Woody guitar thick trebles expensive

Subject: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 09:31 PM

Looking for ideas on guitars that sound thick and woody and are not in any way bright. Good note definition. Price not an issue. Preferably more expensive. That weeds out the lesser guitars to a certain degree. That said, the only example I have of a guitar that I find somewhat interesting is by Ted Thomspon of western Canada.

Any suggestions.

thanks,

Stuart

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 09:34 PM

PS (first time on this site, don't know how to edit), I play fingerstyle only and love elizabeth cotton music and that sort of stuff.

Stuart

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: cptsnapper
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 12:51 AM

As a matter of interest what sort of strings & bridge pins do you use. It's just that when I got my guitar - a Thornbory - it was too woody & thick sounding for my taste but I got what I wanted by using brass pins & 80/20 or 85/15 strings so I was wondering if looking at that sort of change albeit in reverse might help you.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 03:59 AM

Simple! Forget flat tops and look for something carved with "F" holes - possibly one of the vintage Gibsons (also with round holes) if you can cope with the size of the neck.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 07:28 AM

Lowden.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Grab
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 09:02 AM

Lowdens are about the brightest, most jangly guitar you're ever likely to meet, so *not* Lowdens!

I've played a Guild which exactly matched what you described - thumping clean woody basses, but trebles a bit lacking. Try one of those, maybe. Or for woodiness, if you're in the States then you might be able to get hold of Tacomas - they've got a nice woody sound to them.

A good Gibson will work. Mind you, there seem to be quite a few uninspired Gibsons out there, so make sure you get one of the good ones. Also Gibsons tend to have a large markup over other makes, which is often unjustified by instrument quality. Or you might look at Collings or any of the high-end Martin-alikes.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: redsnapper
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 09:18 AM

For the sound you say you like I think you could do no better than a Manzer, made by Linda Manzer of Toronto. Not at all cheap and a long waiting list but one of her archtops (she does flattops too) would be my dream guitar.

I agree with Grab that a good old Gibson could also meet the requirement.

RS

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Midchuck
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 09:27 AM

Martin "15 series" (all mahogany, even the tops).

Also try swapping out bone or plastic bridge pins for wood ones - ebony, rosewood, boxwood are all available.

Peter

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 07 Jun 07 - 03:46 PM

"Lowdens are about the brightest, most jangly guitar you're ever likely to meet, so *not* Lowdens!"

You obviously haven't heard mine Grab! Very, very woody, very, very loud, great note definition.

I don't believe that "Not in any way bright" and "Great note definition" are elements that can live together. "Not in any way bright" means "dull" or "lacking attack" to my ears. "Great note definition" for me means "moderately bright with good attack".

That's my Lowden, very woody with great note definition.

But that's just my opinion. Others may, and almost certainly (knowing the way things go around the 'Cat!) differ.   :-) :-)

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Jun 07 - 03:24 AM

Curious. I think of Lowden as "ringing, with rich harmonics, bell-like". Certainly neither jangly or bright, nor woody or muddy.

For woody, try a good tailpiece acoustic. Maybe a Hagstrom J-45 (tailpiece version) or any of the gipsy-jazz "petit-bouche" copies around at the moment. Designed to let you hear every note that Django played, so by defintion definition is what they are all about.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 08 Jun 07 - 05:02 AM

It certainly rings Richard, maybe my 'woody' is your 'bell-like'. Different ears, fella!   :-)

My point really was that there has to be some brightness to achieve note definition. 'Thick' and 'Not in any way bright' just dont seem to equate to 'Great note definition' to me.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Grab
Date: 08 Jun 07 - 08:31 AM

I guess Lowden-ness depends on the Lowden! :-) The cedar ones do tend to be less bright, and mahogany tones it down a bit too. But I like the attack of my O32. Maybe "jangly" was too much, and there is plenty of woody sound in there, but it rings out very bright.

Best recommendation to Guest Stuart is just to find a good guitar shop and have a look around!

Graham.

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: mrmoe
Date: 08 Jun 07 - 08:56 AM

I play an old G-70 rosewood Gallagher which is extremely loud and bright and a 1964 Gibson built Epiphone Eldorado which has a wonderful 40 year old mahogany sound....but for recording, I often like the clear and balanced sound of a Larravee OM-03....it's not too bright and its bass and mid-range are very easily handled without eq "touch up".....it fails one of your parameters however; it's not expensive.....

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 01:38 AM

And I'm sure we can agree that a Lowden fits one of the requirements very well - they're expensive!

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Grab
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 05:54 AM

Too true! :-)

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Willie-O
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 08:02 AM

Hi Stuart:
I don't understand the "more expensive is better" given the other criteria. I'm thinking you want a mahogany-body double or triple O size, and they are not especially pricey.

Like this Guild M-20 (search for that down the page),
http://www.12fret.com/used/index.html

--that one is sold but I think it'd be about right. Maybe there's more out there.

Martin made an actual Libba Cotten model, logically that's what you want, perhaps. Search for "Martin Elizabeth Cotten". It seems to be a 00-18 style, all-mahogany body. (Course hers was a lefty)

Don't worry about one not being expensive enough if it seems right for you--by the time you pay for shipping and duties, it will be expensive enough to satisfy anyone!

W-O

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Willie-O
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 08:16 AM

Also, you might like a 60's Gibson B25. Small bodied rather unheralded Gibson, mahogany body & spruce top. Nice folkie sound.
I was pretty tempted to buy one I found a few years ago.


Here's some opinions.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Gibson/B25/10/1

W-O

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: GUEST,Mr Gloomypredictions
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 10:40 AM

" Price not an issue. Preferably more expensive. "

just the kind of mentality US Guitar Industry thrives on
in its doomed struggle to compete for survival

Subject: RE: Woody guitar thick trebles expensive
From: Mooh
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 02:15 PM

Willie-O...Regarding the B25 Gibson, that's exactly what I was thinking as I read down the thread! I regret dealing mine (or regret needing the Kraft Dinner or whatever I sold it for at the time). Since then I've had a small body mahogany and spruce guitar made by Josh House (www.houseguitars.com) which has similar characteristics, intentionally, though maybe not quite as much thump without "bluegrass" strings.

"Woodiness" can be a function of strings, nut, saddle, pins, even set-up on certain guitars, so it pays to experiment.

I agree with Guest too, Ted Thompson guitars have it, and I've played a few which excelled in every other way too.

Peace, Mooh.