is virtually the same, and that the only real difference lies in the fact that both luthiers, like most of their colleagues, are on a deeply personal, lifelong quest to capture the particular sound they hear in their heads.

“Hummm,” I repeated to myself.

Steve’s final summation, “Claxton reminds me of Traugott, for less than 50% of the price,” ricocheted around my brain in a never-ending echo.

“Uh-oh,” I muttered. “Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma,” I added, thrice for effect.

My dilemma? I don’t like buying and selling guitars as if I were browsing the cruise ship buffet, tasting this, trying that, swapping desserts for starters, a bit of red, no, on second thought, a bit of white. For me it’s less a moral issue than it is a matter of taste, as I prefer to find a good instrument with which to build a long-term relationship. And to be honest, I’m currently stocked with plenty of fine dining options and feel no need to try a new restaurant. Plus, the waiter just brought my latest gourmet meal to the table, and I’ve barely begun to dig in.

Remember my review of Tuxedo Bolo Blue, the stunning Baranik Meridian I picked up last fall? Who would have guessed that I would even consider another GAS-fest just a few months later? Not I, that’s for sure. I’ve been savoring the honeymoon feast, exploring all the spices and flavors that Mike’s flagship model brings to the table, looking forward to the many, many years of deepening joy that lie ahead.

Another guitar is the last thing I need, the last thing I need by a long shot. Even if it is a smoking hot deal, a doable deal, on this here Claxton.

Days go by, the fire sale smolders on, and the Claxton remains unsold. I try to put it out of my mind. I repeat the old mantra “I do not need another guitar!” with varying degrees of conviction. There’s even a tiny voice inside of me calling for some outside force (“a deus ex machina” are its exact words, I believe) to place temptation beyond my reach, forever. I actually pray to be outflanked by some savvy lurker who’ll swoop in to snatch away what is, after all, nothing more than a passing fancy, just another puff of smoke…

One night, weary of all this silly, self-induced anguish, I rediscover a truth that has been there all along, something basic, something simple: the beauty of letting go. Just let go. So I do. I decide to release that puff of smoke and let the Claxton go...

How easy it was to let go! I did not need another guitar. To buy one would to be simply too much self-indulgence, a well-known source of indigestion and potential acid reflux. With that matter put to rest, I headed for bed and slept very well. So well, in fact, that when I woke up in the morning, my spirit fully at peace, I rejoiced in the knowledge that I still had cash in the bank instead of another guitar in the house.

Thus, it was from a place of great calm that I indulged my curiosity one last time before saying goodbye, forever. I decided to do the most logical, decent thing I could do, the thing that anyone of us here would do in the event of a farewell so solemn. I reached out to Steve and Steve, two AGF-ers with personal knowledge of this specific guitar. Each of them was kind enough to share his detailed impressions. Each was amazed that the Claxton still hadn’t sold. Both Steves concluded that I would surely be in store for the treat of a lifetime…

Lovely enablers they are, and cave I did.

[Deft Tungsman]

Rob's NGD thread on his storied Claxton EM-C has inspired me to share another installment on my OM that also follows a circular path of connecting dots.

Chapter 4

…or how roots come home to roost

Between the time I closed the deal with TAMCO and the guitar was delivered, I called Ed to hear his thoughts on the instrument. I am deeply grateful that he so took much time to share his recollections in detail. Indeed, much of what I have written here about my new OM was gleaned during our chats. I also thank Larry, the “guy behind the camera” who filmed the series of interviews with Ed back in 2010 for totallyguitars.com. Larry takes us inside the shop, where the master discusses his work, his approach, his philosophy. I feel fortunate to have shared more than a few laughs on the phone with the kind gentleman in the video.

Ed did not grow up in Santa Cruz, not even in California. But he’s been living there now for over twenty-five years. He tells me the place has changed. I’m not from Santa Cruz either, but it happens to be where I spent four of my (de)formative years as an undergrad at UCSC before skipping out of Dodge altogether under Reagan II. Little did I know then that my sleepy little college town would soon become a world-renowned wellspring of guitar-building excellence! Peaceful, scenic Santa Cruz, I haven’t visited in a long, long time, but now there’s someone I’d like to look up.

