Quick Atkin Thread.

theatreanchor

So.

I played a lovely L’arivee OM3 today. I liked it but found it to be a little sterile. Nice sound though. 

I then played a few Atkins acoustics and er…went a bit mad. My favourite was the Atkin Essential 00s. 

I  tried another based on an L something Gibson and one based on a D something Martin. The 00s was just a great fit for me, though it got a bit tight at the 12th fret, so I wondered about a larger size? I had a similar Collings once but felt the Atkins produced a better sound. 

I know there are a few Atkin threads here, but if there are any other models I should check out, do let me know. A trip to Coda is on the cards I think. 

Gandalph

You could look at the Essential 00 14 fret if it was getting tight at the 12th fret. Same wood combo. 

Or if you want to try rosewood look at the 00 37 again 12 or 14 fret. 

I think the essential's and 37's are all available in 0, 00, and 000 size but could be wrong. 

Then there's the all mahogany dustbowl range...

Kingfisher's if you fancy a bit of maple.... 

I've never played an Atkin bigger than a 000 so I can't comment but I'd imagine they sound pretty good. 

I have a 037 14 fret spruce/rosewood and a 00 dustbowl. 

Both excellent. 

theatreanchor

Thanks @Gandalph! Great profile pic btw. 

thomasross20

Larrivee take a few years to break in and when they do, you get the goods (the 05 is an upgrade to the 03 and sounds like heaven). Super-charged ex-Larrivee-luthier built guitars can be had for extremely reasonable prices (I have a few Northwoods, for example). Atkin have been hit / miss for me so definitely get them in your hands. All the hog models are nice. Lightly built and scalloped so "less sterile" out of the box. 

kmajor

Atkin seem to offer options on a lot of their models so you can choose body size, number of frets and nut widths. I have found Atkin guitars to sound great from new and seem to hold their value on the used market better than others.

theatreanchor

thomasross20 said:

Larrivee take a few years to break in and when they do, you get the goods (the 05 is an upgrade to the 03 and sounds like heaven). Super-charged ex-Larrivee-luthier built guitars can be had for extremely reasonable prices (I have a few Northwoods, for example). Atkin have been hit / miss for me so definitely get them in your hands. All the hog models are nice. Lightly built and scalloped so "less sterile" out of the box. 

Thanks @thomasross20. I didn’t know about Northwood or the 05. Seems hard to get hold of either over here. I’ll keep looking. Maybe try a second hand l’arrivee so I can compare. Not many stockists it seems. Only found them at one shop yesterday. 

thomasross20

Larrivee fans will tell yuo the models all use the same build etc and that's true to an extent, but every 05 I've tried has had something special about it. Northwood are Canadian (same as Halcyon [I'm waiting on a custom Halcyon] and other ex-Larrivee) so hard to get a hold of. Northwoods are the best guitars on planet Earth imo. There's a 2nd hand maple/cedar OO for sale somewhere and there's one shop in North of England that sell a few (Promenade Music) but anyway...

I've typically preferred Atkin to the big M. I'm not often into all mahogany guitars but their dustbowl was pretty awesome - enjoy and look forward to seeing what you get!

theatreanchor

Cheers @@thomasross20. It does seem the Dustbowl series is highly thought of. I’ll have to check one out, but I’ll keep an eye out for those L’arrivees too. Thanks so much. 

TheBigDipper

I own a Canadian-built L'Arrivee L-01 that is basically a plainer version of an L-03 made in 2004 especially for the Japanese market. No idea how it ended up in Hanks for me to buy it. I really like the L-sized body. Which, by the way, shouldn't be confused with the Gibson L guitars. Not the same shape/size at all. It's all mahogany with a spruce top. A little tighter than a Rosewood body might sound but I like the balance it has. Build quality and playability is superb. My neglect and the resulting bellied top, not so much :-(.  

But I'd recommend L'Arrivee to anyone. I'd also repeat that I've never played an Atkin I didn't like or wouldn't want to own given unlimited funding. 

BowynMadley

Atkin make some of the best acoustics in the UK currently imo. I had an Om37 until earlier this year and I still would if a certain Gem of a custom shop gibson hadn't crossed my path. I wouldn't hesitate for a second in buying another atkin

kmajor

I just wish Atkin would offer a standard non aged finish. It seems to be a fashion to offer aged looking guitars but why !.
The first thing people ask if selling a used guitar is to ask if there are any marks or scratches on it.

BowynMadley

kmajor said:

I just wish Atkin would offer a standard non aged finish. It seems to be a fashion to offer aged looking guitars but why !.
The first thing people ask if selling a used guitar is to ask if there are any marks or scratches on it.

