1. The Sound. I have to believe the builder can produce the target voice I want that will have my ears melting in ecstasy. I'm driven to own a few of that small handful of the greatest guitars I've ever heard. I call them 'Exceptional' because they are the exception, not the rule, and are quite rare. My standards for The Sound are my own, of course, but I think I'm a pretty good judge of quality, and anything less than this won't hold my interest. All other build choices are in service to this goal and I usually follow my luthier's advice to get us there, including their recommended woods, body size, 12 or 14-fret neck, etc. If it's got The Sound, everything else is really a secondary consideration, but I usually also like a cutaway and a rounded V neck profile. All my guitars have necks based on a 1937 Martin.
There are always points in every build where I'm asked to choose between options that have no effect on The Sound, like do I prefer rosewood or ebony binding?, so I'll pick one, but The Sound is all that really matters to me. As long as it has that, I can make everything else work, and if it doesn't have it, I'll move the guitar and try again with someone else.
It's the quest for Excalibur, and if you're persistent, and know The Sound when you hear it, you might find a few in a lifetime of playing.
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Jim Magill
Director, The Swannanoa Gathering
Guitars:'07 Circa OM, '09 Bashkin 00-12fret, '10 Circa 00 12-fret, '17 Buendia Jumbo, '17 Robbins R.1, '19 Doerr Legacy Select, '12 Collings 000-28H Koa. Pre-War guitars: '20 0-28, '22 00-28, '22 000-28. Mandolins: '09 Heiden Heritage F5, '08 Poe F5 , 1919 Gibson F-4, '80 Monteleone Grand Artist mandolin, '83 Monteleone GA (oval),'85 Sobell cittern.
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