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Post by surfguy13 on Apr 10, 2021 16:27:58 GMT
Hi Everyone I recently started a thread asking for advice here: acousticsoundboard.co.uk/thread/12529/any-ideas-suggestions-acousticGot some really helpful feedback and lots of ideas. Several people suggested a luthier built guitar and after a great deal of thought I think this might be the right direction to go in. There is one option which I love but which would stretch me a little and this other option which would stretch me A LOT! However, the draw of Brazilian Rosewood back and sides is quite strong. This guitar was built by a Hungarian Luthier called Geza Burghardt who moved from Hungary to Vancouver in the 90s I think and makes mainly (VERY expensive) classical guitars, violins and double basses. I saw a guitar that Geza built in 2005 for sale fairly close to where I live and although I haven't been able to get over and see it yet I have had several long chats with the guy who is selling it. This guitar seems to have been a sort of showcase guitar by the looks of things and other than custom orders, this appears to be the only stock steel strung guitar he has made. It's an OM which I think would suit me very well indeed and is 50 year old European spruce and rosewood back and sides. This is the guitar: www.gezaburghardt.com/image/guitars/image_57You can scroll through quite a few images of the guitar by clicking on the thumbnails. This is the home page of his website: www.gezaburghardt.com/I guess I am unsure how wise it would be to shell out a great deal of money, around £2950, on this guitar assuming that I really like it when I try it. I have fairly debilitating arthritis as it stands so it is possible that in 5-10 years time I may have to stop playing altogether. I wonder if I might be stuck with a guitar that I cannot sell as the maker is probably fairly unknown in Europe? However, personally I think it is great value given the quality of the woods. I am also blown away by the quality of the workmanship, all totally by hand I believe, and the quality of the tuners (Rogers) which are also handmade and £600 for a set!! Any views would be very welcome indeed! Guy
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Post by oustudent on Apr 10, 2021 17:55:25 GMT
50-year-old spruce is only a baby, I have three guitars sitting in front of me and without getting off my chair I can count at least 150 growth rings on my Spruce tops.
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Post by oustudent on Apr 10, 2021 17:57:13 GMT
Where is it located, are you aware that BRW is banned from importing into the UK?
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Post by surfguy13 on Apr 10, 2021 18:00:01 GMT
Where is it located, are you aware that BRW is banned from importing into the UK? He doesn't have a Cities certificate, first thing I asked, and so am unsure as to thew status of the guitar in the UK. However, as far as I am aware its only an issue if you wish to export out of the UK but I could be wrong!
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,321
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Post by colins on Apr 10, 2021 18:08:53 GMT
Geza Burghardt always had a very good reputation among North American guitar builders, but I would echo the warning about trying to bring a BRW guitar into the UK without Cities paperwork.
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Post by surfguy13 on Apr 10, 2021 18:32:45 GMT
Geza Burghardt always had a very good reputation among North American guitar builders, but I would echo the warning about trying to bring a BRW guitar into the UK without Cities paperwork. Good to know that he has a good reputation! Yes, the first thing I asked was if he had a Cities certificate. I really don't know anything about the regulations and it is extremely helpful to have that point raised before I consider further. The guy that is selling it is in his 70s and seems very genuine but he was not the original owner; he bought it off the original owner (resident in the UK) who had bought a classical and this OM from Geza Burghardt. If he'd shipped it to the UK without a certificate then I'm guessing it falls into the 'don't touch it with a bargepole' category?!
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minorkey
C.O.G.
Too many instruments, too little time
Posts: 2,992
My main instrument is: hurting my fingers!
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Post by minorkey on Apr 10, 2021 18:38:39 GMT
That is a beauty!
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Post by oustudent on Apr 10, 2021 20:08:56 GMT
If you are only planning on having one guitar I would wait until all the guitar shops are open and have a good look around, play a few Martin, Collings, Atkin, Eastman, Yamaha, etc. Buying online and importing is always risky, there are some great looking guitars that play awful.
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Post by surfguy13 on Apr 11, 2021 6:40:57 GMT
If you are only planning on having one guitar I would wait until all the guitar shops are open and have a good look around, play a few Martin, Collings, Atkin, Eastman, Yamaha, etc. Buying online and importing is always risky, there are some great looking guitars that play awful. Very good advice! Yes, it is just starting to dawn on me that things should be opening up again and opportunities to go and try a guitar will once more be an option. Both in shops and, I assume, for private sales too? However, I noticed last night that Peach Music in Colchester, one of the largest retailers in the UK, had this notice up on their website. I was going to pop in and have a look around when I went to Ipswich to try the Geza Burghhardt: IMPORTANT: OPENING HOURS UPDATE Re-opening information from Peach Guitars. As you are all no doubt aware, all non-essential retail is allowed to reopen as of the 12th April. While this is fantastic, and certainly a move in the right direction, we have to assess whether or not it is safe and practical for us to reopen at this time. As such, we feel that the best way for us to continue trading for the foreseeable future is as we are now, online only. We have several members of staff who are considered vulnerable, and as it stands almost all of our team are yet to be vaccinated. We will return to operating an appointment system when we feel it is safe for us to do so. Another issue to consider is the difficulty in successfully sanitising guitars with a nitro finish. Due to the thin nature of nitro, it reacts badly with antibacterial wipes and sprays, causing damage and making it near impossible to disinfect after playing. This would require us to quarantine each guitar after every appointment and temporarily remove them for sale from our website. This would certainly cause issues with our online visibility, which is something we’re working hard to increase during these difficult trading times. We will do everything we can to return to an appointment system as soon as possible, we’re just trying to be as sensible and cautious as we can. We’ll keep you posted so make sure you keep an eye on our website and social media profiles.On the one hand this seems to make sense in light of what we've all had to go through in the past year but I just wonder if other stores will follow suit and stick with online sales only?
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Post by jackorion on Apr 11, 2021 9:25:01 GMT
My advice would be to not buy a one-off guitar from a builder you've no experience of without some extensive playing and inspection time, and possibly with the caveat that you could take it to a mutually agreed repair/setup person for assessment.
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Post by surfguy13 on Apr 11, 2021 12:15:19 GMT
My advice would be to not buy a one-off guitar from a builder you've no experience of without some extensive playing and inspection time, and possibly with the caveat that you could take it to a mutually agreed repair/setup person for assessment. That makes perfect sense. I do know the luthier who made one of the two guitars I was potentially interested in, and he is very happy for me to use the guitar for a few days before making a firm decision. I am also familiar with his work which is exceptional. I had never heard of Geza Burghardt before seeing this guitar advertised for sale and still know little or nothing about him. I would be the third owner of the guitar and it is now 16 years old which means that it will have seen some use and hopefully any major problems/issues with the guitar would have been resolved. However, the fact that it has no Cities certificate worries me on two levels; firstly because it should have one if it was imported into the UK after 2005 (I think that's correct?) and secondly because anyone who would build and export a guitar with Brazilian back and sides should have had the guitar certificated and if he did not, he's not really a shining example of a good luthier. I can only assume it must have been shipped to the UK and described as Indian rosewood/spruce.
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