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#1
12-07-2019, 10:16 AM
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NGD: 2017 Casimi C2 Signature
What makes a guitar truly great? This is a question I will try to answer in reviewing my 2017 Casimi C2 Signature recently acquired from Dream Guitars in Weaverville North Carolina. Casimi Guitars was established by two former apprentices of Marc Maingard in South Africa. They now design and manufacture their own line of acoustic guitars.
In some ways, this instrument defies description. The edgy design incorporates elements of classical, gypsy and traditional acoustic guitars interwoven in a collage unlike any guitar I have ever seen. First, the woods. The golden-brown soundboard was sourced from the famous “Lucky Strike” redwood. Reputed to be over 600 years old when it was discovered in the forest felled by lightning, the wood has been given near mystical properties for creating rounded, syrupy trebles. The back and sides are Pernambuco. This wood is known only to violinists who demand it for their multi hundred thousand-dollar bows. Its properties include infinite resonance and never ending sustain. Acres of ebony and brass (yes brass) can be found in the intriguing inlays on the sides, sound hole and headstock. The purfling which trims every edge is as fine as dental floss and adds colorful exclamation points to the presentation. You would think that this much bling would be gawdy but despite the prevalence of inlays and highlights, the guitar exudes a mesmerizing elegance that draws you to it like moths to a flame. In short, this is the finest example of craftsmanship in a guitar I have laid eyes on in the 50 years plus I’ve been chasing the perfect guitar. If I had a neighbor who kept me up at night with his loud guitar playing, I would give him this guitar. You want to admire it more than play it. But is beauty of design enough to elevate the two luthiers from Casimi Guitars to the top of their peers? The specs for the guitar include a short scale length of 24.9 inches, twelve frets above the body and a rather large lower bout at 16 inches. Depth runs from a relatively narrow 3.25 inches at the heel to 4.5 at the tail. There are ebony bevels on the lower bout soundboard side and backside waist adding to the comfort one feels in holding this guitar. I found the 12 fret neck especially useful as I place the guitar on my left thigh with a guitar support. It keeps low position reaches comfortable. Speaking of the heel, the carve is not symmetrical. The bass side is thinner than the treble side. I don’t know the intended purpose of this design, but it just adds to its overall uniqueness. Nut and saddle are constructed from some a substance other than bone. It’s black so it must be Tusq or equivalent. I found this surprising, but you can’t argue with the result (more on this later). Only the b string is compensated at the saddle. The nut slots are predominately straight as the “open concept” head makes for straight runs to the tuner barrels. The nut and saddle widths are slightly larger than the standard 1.75 /2.25 inches. Not sure if that was standard for Casimi or a request from the original owner. The rosette is crafted from solid ebony inlayed with metalized Mayan symbols. The sound hole edge is higher than the level of the sound board so the rosette angles up from one to the other. The effect is incredibly beautiful. Black Gotoh tuners complete the look. The sound hole itself is not round but more of an ellipse akin to a gypsy guitar. Once again, I’m sure there was a good reason for this but it escapes me. Transverse back braces are not orthogonal but are tilted across the grain. There are also low-profile braces in between the larger traditional ones. Another mystery. I have never seen these before on any instruments I’ve owned or played. I put a mirror into the box for a peak at the soundboard bracing. It has traditional x braces crossing in the middle below the sound hole. Treble and bass tone bars are added at the usual spots. There is a sound port on the bass side upper bout that has a brass insert creating a delightful visual highlight. Sound ports are controversial in that some people question their utility. I’m squarely in the middle in this discussion. They have to be taken in the context of the overall design of the box. The ebony bridge is also unique in that it is overly large but relieved of wood to keep the weight down. Aesthetics or a means to transfer more impulse over a wider area? I don’t know. The Casimi boys also created an ebony cover for the string ends that is held in place with magnets. The look is neat and tidy like a tailored button-down dress shirt. The neck is a very nice C shape with middle of the road depth. The lacquer finish deserves a comment. I cannot imagine how many clear coats and buffing sessions inside a NASA class clean room it took to create the silky smooth patina. I have never seen anything close to it at any price point. Now for the tone. This is not a loud guitar as in dreadnought loud. If you want to play bluegrass with a pick this is not your cup of tea. For fingerstyle with nails, I find that it suits my taste extremely well. The basses are more cedar than spruce. By that I mean they don’t have the snap and fast attack a spruce bass would exhibit but make up for that with rounded, warm tones that perfectly support the trebles. With such a large lower bout I expected the trebles to be chimey and bright but just the opposite was true. They are dense, dark, resonant and stand out smartly in the mix. The e string is particularly noteworthy as it is clear and ringing all the way up the neck. I have two Australian made nylon string guitars. In comparing the trebles, I was amazed at how close they were in creating the fat, meaty melodies that a lot of us love. The overtones also surprised me. I was expecting them to spill out of the sound hole like paratroopers jumping out of the back of a C-130. Instead, they marched out in unison, perfectly supporting trebles and bass alike. There were no spots on the neck where they died. I hear perfectly presented resonances that sustain just long enough, never overstaying their welcome. I’ve attached some pictures I took to this post but they do not do the guitar justice. For that reason, I’ve included the link to Dream Guitar’s professional photos for this instrument. I have no affiliation with them except for the fact that they get a lot of my buy and sell business due to their incredible inventory and their commitment to customer service. https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/20...dwood-015.html The bottom line: Hypnotic design, beyond world class execution, Mr. Rogers kind of comfortable ergonomics and rich, expressive tone. Each element of the architecture (with the exception of the superlative workmanship) can be matched individually by an assortment other guitars at this price point and below in some cases. As a package however the guitar’s desirability is greater than the sum of its individual parts and a monumental achievement. It easily holds its own in my estimation with Greenfield, Somogyi, Olson, Traugott and others in this class that I have owned. I highly recommended it if you are in the market at this price point. They come up on the used market infrequently. The only place I have seen them offered new is at The North American Guitar in the United Kingdom. The Casimi owners are young and innovative with their best work likely ahead of them. We should be thankful such artisans continue to choose guitar making as their vocation. Cincy
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2018 Buscarino Italia 
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#3
12-07-2019, 01:05 PM
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Well congrats on the new Casimi, it is spectacular. That was quite a write up.
Pernambuco is well known beyond violinists though. Bruce Sexauer is quite renown for his Pernambuco builds. Again congrats.
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PS. I love guitars!
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#4
12-08-2019, 12:40 AM
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What a stunning guitar! Congratulations and thanks for the great write up too.
I really like that these guys have studied under Marc Maingard, learnt from his skill and his wonderful aesthetics, and then gone in their own direction. Hope you have many happy hours playing this beauty! Col
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#6
12-09-2019, 04:00 AM
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What an interesting looking guitar! How does the casimi tone compare to your greenfield g1?
__________________
In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference...
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#7
12-09-2019, 04:46 AM
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Quote:
Cincy
__________________
2018 Buscarino Italia
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#8
12-09-2019, 06:18 AM
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Quote:
__________________
In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference...
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#9
12-09-2019, 07:52 PM
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Quote:
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#10
12-09-2019, 08:21 PM
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Quote:
__________________
In the end it is about who you love above yourself and what you have stood for and lived for that make the difference... Last edited by gitarro; 12-09-2019 at 08:32 PM.
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