BRUCE SEXAUER: FT-000-C [Red Spruce | Oregon Myrtle]

[Rwpierce]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Yeah, but how’s it SOUND?

Oh I'm almost 100% certain it sounds completely amazing. Congratulations Bruce on special build #300 and Bob for spectacular Sexauer #5.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

I had to wait for someone with “vision” to ask me to build with it. That, and the fact that I have around 500 sets of many other species that I have had for as much as 35 years, rarely less than 10 years.

Selecting tonewoods from your wood locker is always a treat even from afar . We looked a quite a few options before selecting this set for this guitar and I am delighted that we did.

Originally Posted by Rwpierce

Oh I'm almost 100% certain it sounds completely amazing. Congratulations Bruce on special build #300 and Bob for spectacular Sexauer #5.

Thanks Rob...

[Jamiejoon]

This is your intrepid correspondent, reporting back from Petaluma, California north of San Francisco, a seemingly tranquil enclave largely protected thus far from the full ravages of the Covid pandemic assaulting mask-shunning southern California. The weather was stunning - 82 degrees and 38 percent humidity. Families bicycled, gardeners gardened, birds chirped, dogs frolicked, the traffic was busy, but there was a sense of foreboding in the air (I might say gathering clouds, if California had clouds).

We left our socially-distanced hermitage in the trees to visit Bruce Sexauer, who stoically carries on the noble tradition of fine luthiery in the face of economic uncertainty and social upheaval. In the words of the great poet Jack Gilbert "We must admit there will be music despite everything."

The parties properly masked (except for Bruce's most excellent Australian Shepherd friend Koal), we met to check in on the sonic development of your correspondent's amazingly beautiful Snakewood Sexauer 00 (the name is Lotus), and to try out Bob's Oregon Myrtle Sexauer 000.

Lotus is not just smoking hot, she also delivers as an instrument. Outstanding small guitar. A bit shallow for a 00, but really surprisingly strong bass, volume, balance, and quality of tone nonetheless. The guitar really vibrates into you when you play it, and evokes deep feeling as any great guitar should. I am super happy with it, and was curious how Bob's 000 would compare.

I am pleased to be able to report that I am 100% certain that Bob will rejoice when he receives his new 000. It is exceptionally good. It is the best Sexauer I have ever played, and that includes my Snakewood 00 and several BRW and one Pernambuco guitars of his. It is like my Lotus on steroids - a bit louder (but not much!), stronger bass, fuller sound, not quite as bright, and absolutely crystal clear. Fantastic clarity and balance. Hard to believe it is only 4 days old. Not tight at all. It is already REALLY good, and I have to believe it will continue to get better.

I am a commoner here on the AGF. I am not an outstanding player and I have not played as many different instruments as many of you. But for what it's worth, I give this new Sexauer 000 an A+. Bruce is building really nice guitars presently.

Jamie

[iim7V7IM7]

Thanks for taking the time to both audition the guitar and to share your playing impressions. It sounds like it was well worth the ride.... With no luthier exhibitions likely this year; other than a visit to his shop for Bay area players, there is really no ability for to audition his work. While I am delighted to hear your positive review, after playing as many guitars as I have from Bruce, I never had any doubt that it would be a superlative instrument.

Bruce had told me on the phone after its completion that he was quite pleased with the guitar (To be fair, he was far more ebullient than that!). So I knew that this meant that it was a responsive, balanced instrument that sounded open and felt alive in the hands of the player. The actual timbre of a guitar is always difficult describe, but I recall that he said that it had “fat” trebles, tremendous headroom and I also remember the word “juicy” somewhere in his narrative (whatever that means ).

Originally Posted by Jamiejoon

This is your intrepid correspondent, reporting back from Petaluma, California north of San Francisco, a seemingly tranquil enclave largely protected thus far from the full ravages of the Covid pandemic assaulting mask-shunning southern California. The weather was stunning - 82 degrees and 38 percent humidity. Families bicycled, gardeners gardened, birds chirped, dogs frolicked, the traffic was busy, but there was a sense of foreboding in the air (I might say gathering clouds, if California had clouds).

We left our socially-distanced hermitage in the trees to visit Bruce Sexauer, who stoically carries on the noble tradition of fine luthiery in the face of economic uncertainty and social upheaval. In the words of the great poet Jack Gilbert "We must admit there will be music despite everything."

The parties properly masked (except for Bruce's most excellent Australian Shepherd friend Koal), we met to check in on the sonic development of your correspondent's amazingly beautiful Snakewood Sexauer 00 (the name is Lotus), and to try out Bob's Oregon Myrtle Sexauer 000.

Lotus is not just smoking hot, she also delivers as an instrument. Outstanding small guitar. A bit shallow for a 00, but really surprisingly strong bass, volume, balance, and quality of tone nonetheless. The guitar really vibrates into you when you play it, and evokes deep feeling as any great guitar should. I am super happy with it, and was curious how Bob's 000 would compare.

