The LS Redwood topped E2 that Lance built for me is without a doubt the finest instrument I've ever had the pleasure of playing. When asked, I describe it as having the sweetness of Cedar and almost the exact same headroom as Spruce. If you're interested, I'll send you a copy of a recording of the E2 to have something to go by.

I'm currently building a OOO with redwood top (from Hank Mauel) and Cuban mahogany B&S. It takes a lot to make me build with anything other than Euro spruce! I'm even using redwood burl for the rosette. I don't like the curly type but good straight grained redwood is premium soundboard material.



Colin

I had a chance to meet with Greg last week, and he brought along the sinker redwood/cocobolo guitar, as well as the body shell of another guitar he’s working on so that he could explain the unique way he uses carbon fiber bracing to achieve a better sound. (Seeing this made it a lot easier for me to understand than just hearing about it!)

So that you have some context for my comments… I am also strictly fingerstyle, and I have a lighter touch than most players. Because of that, one of the things I look for in a guitar is responsiveness–I want a guitar that will “sing” with minimal effort on my part. If I have to dig in to the guitar a little harder to get to its tonal sweet spot, I won’t be able to play as relaxed and as smoothly as I would like. I also like guitars that have enough overtones and “character” to the sound to work well with slower, emotive phrasing, but enough volume and clarity to handle fast-paced jigs or some of my more groove-oriented original tunes. Finally, because I don’t use a thumbpick, I like rich, full bass notes… but I don’t want them to overpower the melody, so I also need bright, clear trebles. To avoid a slightly muddy sound, I also prefer that the mids are subdued ever so slightly so that those frequencies play more of a supporting role, rather than a “honking,” in-your-face kind of tone. So that’ll give you an idea of what I like my guitars to sound like, ideally.

The Gwaltney guitar delivers ALL of that. In fact, I told Greg after I had a chance to play the sinker/coco 000-13 for a while, that I would rank its tone/sound among the top dozen guitars I’ve ever played–which includes several examples from builders like Kevin Ryan, James Olson, and many other well-established luthiers. The sound of this guitar is as good as–if not better–than all of them.

I think Greg’s design–with the cantilevered fretboard and the carbon bracing (and he can explain much better than I ever could how these features work)–plays a big part in why the guitar is so lively and responsive. The top is less restricted than in a conventional design, and I think it’s really easy to hear the difference in the way it resonates. The first thing I noticed when I played the guitar was how nice the bass sounded, and how easy it was to coax big notes out of the guitar. In many guitars with this kind of bass response, the treble strings can be overpowered–but not so on the Gwaltney. I found it very easy to achieve a nice balance, with the bass notes supporting the melody. What I really liked about this was how full the bass sounded, and how much sustain the notes had; they really filled the bottom end out so that the melody always had support.

Obviously, tone and sound are very subjective… and what is ideal for one player may not work all that well for another. That’s why I tried to give you an idea of what I look for. If your style is similar, I can’t imagine that you won’t absolutely love the sound of this guitar. If you play with a thumbpick and tend to play rather aggressively, or if you like that honking mid-range kind of sound, I still think you’ll like the guitar–it just might not “blow you away” the same way it did for me. It’s hard to say, though… I didn’t try it with a thumbpick and a really aggressive style, so it’s always possible it could sound even better that way!

To give you another idea of how much I liked the sound of this guitar… as a result of the “test drive,” I’m now having Greg build a guitar for me! Honestly, I would love to own this guitar… and I can’t imagine that you won’t be just as thrilled with it.

I'm coming up to my next build and am trying to decide what top to build with.

My first is a EIR/Adirondack OM. My next will (most likely) be a cocobolo & something OM . I'd like to build a guitar with a warmer tone than my first for fingerstyle playing. (I love the first, but it can be almost jangly & raw in the trebles. Great for the blues.) I'm leaning toward redwood cause I've heard it can have a better base response than cedar...don't know if that's wrong.

Would redwood (probably) give me that warm tone I'm looking for?

Also, is there (generally) a difference in tone between curly redwood & straight grain?

Thanks for your help.

Jonathan, what pickup system are you running in the Lowden?

Filippo

Greg, I don't think I have seen your guitars before, they are stunning!!!