A.J. Lucas Pavillion Sweep, Spruce and Wenge
Mar 31, 2016 17:41:20 GMT
leoroberts and Riverman like this
Post by Cams on Mar 31, 2016 17:41:20 GMT
Great posts Andy. Thanks for putting them up.
What was really interesting to me about Adrian's guitars is that, visually, they didn't really float my boat at all. I thought I knew exactly what I liked in a guitar, so being smitten as I was by the Pavilion 12 Sweep in Euro spruce and American cherry came as a big surprise. And that big surprise is what has led me ultimately to buying the guitar. I liked it too much for me to let it get away and the price for what it is was also a big surprise. I'd have expected closer to £4k for an instrument of this calibre. I'm sure that's something Adrian has thought long and hard about. It reminds me of my other European keeper, my Heiner Dreizehnter Model A. It too was very reasonably priced and I consider myself to have got a real bargain with that at EUR 2600. Although it it had've been £4k, I wouldn't have been able to buy it so perhaps pricing wise Adrian's found his sweet spot.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the process of choosing a luthier and then size and tonewoods. I went through this with my Kim Walker a couple of years ago, all over email and with audio recordings of my playing. As with you, Kim came up with the size and woods and I'm delighted with what he built for me. But my Walker is set up for a heavy guitar pick and medium gauge strings; so is my Santa Cruz Vintage Artist. The closest I have to an all rounded is the Dreizehnter and it's a delight, but it's not a fingerstyle instrument. Enter the Lucas! I'm back down on Kim's build list but I'm at least five years out. My gig money all gets saved up in my guitar pot and I figure I'm as well putting that money into a beautiful guitar because five years is a long time and I'd rather be playing something different in the meantime. Although, having said that, I did the same thing with the Santa Cruz, but I just couldn't part with it when Walker time came.
Oh, and the visuals? Once I'd heard and played the Pavilion, my perspective on how it looked completely changed. This happened to me once before, with a Gibson J200. It was one that got away.
So, I wasn't in the market for a new guitar and wasn't particularly moved by how Adrian's guitars looked. I thought I was a sitka or Adirondack guy; I loved traditional builds, you know? – rosewood, mahogany, maple. But American cherry? Are you kidding me? That's not for me.
Then I played it. Just shows how one's preconceptions can be broken, and that's a good thing. I'm pleased that I was open minded enough to try Adrian's guitars properly and even more pleased that I've decided to bring one home. It'll be in good company!
What was really interesting to me about Adrian's guitars is that, visually, they didn't really float my boat at all. I thought I knew exactly what I liked in a guitar, so being smitten as I was by the Pavilion 12 Sweep in Euro spruce and American cherry came as a big surprise. And that big surprise is what has led me ultimately to buying the guitar. I liked it too much for me to let it get away and the price for what it is was also a big surprise. I'd have expected closer to £4k for an instrument of this calibre. I'm sure that's something Adrian has thought long and hard about. It reminds me of my other European keeper, my Heiner Dreizehnter Model A. It too was very reasonably priced and I consider myself to have got a real bargain with that at EUR 2600. Although it it had've been £4k, I wouldn't have been able to buy it so perhaps pricing wise Adrian's found his sweet spot.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the process of choosing a luthier and then size and tonewoods. I went through this with my Kim Walker a couple of years ago, all over email and with audio recordings of my playing. As with you, Kim came up with the size and woods and I'm delighted with what he built for me. But my Walker is set up for a heavy guitar pick and medium gauge strings; so is my Santa Cruz Vintage Artist. The closest I have to an all rounded is the Dreizehnter and it's a delight, but it's not a fingerstyle instrument. Enter the Lucas! I'm back down on Kim's build list but I'm at least five years out. My gig money all gets saved up in my guitar pot and I figure I'm as well putting that money into a beautiful guitar because five years is a long time and I'd rather be playing something different in the meantime. Although, having said that, I did the same thing with the Santa Cruz, but I just couldn't part with it when Walker time came.
Oh, and the visuals? Once I'd heard and played the Pavilion, my perspective on how it looked completely changed. This happened to me once before, with a Gibson J200. It was one that got away.
So, I wasn't in the market for a new guitar and wasn't particularly moved by how Adrian's guitars looked. I thought I was a sitka or Adirondack guy; I loved traditional builds, you know? – rosewood, mahogany, maple. But American cherry? Are you kidding me? That's not for me.
Then I played it. Just shows how one's preconceptions can be broken, and that's a good thing. I'm pleased that I was open minded enough to try Adrian's guitars properly and even more pleased that I've decided to bring one home. It'll be in good company!
Jo whoever he is.
