Acoustics get expensive very quickly.......

TheBigDipper · December 2017

ThorpyFX said:

earwighoney said:

ThorpyFX said:

Well thanks very much! I have used the info in this thread to great effect. I’ve ordered a custom 000 acoustic guitar that should be ready towards the end of 2018. I really can’t wait.

Who's the maker?

Speak more of your commission! What specs did you go for?

I’ve gone for A UK made Brook Taw, macasssar ebony back and sides. Ebony Fretboard, ebony fascia. The rest of tte details haven’t been fixed yet... cant wait though

I've owned a Taw (Bubinga/Spruce) for just over a year now and love playing it. I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

ThorpyFX · December 2017

TheBigDipper said:

ThorpyFX said:

earwighoney said:

ThorpyFX said:

Well thanks very much! I have used the info in this thread to great effect. I’ve ordered a custom 000 acoustic guitar that should be ready towards the end of 2018. I really can’t wait.

Who's the maker?

Speak more of your commission! What specs did you go for?

I’ve gone for A UK made Brook Taw, macasssar ebony back and sides. Ebony Fretboard, ebony fascia. The rest of tte details haven’t been fixed yet... cant wait though

I've owned a Taw (Bubinga/Spruce) for just over a year now and love playing it. I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

Well that’s fantastic to hear, the order was placed because I have been playing my father in laws Brook Torridge every time we visit them. I just couldn’t get over how well it played and how it suited my playing. The fact that they are a quality British company run by quality blokes who love their art was just the icing on the cake for me.

Kalimna · December 2017

Excellent stuff. I have a Tavy in yew and walnut with a walnut/cherry neck and anjan fingerboard. Beautiful warm tone. Lovely chaps down there and stunning guitars they build. Couldnt recommend them highly enough.
Adam

steveh · December 2017

I see this thread kicked off with Sobells: Probably true to say that he's the highest priced UK builder but he has no trouble selling them. A luthier made steel-string guitar takes weeks/months to build and Stefan is probably the only one making a decent living from it. Kudos to him. I was at a Martin Simpson workshop in Sheffield about 10 years ago and there were at least 5 guys with Sobells there.

I will say this: Around 12 years ago I had been playing other guitars (- think well-respected small-workshops) and decided to "go for it" and bought a Sobell. Overnight the amount of time I spent playing steel-string went through the roof. My playing and enjoyment benefitted tremendously (and I pretty much gave up electric - haha). A really top-flight guitar is well worth the investment. It changed my guitar-playing life.

Since then I've had 5 Sobells; still have one (a 2009 madrose model 1). There are definitely other builders out there that make instruments in that category but few do what the Sobell does - incredible clarity and separation that is impossible to overdrive (rather like an archtop). Ultimately I grew away from that sound and moved towards something more vanilla, but when I fancy that type of sound, it has to be a Sobell.

steveh · December 2017

PS: Should say that when I first contacted Stefan many years ago, his price for a Model 1 was 2K. I thought that was hugely expensive - a Lowden was about 1K at the time - so I bottled. Idiot. Each time I came back to inquire, the price had gone up as demand increased. I wish I'd bought a truck-full back then.

Clashman · December 2017

The more you pay for something the more likely you are to cherish it.highly

AliGorie · December 2017

Clashman said:

The more you pay for something the more likely you are to cherish it.highly

yeah, I'm with you Clashie,-.
“First and foremost - It’s a tool for making music”

the first sentence spoken by Dana Bourgeois in this video a maker I particularly respect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=HMGtTD4bH-w

yup, says it all in a mater of fact workman way, cause thats what he does (very well), he makes ‘tools’ / instruments for us to get creative develop playing technique and computational skills and make our own music on.

AliGorie · January 2018

since we're talking anti vanilla exclusive qualifiers -
I'm sure I caught a glimpse of one (Sobell) being (lightly) thrashed last night by some retro folk hipster on a hogmanay show last night.
btw - spell checker don't recognise hogmanay - ah the erasing of culture.

ToneControl · January 2018

I was just watching this today
Probably the best "how we make a guitar" video I have seen:

AliGorie · January 2018

yeah, no bad TC.
I OD'd on that stuff back in the 00's doing the building course - one persons vids stand out in my memory, our own Nigel. like DB above refreshingly matter of fact and b*s*t free. I found his vids quite therapeutically relaxing.
From a building point of view things that get my attention is the 'jigs' and ingenious ways of going about 'procedures' to maximize accuracy and repetition.
Oh and their tools

TimmyO · January 2018

ToneControl said:

I was just watching this today
Probably the best "how we make a guitar" video I have seen:

Just watched that start to finish - thanks for posting!

Benm39 · August 2020

That's a cracking film, thanks for posting. The Goodall guitars sound stunning. Hard to come by in the UK I imagine?

ArchtopDave · August 2020

As above, Martin Simpson played Sobell guitars for a long time. I've even been to a talk by Stefan Sobell and heard him play some of his own instruments - he was fund raising for some project in the village where he lives. I have to say that I had a bit of a play on a Turnstone redwood topped guitar, that Rosie used to take round to Guitar Shows a few years ago, that I still dream about from time to time.

ToneControl · August 2020

Benm39 said:

That's a cracking film, thanks for posting. The Goodall guitars sound stunning. Hard to come by in the UK I imagine?

yes and no

Not many about, but when bought used, they are often better value over here since few people are aware of them

Benm39 · August 2020

I shall certainly add them to my list of instruments I'd love to try and keep my eyes peeled!

youngsc · September 2020

Fantastic thread here with some great input. My own view is that each guitar has its own character and strengths and will suit different styles. So in an ideal world you would have a diverse set to select from and get to know what style of music each excels in. If I’m going for fingerpicking at home or in an unamplified setting I’d use my Lowden O35 Myrtle or possibly my Fylde Orsino (a bit louder and brighter). If I’m plugged in and playing with a band I’d choose my Fylde Alchemist or PJ Eggle which respond well to strumming and picking and have excellent pickup systems installed.

In the end there is no wrong tone - just personal preference - but choosing a well designed and well made guitar will usually give a greater degree of resonance and tonal complexity and of course the sheer joy of owning something that is beautifully crafted and finished.

I also agree with @ToneControl’s comments on strings. They can make a huge difference to tonal character and putting a new set on will always bring
you a smile of satisfaction!!

Benm39 · September 2020

Off to look at a Furch OM LX and Brook Taw tomorrow... might be a NGD incoming...

DavidR · September 2020

Just for Info - the October edition of The Guitarist magazine has a big piece on acoustics with background and a few pages of brief reviews.

I agree there's diminishing returns with acoustics over the approx. £3K level. At this point the subjective judgement of the player kicks in. If you look around you can pretty much find what you want musically without paying more.

(I did once pay £4K for a classical but that market's different.)

ToneControl · September 2020

DavidR said:

Just for Info - the October edition of The Guitarist magazine has a big piece on acoustics with background and a few pages of brief reviews.

I agree there's diminishing returns with acoustics over the approx. £3K level. At this point the subjective judgement of the player kicks in. If you look around you can pretty much find what you want musically without paying more.

(I did once pay £4K for a classical but that market's different.)

Agreed, but would note that I think some makers charge more for the same level of instrument
i.e. Some makers sell top-notch instruments starting at £3k, whereas others start at £5k, usually it's because the brand name is stronger

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