I've only built one redwood guitar(sinker redwood/cocobolo)but I really liked the sound of it, instead of me describing the tone........here is a review posted by a professional player(Jim Tozier) that test-drove the guitar for me, I thought it might be helpful for you as he is fairly detailed in expressing what he heard. Yes, there are always lots of variables, but I believe the redwood added a unique quality to the tone of this guitar.
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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.
Cheers,
Greg
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