FINAL REVIEW: Tom Sands model S - Redwood / Brazilian

[volman]

Originally Posted by Vaillant75

The guitar is now finished and the neck glued on!
As Tom is now doing the finish himself, he shared pictures regularly and that gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for how intense (and stressful..) the process is. the repeated coating and sanding to different grits, and I was so impressed with the result that I jokingly asked whether he uses a microscope for it. Little that I know he was actually checking the guitar with a magnifying glass! Talking about dedication and perfectionism.

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Just looking back through this build and just happened to see that beautiful Model M hanging on the wall behind your stunning Model S. That Model M might just be spoken for now

Looking forward to an update on your Model S! Hopefully a Will McNicol demo will be coming soon.

[Universe]

Seen his Redwood over Black Limba on the Tube.

That guitar is killer looking.
He seems to build lush melodic guitars & the details are stunning.

Would love to hear the redwood/ BRW combo.

[Vaillant75]

Hi everyone,
I want to circle back after a very special week-end. Indeed I had the chance to go to Ripon and pick up the guitar directly from Tom in his workshop. To top it off I was accompanied by my great friend Marc (deft) who picked the woods and Tom's apprentice Ted, who is a gem of a man.
It's been memorable on every front, and I arrived back home yesterday feeling extremely grateful. For timing reasons, the guitar couldn't be sent to Will McNicol for a proper run down, but I'll humbly do a few recording after some time. I first want to discover this stellar instrument and then share my informed perceptions with you. I have been taking lessons from Will so I have a few of his pieces under my belt, less the talent ofc

Glamour shots have been taken and will be incorporated in my shareback, so watch out and thanks again for following and for the kind comments.

Just a peak into the week end though...

The great reveal!
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Yorkshire's abbey, part of the TSG full experience.
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And finally a video of the guitar:

3 days old at the time of recording, simply breathtaking. More to come.

See you all soon,

[sevenpalms]

Sounds like magic!! Absolutely stunning....wishing you all the best with that new beauty!

[volman]

Originally Posted by Vaillant75

Hi everyone,
I want to circle back after a very special week-end. Indeed I had the chance to go to Ripon and pick up the guitar directly from Tom in his workshop. To top it off I was accompanied by my great friend Marc (deft) who picked the woods and Tom's apprentice Ted, who is a gem of a man.
It's been memorable on every front, and I arrived back home yesterday feeling extremely grateful. For timing reasons, the guitar couldn't be sent to Will McNicol for a proper run down, but I'll humbly do a few recording after some time. I first want to discover this stellar instrument and then share my informed perceptions with you. I have been taking lessons from Will so I have a few of his pieces under my belt, less the talent ofc

Glamour shots have been taken and will be incorporated in my shareback, so watch out and thanks again for following and for the kind comments.

Just a peak into the week end though...

The great reveal!
Attachment 103527
Yorkshire's abbey, part of the TSG full experience.
Attachment 103526

And finally a video of the guitar:

3 days old at the time of recording, simply breathtaking. More to come.

See you all soon,

That sounds incredible. Congratulations on a second stellar Sands guitar.

[Vaillant75]

Hey everyone,
Glad to be back and share with you a few words about Lucia now that I've had the time to familiarize myself with it.
First let's cover the aesthetics... this guitar is for me the definition of understated beauty. The shimmering top, slightly tainted neck, and touches of vibrant green make for a stunning package. Attention to details at his best, and I surprise myself lusting over the guitar in between pieces. I have been an avid follower of Tom's work - which he shares generously and extensively - and I think he is hitting his stride at the moment. Less is more seems to be his mantra and you can't deny his impeccable design sense. Below some glamour shots below taken by Tom right outside his workshop

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[Vaillant75]

That week end was made even more special as my good friend Marc (Deft) accompanied me to spec his coming model S! I won't spoil the wood choice as I hope he will be starting a thread. If you haven't come across his threads, please do yourself a favor and go check all his NGDs... He has a way with words and is able to put in writing all the subtle tonal characteristics of each guitar he plays.

