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Post by sweyne1 on Mar 13, 2014 9:48:15 GMT
Alan, have a great day with Roger. I hope to be visiting him myself in the next few weeks to collect a new guitar. Isn't the waiting torture! Brian So you're part of the reason for the 12/14 months lead time he quoted ? You should be ashamed of yourself.
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Post by sweyne1 on Mar 9, 2014 18:15:32 GMT
Help! A wait of a few weeks is agony - 12/14 months sounds very painful - but worth it on the basis of all I've seen and heard. Good to know a classy guitar maker has a decent quantity of cedar on the go - sadly lacking in the lower budget standard shop stock where 90% of tops are spruce, and 9% mahogany. Congratulations! Thanks VB. As I said, maybe he says 12/14 months to everyone as the very worst case scenario. You never know, I might get a phone call before Christmas saying ................. come and get it. Or maybe not.
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Post by sweyne1 on Mar 7, 2014 9:32:44 GMT
Young man ? In name only Leo. You're right ewh. Cedar/sapele does sound lovely (and looks lovely as well, far nicer in the wood than the website pictures).
The lead time is 12/14 months i'm afraid. Roger did say it may be less so maybe the 12/14 was preparing me for the worst. With such a small operation (he currently has two lads working for him) he has to be as organised as possible trying to maximise output. On the day I was there he said he'd actually had 4 orders that day (I think that was apart from mine).
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Post by sweyne1 on Mar 6, 2014 18:33:22 GMT
On another thread posted a short while ago I explained that, when ordering a new guitar Roger Bucknall gave me a tour of his workshop. In the mezzanine where he keeps his stock of wood the humidity level was 41%. He said as long as it's below 50% (may have been 55) he's happy.
Someone else suggested dehumidifiers. Even the disposable ones pick up a hell of a lot of water. With a humidity measuring thingy (what are they called ?) I imagine that would be a cheap and cheerful way of controlling the damp.
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Post by sweyne1 on Mar 6, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
Tuesday for me was not a NGD day but a NOGD day. That's Newly Ordered Guitar Day. After trying a number of guitars late last year I spent a good while thinking about it and finally decided that i'd go for a Fylde Alexander. Back in this thread I explained that I visited Keith to try his Alexander which obviously impressed me a lot. After trying Keith’s guitar I had in mind the standard cedar/sapele mix (finance dictated no rosewood as per Keith’s guitar), a 45mm nut width and I was seriously thinking about a clean, no inlay fingerboard plus the longer scale length both of which Keith had specified. I visited Roger’s workshop on 4th March. Roger had said I could try out any guitar available at the time but didn’t think there’d be many, maybe not even an Alexander. He actually had seven guitars on display. One was a nylon string but I tried all six others numerous times over the best part of two hours. There was an Alexander (cedar/sapele – 43mm nut), a Leonardo (cedar/maple – 44), an Ariel (cedar/rosewood - 46), an Orsino (cedar/mahogany - 45), a Ken Nichol (cedar/rosewood - 45) and another Orsino, I think, (sitka/rosewood - 45). It was great to hear the different sounds from the different wood combinations and also feel the difference the nut widths made, not from memory but by being able to bounce back and fore between each guitar numerous times to confirm. Also it was great to be able to compare scale lengths. Four of the others were 648 with the Alexander being 629. Not a completely even comparison I know because the Alex has a slightly shorter body than the others but the comfort of the short scale made me opt to stick to that. With the nut widths the end result was that I asked Roger for the 44 mm nut as the Leonardo felt the most comfortable. I also asked him for the Headway FEQ plus I wanted some customization to make it ‘my’ guitar. So I opted for rosewood to replace the black on the headstock plus the abalone diamond inlays as per the Leonardo. One other benefit, which I wasn’t expecting, from having six guitars to try was that they all had slightly different neck profiles and, when I mentioned how comfortable the combination of the 44 mm nut and neck profile on the Leonardo was Roger just got out his trusty whatchamacallit, measured the Leonardo neck and said that’s what I’ll do on your guitar. Thinking back I suppose it felt quite ‘electric’. Some may be put off by that but the most important thing to me was which is the best to play. That’s what it’s all about after all. Roger was fantastic. He just left me to it, answered any questions I came up with, offered advice and then, before I left, asked if I’d like a quick tour of the workshop. Yes was the obvious answer. You can tell from his enthusiasm that he just loves what he does. I can’t imagine him stopping until he’s unable to do it any more. That will be a very, very sad day for people who love guitars. Now all i've got to do is wait. And wait. And wait. But it'll be worth it. One very happy bunny. John
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Post by sweyne1 on Jan 19, 2014 16:59:13 GMT
Must have been a good song.
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Post by sweyne1 on Jan 3, 2014 16:59:42 GMT
My Freshman Apollo 3OC was £440 when I bought it. Slightly over the top of your budget but including very good electrics (if you need them). All Freshmans appear very good value and quality for the money. Well worth trying.
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Post by sweyne1 on Dec 21, 2013 9:20:42 GMT
For any of you who may have thought about buying this mag, in the current Acoustic on page 89 there's an advert offering a free copy of the mag. Merry Christmas everyone. John
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Post by sweyne1 on Dec 10, 2013 9:18:41 GMT
Strewth. That's cheap looking at the spec. Even a bone nut and saddle.
