Guitar you are most curious to try?

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by newton

I think that must be his 1960 Stella 12-string. We found out what it was, and then we never put anything back in this thread after we found out what he was playing.

Thanks for that link. I first heard that song done by Steve Mann and Will Scarlett. I'd say Bibb has got it.

[guitpl4evr]

Any of the Compsite Acoustics "OX" series

http://http://www.compositeacoustics...331/OX_365.asp

[Michael Watts]

Originally Posted by newton

The most intriguing guitar I have seen since Saturday would be:

http://www.travellerspoint.com/photo...tries/Bolivia/

...the 10-string Armadillo...

You've gotta admit, that's pretty intriguing. I've never played a dead animal before.

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Those are not guitars. They are called charangos.

Somewhere in the wires of the web there's doubtless a forum where dedicated charango players debate the relative merits of 9 or 6 banded armadillos, alternative options for the back and sides (my own charango is mahogany) and whether they sound better at 2000ft altitude!

[stratokatsu]

Having thought about this thread a little bit, I'd like to play a Henderson and see if I could even recognize what is special about them. I just don't know if I could come home happy to my own guitars after that.

[rockinrebel]

Santa Cruz OM/PW.

But I live near Savannah, Georgia and there probably isn't one within 200 miles of me.

[pappy27]

Would have to be a Petros.

Their website audio samples just drive me nuts. The actual guitar would probably sound even better and that is scary!

[jmagill]

I have two:

1. The 00 cutaway being built for me by John Slobod of Circa Guitars. See here.

2. My son Andrew and I were at Dream Guitars having a pickup installed in my new Bashkin 00. After spending a pleasant hour or so sampling a number of extraordinary instruments, including those by TJ Thompson, Matsuda, Tippin, Dudenbostel, some rare Martins, Traugott, Claxton, etc., just as we were leaving, owner Paul Heumiller pulled out his personal custom-made Somogyi, and Andrew began noodling on it while Al Petteway and I were talking.

When the first notes rolled out, I fell silent and immediately turned to see my son look up at me in astonishment. As he put it through its paces, with Paul beaming as he watched our reactions, I was simply speechless. In a matter of seconds, from eight feet away, I knew I was listening to one of the two or three most astounding guitars I'd ever heard, and those who have read my posts in this forum and others know that I am extremely stingy with such praise.

Andrew, a world-class Irish fiddler with a better ear than I have, shook his head and said, "This is the greatest guitar I've ever played." I was itching to try it myself, but we had to leave. For the record, the soundclips of this guitar at the Dream website, as good as they are, are rubbish, and nothing more than a pale reflection of what this guitar sounds like live.

I came back the next night for a house concert with Tony McManus, and brought along my picks to give the Somogyi a try, but on the drive out, I changed my mind. The last time I'd heard a guitar that affected me like that was at Gruhn's in Nashville when I tried a rosewood Martin 00 from the 20's-30's that I couldn't afford, and the sound haunted me for the next 25 years.

The Somogyi is a multiple five-figure guitar, far beyond my price range, and my aesthetic tastes tend to be simpler, plus, I really, really love my current guitars, so I decided to stay happy with what I've got, and not let that serpent into my Garden of Eden.

Still, every once in a while, I think I can hear its seductive voice in the back of my mind....

[montquisto]

as to my mind Klein was one of the only guys to really run with the Kasha-Schneider idea in steel-strings

The famed late guitar builder James D'Aquisto was also an advocate and did implement the Kasha-Schnieder principles in his steel stringed flat top guitars

[newton]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Thanks for that link. I first heard that song done by Steve Mann and Will Scarlett. I'd say Bibb has got it.

You are most welcome.

Eric Bibb definetly has "tone" when it comes to playing (anything). That 12-string sure does sound sweet though. No doubt about.

[Bridgepin]

I would love to try any of the hand builts, but I really would love to check out Stephen Stills personal D-45 not his sig. model but his personal guitar.......You know this thread may lead to some very bad GAS

[newton]

Originally Posted by Michael Watts

Somewhere in the wires of the web there's doubtless a forum where dedicated charango players debate the relative merits of 9 or 6 banded armadillos, alternative options for the back and sides (my own charango is mahogany) and whether they sound better at 2000ft altitude!

Not to mention the proper care and feeding necessary to achieve just the right thickness of the Armadillo's outer shell or husk prior to um, putting it down for that last big nap.

[Michael Watts]

Originally Posted by jmagill

I have two:

1. The 00 cutaway being built for me by John Slobod of Circa Guitars. See here.

2. My son Andrew and I were at Dream Guitars having a pickup installed in my new Bashkin 00. After spending a pleasant hour or so sampling a number of extraordinary instruments, including those by TJ Thompson, Matsuda, Tippin, Dudenbostel, some rare Martins, Traugott, Claxton, etc., just as we were leaving, owner Paul Heumiller pulled out his personal custom-made Somogyi, and Andrew began noodling on it while Al Petteway and I were talking.

When the first notes rolled out, I fell silent and immediately turned to see my son look up at me in astonishment. As he put it through its paces, with Paul beaming as he watched our reactions, I was simply speechless. In a matter of seconds, from eight feet away, I knew I was listening to one of the two or three most astounding guitars I'd ever heard, and those who have read my posts in this forum and others know that I am extremely stingy with such praise.

Andrew, a world-class Irish fiddler with a better ear than I have, shook his head and said, "This is the greatest guitar I've ever played." I was itching to try it myself, but we had to leave. For the record, the soundclips of this guitar at the Dream website, as good as they are, are rubbish, and nothing more than a pale reflection of what this guitar sounds like live.

I came back the next night for a house concert with Tony McManus, and brought along my picks to give the Somogyi a try, but on the drive out, I changed my mind. The last time I'd heard a guitar that affected me like that was at Gruhn's in Nashville when I tried a rosewood Martin 00 from the 20's-30's that I couldn't afford, and the sound haunted me for the next 25 years.

The Somogyi is a multiple five-figure guitar, far beyond my price range, and my aesthetic tastes tend to be simpler, plus, I really, really love my current guitars, so I decided to stay happy with what I've got, and not let that serpent into my Garden of Eden.

Still, every once in a while, I think I can hear its seductive voice in the back of my mind....

I can sympathise. Ervin's work is stunning and really leaves an impression on you!

[brazil66]

John How
Someotherguy (SP?)
Mulverhill

[IanS]

Originally Posted by jmagill

I have two:

...just as we were leaving, owner Paul Heumiller pulled out his personal custom-made Somogyi, and Andrew began noodling on it while Al Petteway and I were talking.

...

Fascinating. I've spent a lot of time thinking about guitar shapes, and subtleties of ergonomics (hence my great interest in the Doolin in the first post). I've come to the conclusion that a small-body 12-fret cutaway with a 25" scale is close to the perfect size for me. One of the key ergonomic measurements, IMHO, is the distance from the center of the upper bout slope (where the guitar sits on my leg) to the nut - I want that distance to be minimized. I had a guitar made with these specs, also getting a soft-V neck profile, and have been playing it for 18 months. My greatest beef with the guitar's ergonomics is the thickness of the neck on the bass side! I keep thinking that I should just get out a planer and just shave off large masses of wood. I never realized that anyone actually made an asymmetrical neck profile, but my instincts are that it is a really, really smart idea.

I'd love to try a guitar with these ergonomic specs, maybe even adding a side bevel and a double-cutaway. The ergoGitfiddle model.

Great post!