I am pleased to be able to report that I am 100% certain that Bob will rejoice when he receives his new 000. It is exceptionally good. It is the best Sexauer I have ever played, and that includes my Snakewood 00 and several BRW and one Pernambuco guitars of his. It is like my Lotus on steroids - a bit louder (but not much!), stronger bass, fuller sound, not quite as bright, and absolutely crystal clear. Fantastic clarity and balance. Hard to believe it is only 4 days old. Not tight at all. It is already REALLY good, and I have to believe it will continue to get better.

I am a commoner here on the AGF. I am not an outstanding player and I have not played as many different instruments as many of you. But for what it's worth, I give this new Sexauer 000 an A+. Bruce is building really nice guitars presently.

Jamie

[jt1]

A great looking guitar. Congratulations! I'm looking forward to hearing you play it.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by jt1

A great looking guitar. Congratulations! I'm looking forward to hearing you play it.

And you shall...

[jmat]

This is sounding better and better!

[tadol]

I did manage to run up to Petaluma yesterday to compare 299 w/ 300 ( and have a nice dinner in the garden! ) - and, yes, 300 is an amazing guitar. It is very responsive, and has a crisper chimey quality, which I’m thinking might be largely from the adi top, but I also wonder if the scale differences might contribute a little. I’m not completely convinced it’s “better” - different, and louder, and I’d really like to do a 3 way comparison, bringing my rw mini-d in to the mix. But Bob will definitely be very pleased with this guitar - hopefully as pleased as I am with mine!

[iim7V7IM7]

Tad, I am glad that you were able to stop by Bruce’s shop to audition the guitar.... I will be curious to compare it to my carved back Bigleaf Maple | German Spruce 000 (which is now 5-1/2 years old) which is the nearest guitar in size from Bruce that I own. I believe that I should have it on Thursday so I am looking forward to playing it…

Originally Posted by tadol

I did manage to run up to Petaluma yesterday to compare 299 w/ 300 ( and have a nice dinner in the garden! ) - and, yes, 300 is an amazing guitar. It is very responsive, and has a crisper chimey quality, which I’m thinking might be largely from the adi top, but I also wonder if the scale differences might contribute a little. I’m not completely convinced it’s “better” - different, and louder, and I’d really like to do a 3 way comparison, bringing my rw mini-d in to the mix. But Bob will definitely be very pleased with this guitar - hopefully as pleased as I am with mine!

[Bruce Sexauer]

UPS informs me that Bob has the Myrtle guitar. Unsurprisingly, he is speechless, but he will recover.

[iim7V7IM7]

Bruce’s guitar did just arrive by UPS and thankfully intact. I was able to spend about 90 minutes playing it this afternoon. I will share my initial impressions. As a reminder here are the specifications for this instrument.

BASICS & FEATURES:

Luthier: Bruce Sexauer
Model: FT-000-C (000 sized, 12-frets to the Body)
Serial #300
Headstock Type: Slot Head with Birds Beak Bridle Joint
Cutaway: Venetian
Sound Port: Elliptical

Here is are some shots of the guitar in my backyard.

The Adirondack top on this instrument is aesthetically superlative with even grain count, not super high grain count (12-15 grain/inch) with significant medullary. The curly Bigleaf Maple purflings and rosette is a wonderful substitute for shell and Ivoroid. It dances in the light accenting the guitar in an honest way.

3A52183A-0149-420F-90DC-BD1D40352108.jpg

The Oregon Myrtle under Bruce’s stain that enhances the figure, has a raw umber glow to it with the burnt umber chatoyant figure visually dancing throughout the back and sides. The birds beak bridle joint is a beautiful example of traditional joinery and the subtle Sexauer “S” inlayed in Oregon Myrtle fits in the aesthetic beautifully.

08C86970-D685-4594-9FDF-D4F2BC67B15A.jpg

DIMENSIONS:

Scale Length: 25.4”
Nut Width: 1.75”
String Spacing: 2.31”
Body Length: 20.50”
Sound Hole Diameter: 3.88”
Width, Upper Bout: 11.06”
Width, Waist: 9.13”
Width, Lower Bout: 15.25”
Depth, Neck Block: 3.25”
Depth, End Block: 4.06”
Wedge: 0.25” Across Lower Bout
Weight: 3.62 lb.

