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For anyone who followed my recent Holst laminate sale, you may have read that I sold it because I came across this Andersen with specs that suit the post-RSI coolvinny a bit better. So...here she is...
This is Fresh Fish #23 from Steven Andersen's website. He has photos there for those who want to see them, but they make it appear much more red than its real colour, which is more on the brown side.
This is a prototype guitar by Steve in that the top plate is a maple/maple/NOMEX/maple/maple 5-ply laminate. The rest of the guitar is his regular maple 5-ply laminate. He says the Nomex makes for a stiffer top plate which is lighter.
I don't do techno mumbo jumbo...but let me tell you, this is one sweet guitar.
Specs:
- fancy newfangled top plate as discussed above
- 1.75" nut width
- 16" bout x 3" deep
- 24.9" scale
- Lollar Imperial (standard wind) humbucker
Thoughts:
- incredibly light! I cannot believe how light it is.
- loud enough to practice acoustically
- very 'responsive' - might this be the Nomex?
- on the flip side, the sound is a bit 'tight' above the 12th fret...I have to alter my pick attack up there at least to how I approached the Holst (which had a shorter scale). I'm still figuring this out., but I rarely play more than a few notes past the 12th so this is not a biggie, especially if the price I pay for this is to get much more responsiveness throughout the rest of the neck...which I am getting.
- flawless fit/finish
- side dots are a bit small
- I love its low-key look - nobody looks twice at it. Totally my style.
- came with a nice Cedar Creek case. Not sure I trust this guy in a gig bag unless I'm literally walking somewhere, taking my guitar out to play, then walking home.
I picked this up for a special price. They are normally $5,800 which is a lot of money for a guitar. Of course, if you're willing to pay $4,475 for a Sadowsky Jim Hall then, as good as those guitars are, I think it is worth thinking about getting a guitar that is built by one man (who happens to be about as good as luthiers get!). Anyway, I got this for a very special price which shall remain undisclosed so I'm an extremely happy camper.
At 3" deep I have to be a bit careful about my right arm for extended practice sessions, depending on my playing position. My Holst at 2.25" deep was more comfortable for sure. However I like the extra size of this guitar - I like grabbing onto something substantial. Mostly a preference I guess.
I also think -after trying many guitars - that laminate vs solid wood comes down to preference. I think I'm on the laminate side. I don't feel like I'm losing anything vs. a solid wood guitar at jamming volumes. At lower volumes (and acoustically of course) a carved guitar with built-in pickup would probably sound better, but I'm OK with the trade-off.
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12-16-2013 12:08 AM
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Ooooooooo! It looks fantastic and bet it plays and sound fantastic too. Congrats!!!
I have only played on Andersen, the "lowly" Stream Line and it was a dream. I bet even I looked fantastic with it!
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Great great!!!
Nice new axe coolvinny!
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Wonderful guitar - congrats!!
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Beautiful!
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Gorgeous guitar. Very understated and elegant, exactly what I like in an archtop!
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Great looking guitar. We're gonna need some audio ...
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Beautiful! What kind of tuning machines are those (can't quite see from the photo)? Also, sound clip please!
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Some thoughts/comments based on what I wrote and what others wrote above:
- the slight 'tightness' above the 12th may be due to the increase in scale length from my last guitar, and also because I moved up a string gauge for the low E to G strings (from TI 12's to TI 13's, and from Swing flats to Bebop rounds).
- the guitar really has no wolf notes that I can find.
- tuners are Waverleys. I really like them, but the Gotoh 510's on my Holst were also awesome. Schallers are awesome too (I have them on my jazz tele and acoustic archtop).
- those Streamlines are I think just as good as his other guitars. They are just more plain in their styling. I love the Streamline model!
Sound clips have so many variables. The amp, the room, the recording device...but I may relent and make one.
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Aesthetically stunning, and n* d***! Yay!
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Congratulations on that beauty!
I played the acoustic archtop with nomex top plate surrounded by thin layers of spruce, which is displayed on the Welcome to Andersen Stringed Instruments page, and it was astonishing.
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very cool Vinny!
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Very nice! Me want one...
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Is the binding ebony, or plastic? Either way, it looks very cool.
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I hate to burst your bubble, Vinny, but that's one of the most striking looking guitars I've ever set my eyes on. I don't "look twice" at it only because I can't stop looking at it the FIRST time! If you think this is a low-key look, I'll bet you are in a majority of one.
Originally Posted by coolvinny
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Sweet.
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If only it had some dots...
...but seriously folks, the photos tend to accentuate the flamey-ness of the finish. I'm not sure if anybody looked up the pics on Andersen's website (FF#23) but those ones make it look like a red guitar, when really it is quite brown. I tried to get more accurate pics but they still came out making it look more red than it really is. I think in most dark jazz environments it looks basically brown. With my Holst, honestly people were always coming up to me to ask about it and comment on its beauty. Not a soul has done so on this Andersen (except maybe the token guy who asks "hey is that Gibson, or a Martin?" as if there are only two possible alternatives).
I'm not sure about the binding - I never asked. I sort of assumed it's the same as on his Streamline model.
I also briefly played a few notes on the nomex-topped, natural-finished guitar. That was after I'd already "purchased" the Vanguard. I was very careful to do so in that order! It sounded great, and had lots of volume. It was just an amazing guitar. It would be cool if Steve carves out a niche for himself in that area. I only heard that one acoustically though, not through an amp.
OK, I gotta get back to practicing...this busy dayjob stuff is killing me.
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Steve shipped me the Nomex guitar to play and share with a bunch of players here in Rochester, NY (we have far more than our share of great jazz guitarists here). It's a pretty incredible guitar - easily one of the most responsive guitars I have ever touched.
Your Vanguard is a true beauty. It does look a little lighter in color on Steve's site. I think it's got more light on it for the photo. That makes a huge difference. I so love Steve's guitars. I am having a renewed love affair with my Little Archie.
Enjoy your new guitar and...CONGRATULATIONS!
Bob
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Congratulations for your new beautiful guitar!
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This is a gorgeous guitar! The stats are very similar to my Sadowsky and the black bindings give it an outstanding individual look! My guess is it will have a beautiful tone and be a great jazz guitar. Congratulations!
wiz
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