Official Luthiers Forum!

Hesh, my fine Michigan bro, i just hope you always stay the same way, as humble as you are but after, let's say 15-20 guitars, just remember this bro, you really got what it takes to be there...

Serge

A Proulx - Mahogany and Red Spruce Dread...

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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for me, the first guitar that opened my eyes/ears to how great acoustics can be was a 20th anniversary cedar and rosewood by taylor. don't even know now if it was really that special, but the playability blew me away at the time.
a few years later i was in a great music store where i got to play santa cruz and martin, etc. but the best of the bunch by far were two beneteau's (at the time selling for only $2000 CAN) - one was engleman and rosewood, the other sitka (i think) and mahogany. kind of regret not buying one, but probably wouldn't have had the drive to try building if i would have bought one.
since then another great guitar was goodall's traditional OM - red spruce and rosewood. don't think i've ever played a guitar that was so "transparent" - on that guitar, the uniqueness of each players touch and desired sound would show up in spades.
phil

Wow - thanks for all the responses, Im carefully noting all the choices!
Cedar, hmmmmmm gotta source me some.
Cheers
Charliewood

Not including the E-2 Lance built for me (that will *always* be number 1), the best guitar I played was a 1935 D-28. It's beat to pieces, numerous cracks, thinned neck, replaced fingerboard, replaced bridge, butchered soundhole, neck "slipped" for reset back in the 70's... so many other problems that would make any collector cringe. But it's the epitome of a dreadnaught sound we all would appreciate, especially knowing what goes (and used to go at the Martin factory) into making these instruments.

Well, there was this Ovation that a buddy of mine used to own . . . just kidding!

This is a great question and one that I find surprisingly hard to answer. I've played a lot of very nice guitars over the years, only a couple of which I've actually owned, and each one had its own sort of endearing qualities. But if I had to choose one, it would be the '74 "churchdoor" Rodriguez that Pepe Romero owned (and most likely still does). Euro spruce top with 400-year-old Brazilian rw back/sides from a door that came from a deconsecrated Spanish church (hence the designation). It's the only guitar I recall playing that could be loud, bold and brassy, yet with nothing more than a slight change in right hand position, was transformed into sweetness and warmth.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

I build classical and flamenco guitars but also collect historic classical guitars.

I have seen and heard alot of Torres guitars and have twice had a chance to play a Torres. There are so many other classical guitars that can look like a Torres but I have never heard a classical guitar that moved me as much as a Torres.

For me Torres is the Strad of guitars and like strad's are priceless no matter what the price.

Of the instruments in my collection I regularly a Lacote terz guitar (610mm) but the best sounding guitar I have is a Panormo which while a small body has an amazingly loud voice with a rich tone and excellent separation of notes with a consistent voice across all registers.

In my building of classical guitars I aim to get a sound that is Spanish with the sound of a Torres and to that end am not tempted to try the smallman and other approaches to increase volume at the price of the voice of the instrument.

I'll always remember an OM in Indian/Sitka that one of my students made. Somehow the tone was just 'there' the minute the strings went on, and it only got better. I threatened to knock him over the head and switch labels.

One of my favorites of the ones I've made was a 12-fret 000 cutaway in quilt mahogany and Englemann for Chuck Brodsky. It was light, and just a great 'dancing partner'; moving anywhere I wanted almst before I knew I'd thought of it.   

[QUOTE=Shawn] I build classical and flamenco guitars but also collect historic classical guitars.

I have seen and heard alot of Torres guitars and have twice had a chance to play a Torres. There are so many other classical guitars that can look like a Torres but I have never heard a classical guitar that moved me as much as a Torres.

For me Torres is the Strad of guitars and like strad's are priceless no matter what the price.

Of the instruments in my collection I regularly a Lacote terz guitar (610mm) but the best sounding guitar I have is a Panormo which while a small body has an amazingly loud voice with a rich tone and excellent separation of notes with a consistent voice across all registers.

In my building of classical guitars I aim to get a sound that is Spanish with the sound of a Torres and to that end am not tempted to try the smallman and other approaches to increase volume at the price of the voice of the instrument.[/QUOTE]

Shawn, I can't help but agree with everything you say, I've played a couple of Panormos from the RCM museum and quite a few other guitars of a similar era and they have a sweetness of tone (as I said above) that is just sublime.

I've never been lucky enough to play a Torres (so I'm having to build one!) but I have heard my wife play the Vioti Stradivarius, and the diference between it and a very good violin by another maker is suble but there, I guess the same with Torres. The Romanillos book on him has (at Joshuas insistance) become my bible.

Can I add that I've also played origial Brunner and Venere lutes and they also had that magical tone, I think a lot of it has to do with the very thin 200+ year old Euro tops on them. This is a subject (which Joshua knows) I can go on about for a very long time!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Serge I have to agree with you. I think that everyone that played the Heshtone loved it. Brings back some fond memories.
Bobc39040.2861921296

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Thanks Bob!

Best regards to you and Mom Rosie!

Serge