MATERIALS:

Top: Red Spruce
Back & Sides: Oregon Myrtle
Neck: Honduran Mahogany
Fretboard: Gaboon Ebony
Bridge: Indian Ebony
Nut/Saddle: Cow Bone
Headplate Veneer: Cocobolo
Binding: Amazon Rosewood
Purflings: Curly Bigleaf Maple
Rosette: Curly Bigleaf Maple
Heel Cap: Oregon Myrtle
Fret Markers: Abalone, Diamond & Squares
Finish: Proprietary Dye under Oil Varnish

HARDWARE:

Fret Wire: Jescar EVO .043” x .080”
Tuners: Schaller GrandTune, Gold with Rosewood Buttons
Bridge Pins: Ebony, Abalone Dots
Strings: Phosphor Bronze, 0.012”-0.053”
Case: Visesnut Active Series, 000/OM

HOW DOES IT PLAY?

This guitar, like many of Bruce’s guitars shocks you how feather light it is when you pick it up. This is a 15-1/4”, long-scale guitar that weighs only 3.6 lb. The second thing you notice after the first few notes is how ALIVE the guitar feels in your hands. The neck has some meat to it (as requested). Bruce’s guitars are always set up to play easily and this one does not disappoint because it plays like butter. The wider 1-3/4” nut width with the 2-5/16” string spacing is great for playing with a pick and with my fingers as I do. Since the body depth was kept modest at 4.00” and he incorporated a subtle wedge to the body at the lower bout, my right arm is quite comfortable.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

Describing sound is a difficult thing to do with words (and with recording!). I will take a stab at it based on my initial impressions after 90 minutes of play.

BALANCE – The relative volume across the strings and up and down the fretboard

The guitar responds evenly across the strings. It is neither bass heavy nor treble biased. This is true no matter where you play on the fretboard. I arpeggiated a C Maj 7 chord at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, 13th and 15th frets. The timbre shifts, but the balance remains across the strings.

ATTACK – The duration after a string is plucked to reach full volume

I would describe it as faster side of average, but not explosively fast like my Maple Sexauer.

SUSTAIN – The length of time it takes a plucked string to fully decay

The guitar provides moderate/long sustain. I compared it to my 12-fret Brazilian Rosewood Sexauer 0 and it sustain about 2/3rds to 3/4 the length of time it takes that guitar to decay.

RESPONSE/DYNAMICS – The sensitivity to touch and the character of tone

The guitar has great range, responding to a light touch with a full character with a moderately slope in response as is gives more in response to right hand attack. Some guitars go from 0 to 60 mph too fast for my right hand. Not this one.

SEPARATION – The ability to hear each string clearly when played simultaneously in a chord

This guitar has outstanding string-to-string separation, despite being harmonically rich. It never gets fuzzy even with faster runs. It is very articulate when tested with chord melody.

HEADROOM/PROJECTION – The maximum volume without distorting and perception volume across the room

This guitar has tremendous headroom never seeming to “give it up” under a strong right hand attack. My significant other indulged me by standing across the living room as I A/B’d it against some other 000 sized instruments. I would place it in the upper quartile in this regard.

OVERTONES – Lushness of the harmonic content around the fundamental tone

This guitar has an ample amount of harmonically rich overtones, but never overwhelming the underlying fundamental. I would place it between a Mahogany and Rosewood sound, but leaning closer to Rosewood than one would think (with one’s eyes).

TIMBRE – The subjective perception of the “sum of the parts”

This is very much a “Goldilocks” guitar. It’s “just right”...

There is a warm, sweet, syrupy character to its timbre. It is musical and forgiving, not amplifying flaws in technique. It is supremely balanced with string-to-string separation. It’s responsive, but not too responsive with tremendous headroom and projection. The guitar has a surprising amount of sustain with harmonically rich overtones.

Simply, one of the best guitars this corespondent has ever played, bar none (and I have played a few)

[Treenewt]

Congrats Bob!! Stoked for you to get to enjoy this great instrument! Kudos Bruce!

[Nemoman]

Sounds like it's another winner for Mr. Sexauer.

Congrats to you, and kudos to Bruce!

[Guitars44me]

A fine FINE axe!!! Congratulations and Kudos to Bruce.

Your photobucket pics would not open, but your review is most informative!!! And Jamie's intrepid reporting is appreciated, too. Sounds like a wonderful trip.

Fortunately there are lots of fantastic pics earlier in the thread. The instrument looks BEAUTIFUL!!!

Stay well and enjoy this....

Paul

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Congrats Bob!! Stoked for you to get to enjoy this great instrument! Kudos Bruce!

I am indeed... (thanks)

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Sounds like it's another winner for Mr. Sexauer.

Congrats to you, and kudos to Bruce!

Bruce hit it out of the park with this one...

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

A fine FINE axe!!! Congratulations and Kudos to Bruce.

Your photobucket pics would not open, but your review is most informative!!! And Jamie's intrepid reporting is appreciated, too. Sounds like a wonderful trip.

Fortunately there are lots of fantastic pics earlier in the thread. The instrument looks BEAUTIFUL!!!

Stay well and enjoy this....

Paul

Thanks much...I was able to resolve the photo issue (had to use the app!)