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[Vaillant75]

As promised I've been recording a few pieces from Will Mc Nicol, as unfortunately the man himself could not demo the guitar. That anomaly will soon be corrected as I am attending his workshop in May, but for now please be kind with my humble playing, recording skills, and intense guitar faces!... This is just an Iphone, so merely an accurate representation of the tonal capabilities of this superlative instrument.

First is Dragon's back, a tune I always play when I want to test a guitar... Space, ringing melody and summons such a special atmosphere. Never a piece that goes unnoticed:



Then we have another favorite of mine, "Casting Shadows". A lingering melody articulated around a drone note, which shines in its simplicity. Will is so good with melodies it's uncanny..



And one last one in drop D, Will's cover of the popular piece "Ashokan's Farewell". All of the tabs can be found of Will's website, and I encourage everyone to check out his tutoring materials (like the College, his online platform). I've taken many classes over the years and he's helped me to progress tremendously, it's such a privilege to have access to a world class guitarist like him.



Without drowning myself into the semantics, I think it's obvious even from these subpar recording that this is a superb instrument. It's loud but never brash, it sustains without being muddy, and it's more versatile than my first Tom Sands that was mostly geared towards fingerstyle. Lucia is surprisingly folky when I just want to play chords and play along. The "tactile" experience also is noteworthy, as the instrument vibrates and gives just the right amount of response. I'd also recommend a satin finish on any guitar, so nice and organic. I feel privileged to own such instrument and I am looking forward to play it for years.

This build has culminated in such a special week-end with Tom, and I feel very grateful for this hobby which gives me a lot of happiness in life.
Thanks to everyone who followed along and who shared nice comments along the way.
Cheers,

[roscoe2311]

You're too harsh on yourself! You play beautifully with a really nice attack, and those aren't easy tunes to play either! That's an amazing guitar as well, congratulations!

[islandguitar]

Originally Posted by roscoe2311

You're too harsh on yourself! You play beautifully with a really nice attack, and those aren't easy tunes to play either! That's an amazing guitar as well, congratulations!

+1!!! I agree entirely! Congrats on this Tom Sands Masterpiece.....wishing much success with your playing. Will McNichol is one of my very favorite artists....truly an amazing composer and player. What a great opportunity to work with him!
Best wises,
Fred

[Deft Tungsman]

Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with recordings of Lucia, my friend!

Once again, your talent is dwarfed by your modesty. Great playing, great selection of tunes to showcase the guitar !!

Having seen it in person, I can tell you folks, the pictures, no matter how nice, cannot capture the beauty of the redwood soundboard on this guitar. It is an endlessly fascinating piece of timber. As is the rest of the package, to be sure. Tom has a mouth-watering selection of tonewoods, and Mr Vaillant chose some of his very finest.

As a player, all I can do is repeat what you've said about this Model S and how it compares to Dolores, your Model M. Mr Sands' latest improvements, most notably his ultra-thin finish, shine across the board. I am so eager to play Lucia again in May at Will McNicol's workshop !!

[Vaillant75]

Thanks every one for the kind comments and encouraging words on my playing, highly appreciated.
Some good news, I will be able to get some recording from Will during the Brittany workshop, so expect to hear from the real deal in one of the best acoustic room I've encountered
To be continued then,

[steveh]

Thomas / Marc,

No idea why I'm so late to this party; In my defence I'm not around here anyway near as much as I used to be. I have a couple of guitars that - for now at least - have kept my GAS in remission; threads like this might precipitate a relapse however!

So glad you are happy with the instrument - Tom makes superlative guitars.

And your playing is easily worthy of such a great instrument. I'm particularly delighted to see you post videos of the instrument actually getting played by its owner: So very many AGF build threads never culminate in this most important aspect, and seem to be far more about the instrument than the sound it makes.

However, what caught my eye most was this quote:

Originally Posted by Vaillant75

I feel very grateful for this hobby which gives me a lot of happiness in life.

You're bang on there Thomas - Playing guitar brings us so very much pleasure, only enhanced by instruments as fabulous as this.

Looking forward to enjoying your workshop vicariously.

Cheers,
Steve