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Post by sweyne1 on Nov 29, 2013 18:01:39 GMT
An update. I visited Jonny Kinkead as planned. I tried three guitars, the two Kingsdowns I mentioned (RW and MH) plus a Westbury (the model reviewed in Acoustic which had great reviews). The Westbury was easily my favourite. I then tried the Moon 0001 in Hobgoblin. I knew it was a non starter even before I tried it (size, wood etc) but decided i'd go there as it's only around the corner from Jonny. Then I visited Keith and Viv. After a lovely welcome, including a cup of tea, Keith took me into the next room where he'd displayed all his guitars. How nice is that. Six in total from memory. The Fylde Alexander was the specific guitar I wanted to try and I wasn't disappointed. It was lovely. And some of Keith's criteria for the guitar build were what i'd already just about decided I wanted. RW back and sides, no dot inlays on the fingerboard (Keith has a Celtic knot at the 12th fret) and a wider nut (Keith's is 45 mm which felt really nice). And one or two of Keith's other ideas also struck a chord ( ). The marquetry and purfling lines (to delineate between the RW biding and the RW back and sides - correct me if my memory gets it wrong Keith). Also the RW headstock veneer in place of black. It's all shown in Keith's pictures in the Reviews section. Then yesterday I visited Intersound and met Steve. What a really good bloke. Happy to chat probably all day if some dreaded customers hadn't come in. In all I tried the Brook Taw, the Tamar, Atkin 00 and the Toon Lansdown. I tried the Atkin simply because it was there. It was a 12 fretter so I knew I wouldn't want it but thought it would give me a flavour of his guitars. The Toon also. It was an 00 and smaller than I wanted but well worth trying because it was there. They didn't compare with the Brooks for what I was looking for. Also, even though I imagined I would like the Taw the most I really preferred the Tamar. With the Taw I found my arm slipping over the lower bout whereas the larger lower bout of the Tamar gave my arm more solid support. And the back and sides were American Red Gum (I have got that right haven't I ?). It was gorgeous. I can't say that I understand what difference it makes to the sound but it looked fantastic. One thing i'll say to echo what others have said is that the standard of build was brilliant with both guitars. And as far as I can tell with my untrained eye, consistent. Just two guitars I know but still. As i'm looking for an all rounder the end result of all that is that there were three guitars that stood out for me. Jonny Kinkead's Westbury, Keith's Alexander and the Brook Tamar. And the one that I enjoyed playing and listening to (not to mention looking at) the most is the Alexander. So, my thinking cap is currently on and i'll come back with more news as and when. John
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Post by sweyne1 on Nov 21, 2013 14:15:10 GMT
Johnny let me see if I have something suitable in my archive, I have lots of DADGAD arrangements which haven't seen the light of day, some of which as a result of being too basic PS Thanks Chaps for the kind words! Did anything come of this Mark ? I have been playing guitar for a long time but, when you try out a new tuning it's almost like starting from scratch, so the simpler the better really. John
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Post by sweyne1 on Nov 17, 2013 9:39:44 GMT
Thanks Robbie and EWH. Personal recommendations are always best whatever you buy.
John
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Post by sweyne1 on Nov 16, 2013 18:24:18 GMT
Just checked the Intersound site and there's a good selection which I will try, albeit no Fylde's so your offer of trying yours is so kind. I so very much appreciate the offer. I will certainly pm you. John
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Post by sweyne1 on Nov 16, 2013 16:42:53 GMT
Many thanks for the responses all. Regarding Jonny Kinkead Keith, he said he's got several demo guitars to try including two Kingsdowns (one RW, one MH) which is the size of guitar i'm probably going to end up with (you never know until you try them though, yes ?). I did ring Hobgoblin in Bristol as I said. They have one Moon in the shop (a 0001) but none of the Fyldes. EWH - I'm planning to visit Brook week after next. Everything i've read and seen via Youtube is good. I would like to visit lots of shops and try lots of guitars Dave but, in the process half my fund would disappear ( ). And my fund, even before that, wouldn't stretch to one of your guitars i'm afraid. Maybe next time. Just keep strumming. John
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Post by sweyne1 on Nov 16, 2013 9:53:37 GMT
Many people have said, if you try a guitar in a shop and like it buy that one, don't order a similar one because it will almost certainly sound different from the one you tried. This applies to factory produced guitars. My question is about handbuilt guitars. Many of you have visited, say Brook for example, tried a Tamar and ordered one to be built for you. It's the same situation. You only get to try your guitar when you receive it months later. How are you sure it will sound the same ? Now i'll try to answer my own question. Andy and Simon at Brook know exactly how a Tamar should look, sound and feel. They'll tap tune the top, shave it a bit, tap, shave, tap, shave and so on till it's right and then use it for the guitar. And you end up with a Tamar which is a virtual clone of the original. Which is what you want.
Is it as simple as that ? It must be, I suppose, because how else would you be sure of getting the guitar you want.
And another question, if I may, about Hobgoblin in Bristol. I'm calling over to see Jonny Kinkead soon and was planning on visiting Hobgoblin. I checked the site and there are, apparently, 3 Moons and 3 Fylde guitars for sale. Then I checked the other stores and the same guitars are advertised in them all. So maybe none of then are actually in Bristol (i'll be ringing them after 10 when they're open to find out). What's the point of that ?
John
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