I think the main reason they do it is because you can get away with applying less finish which help keeps the guitar resonant. Don't quote me but I think I heard Alastair Atkin say its about half as much again to do a gloss finish 

kmajor

BowynMadley said:

kmajor said:

I just wish Atkin would offer a standard non aged finish. It seems to be a fashion to offer aged looking guitars but why !.
The first thing people ask if selling a used guitar is to ask if there are any marks or scratches on it.

I think the main reason they do it is because you can get away with applying less finish which help keeps the guitar resonant. Don't quote me but I think I heard Alastair Atkin say its about half as much again to do a gloss finish 

Yes there must be a reason for it. I assume it is harder to get a perfect gloss finish so this is a 'cheaper option' that doesn't require so much skill and attention.

menamestom

kmajor said:

BowynMadley said:

kmajor said:

I just wish Atkin would offer a standard non aged finish. It seems to be a fashion to offer aged looking guitars but why !.
The first thing people ask if selling a used guitar is to ask if there are any marks or scratches on it.

I think the main reason they do it is because you can get away with applying less finish which help keeps the guitar resonant. Don't quote me but I think I heard Alastair Atkin say its about half as much again to do a gloss finish 

Yes there must be a reason for it. I assume it is harder to get a perfect gloss finish so this is a 'cheaper option' that doesn't require so much skill and attention.

With nitro, you would just have to keep building until there’s enough lacquer to make a flat finish, after surviving the sanding and buffing phase.  I think it would just be more time consuming and very slightly detrimental to the top movement. Having played a few for the first time recently it completely makes sense to me, they feel like old well worn in guitars.  It wouldn’t take more skill I don’t think, but definitely more time, which may include a longer cure time.

I was watching how Furch do it recently, which was very interesting.  It is by automated robotics using a UV cured lacquer which means they can build very thin layers up quickly to have a flat finish, which can then be buffed quickly to the level of gloss required.  

BowynMadley

kmajor said:

BowynMadley said:

kmajor said:

I just wish Atkin would offer a standard non aged finish. It seems to be a fashion to offer aged looking guitars but why !.
The first thing people ask if selling a used guitar is to ask if there are any marks or scratches on it.

I think the main reason they do it is because you can get away with applying less finish which help keeps the guitar resonant. Don't quote me but I think I heard Alastair Atkin say its about half as much again to do a gloss finish 

Yes there must be a reason for it. I assume it is harder to get a perfect gloss finish so this is a 'cheaper option' that doesn't require so much skill and attention.

Id say finishing takes as much skill as building the actual guitar. You can build a light, well balanced and resonant guitar that could easily be ruined by applying too much finish to achieve that perfect gloss finish. 

Just so you know though Atkin do offer a mirror finish on all models as a custom option. Almost all Atkins available new from dealers are booked in a specced by said dealers. 

kmajor

Just so you know though Atkin do offer a mirror finish on all models as a custom option. Almost all Atkins available new from dealers are booked in a specced by said dealers. 

I wonder if this is a new option as a while back I did ask about a mirror finish and told not an option.

End of the day the sound of the standard Atkin is to me the main attraction and the finish not important, just a preference.

TheBigDipper

The finish on my new Cole Clark is thin nitro satin. I prefer the look of a plain guitar anyway, but I find it very pleasing to the touch, resonant and open-sounding. It feels like wood, whereas some glossy guitars feel like plastic to me, no matter how good they sound. 

Soupman

I'm with TheBigDipper here. No bling, satin finish.
 I saw one of those Atkin's with the 'aged' finish in GG a while ago. The salesman said a guy had tried it earlier but had ordered one without the aged finish. That would have been my choice too, but I'd need a wider nut - 43mm is too narrow.
 
 

PCT57

I have two Atkins. A E000 (mahogany)and a 00037 (rosewood) both having the lightly aged finish. I really like them and can be heard on my YouTube channel here https://youtube.com/@philtaylorguitar?si=fteQVLpVpVkal7MK

Phil

theatreanchor

PCT57 said:

I have two Atkins. A E000 (mahogany)and a 00037 (rosewood) both having the lightly aged finish. I really like them and can be heard on my YouTube channel here https://youtube.com/@philtaylorguitar?si=fteQVLpVpVkal7MK

Phil

Nice playing, Phil. 

thomasross20

PCT57 said:

I have two Atkins. A E000 (mahogany)and a 00037 (rosewood) both having the lightly aged finish. I really like them and can be heard on my YouTube channel here https://youtube.com/@philtaylorguitar?si=fteQVLpVpVkal7MK

Phil

Nice playing. I'm typically going for the mahogany nine times out of ten but that rosewood sounds great, too.