So, the guitar in my lap is a link to my roots, and not just to those in Santa Cruz. Its spruce soundboard came from the Italian Dolomites, the same region where my family lived for a year as refugees after the war. I visited once as child and still have vivid memories of crazy evergreens growing at 90-degree angles out of sheer cliffs of limestone. As you may recall, the Claro Walnut on my guitar comes from Sonoma County, the part of the state I’d probably choose to call home in a parallel life. One final link between this OM and my past is the name of the street where the Claxtons live. It’s also the name of the California town where I spent my early childhood, back when The Brady Bunch was primetime, gas was cheap, war was bad and peace was cool.

[Rwpierce]

Now that I'm a new Claxton owner and admirer, I went back and completely read this thread. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and you my friend are quite the expressive writer. I too am originally from Calif and spent several years in the mid seventies living in Santa Cruz. Beautiful story and I can only imagine the crazy beautiful music that you are making with this phenomenal instrument. I hope that you get to enjoy it in for many years in great health.

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by Rwpierce

Now that I'm a new Claxton owner and admirer, I went back and completely read this thread. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and you my friend are quite the expressive writer. I too am originally from Calif and spent several years in the mid seventies living in Santa Cruz. Beautiful story and I can only imagine the crazy beautiful music that you are making with this phenomenal instrument. I hope that you get to enjoy it in for many years in great health.

What?? You lived in Santa Cruz in the '70s?? Small world, man! Had you already started playing guitar by then? When I got there, I'd been playing for two years. I remember there were some decent instrument shops where a starving student could score the occasional funky deal. Great book and record shops, too. Judging from what Ed has told me, the town I miss doesn't exist anymore. What a pity.

Lucky me, I've got this killer Claxton to soothe the heartache.

[Codfather]

[QUOTE=steveh;6015041]I think Ed is a bit like Ralph Bown in this respect. Low profile, Old Skool, hushed tones amongst the cognoscenti. Definitely NOT this month's AGF hype, hot off the conveyor belt, Ervins Somogyi's latest apprentice etc

A breath of fresh air!
I tire so quickly of the name dropping,worlds best,pacifier guitar until the next $12,500 accustic falls into lap.

[Richard Mott]

I saw this guitar on Trevor’s site when it first came out, and thought the back and sides were among the loveliest wood I’d ever seen. I also think Ed’s decision to build an OM-sized guitar was inspired—his EM is a little big for some tastes and the lovely Malabar can be a bit small. This filled the gap perfectly. Ed’s woods are matchless, his craftsmanship is as clean as it gets, and the loveliest rosette known to man or god. This guitar, for tone and beauty, should have lasted a week at TAMCO. Congrats!

[blindboyjimi]

Congrats. Ed’s guitars are special indeed.

[Deft Tungsman]

Originally Posted by Richard Mott

I saw this guitar on Trevor’s site when it first came out, and thought the back and sides were among the loveliest wood I’d ever seen. I also think Ed’s decision to build an OM-sized guitar was inspired—his EM is a little big for some tastes and the lovely Malabar can be a bit small. This filled the gap perfectly. Ed’s woods are matchless, his craftsmanship is as clean as it gets, and the loveliest rosette known to man or god. This guitar, for tone and beauty, should have lasted a week at TAMCO. Congrats!

Hello, Richard!

I couldn't agree more with your assessment. I've never owned a proper OM before. My Claxton is so light on the lap, so well proportioned, that I can spend long spells making music without thinking about the guitar at all. It's got everything I want to hear in the bass, mids and highs, all the projection and balance, all the warmth and clarity. It's a brilliant design.

You're right, this OM should not have lasted more than a few weeks in the shop. I still can't believe that she was holding out all those years, waiting for me to be her first custodian.

My daughter remarked the other day, "It's like when Harry Potter goes to choose a wand, and discovers that the wand chooses the wizard!" Smart young woman, my daughter.