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anyone play one of these ?
thoughts ?
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07-07-2014 09:27 AM
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I have a couple. Fine, L5+ tone; beautifully built; electric sound a bit delicate, in the sense that the sound is complex but not cutting; very attractive visually. My guitars are ones he built before he focused solely on 'new vintage' replicas.
A bit too good for knockabout gigging!
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I bought a 2003 Slaman 1923 L5 used. The first thing that struck me when I opened the case was the smell of old lacquer and the aged patina of an old instrument kept under the bed, and all in a good way.
It is very well put together and very light. Somehow, I could tell that one man made this entire instrument. It has a nice woody tuneful resonance of an old guitar. I don't know what an original L5 sounds like but dollars to doughnuts, I hazard a guess that the Slaman L5 sounds close to it.
Maybe I am romanticising it but the Slaman L5 sounds "tuned" as if the parts have all come together to make a musical whole.
The previous owner had put some scratches on it that lend to its "relic-ked" character.
There are not many 1923 to 1934 L5 replicas on the market today. The other highly vaunted one is the Collings AT16.
The Slaman 1923 L5 is faithful in spirit and form to the original, I guess. The other Slaman that I have a nodding acquaintance with is the ES-150 replica about which the same comments apply. I don't own one yet. It is more faithful to the original down to the tailpiece than Gibson's own reissue and that one I have.
Short of owning the real thing the Slaman replicas are possibly the closest one can get.
Dudley Hill (RIP) of Pearl Django owned and gigged one.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 07-07-2014 at 10:29 AM.
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I agree with Franz. Delicate complex sounding and not cutting in a modern sense. I can't imagine a fusionista playing it in a jazz-rock context.
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I dream about buying a slaman one day.
I would buy a DS-250 in blonde.
Franz and Jab, I think it is time for some pics...
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D-J, I bought the Slaman used and it came with a few minor issues. The original dark tortoise pickguard was replaced with a meretricious looking bright yellow pickguard. A floating pickup was installed on it; the glue on the tab has softened and it is now dangling from the pickguard. The tailpiece is gold and not the original wraparound nickel one seen on the current Slaman L5. Yes, there is an ugly Fishman endpin jack where the vintage one used to be. Now, that is a hole I have to dowel up.
I bought a replacement pickguard and nickel tailpiece from Daniel. I don't know what to do about the ugly Fishman endpin and the 10mm hole it leaves behind.
When I get around to restoring it, it will be fit for photographing and I shall show it.
PS I just missed out in 2013 on a used DS-250 with solid carved maple back and rim sold by archtop.com.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 07-07-2014 at 11:04 AM.
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Slaman 2001 Jazz Junior model. 14.5", 25" scale, carved top and back, 'hog neck. Original wooden tailpiece replaced with L4/175 type.
The guitar came from Daniel with a ''sweet switch'', and no tone control, which I needed. The switch hole couldn't be plugged without being visible, so it now features a black insert.
This is the prototype; he only built one other before discontinuing it, together with the more ornate Jazz Compact model. As it was the prototype, I got an irresistible deal, and have played it consistently ever since.
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I visited his shop twice last year. Daniel is a one man operation does literally everything on his own. He is a very nice guy and lives for archtop building. Certainly not making a lot, but wit great passion for everything he does. His speciality is building 16" L5s and everything with CC pickups in it. He builds most new guitars but with (nitro) finishes that look old.
Daniel re-built his workshop earlier this year, and at the time was selling some guitars he had standing around with great reduction of the prices. If you are interested perhaps you should send him an email maybe some of those are still around. Or are you looking to have a custom instrument built ?
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One of my first "After I Hit The Big Lottery" purchases would be on of his with the UK reproduction Charlie Christian pickup and Florentine cutaway. In a nice sunburst.
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Keep your eyes peeled on the used market. A DS-150 runs about $3500 used. No Flo tho.
Originally Posted by mongrel
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Sorry for the brief veer, but...
Dudley was a special kind of person, a brilliant player and a very kind man. The last time I saw him he walked (with difficulty) all the way across a ballroom to greet an old friend, my wife, who at the time was unable to walk. Living in Seattle we got to see him play many times when he was still active, but always with his DeArmond equipped L-7. He certainly may have owned and gigged w a Slaman but I never saw it, and it wouldn't surprise me if he borrowed one while in Europe... it would be a perfect fit for his style. Man, that guy could swing! Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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That's why I know that I'd have to pay plenty to get the Flo. No Flo, no go.
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Correct, not an L-7, a DeArmond equipped L-5.
Pete Biltoft has a florentine cut Slaman on his website. Maybe it was a special order?
Slaman Guitar HCC Pickup
I'd sure love to try one sometime but they're rare on this side of the pond. Beautiful work though!
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That guitar is a North Sea Thinline, 2000. A special order, in the sense that in 2000, every Slaman guitar was a special order. I know, because I ordered it, at a comparatively modest price, in 1999. It originally came with a HB. I sold it on around 2007 to a french player, and then it came into the hands of the current owner, a forum member. I believe he got it incredibly cheaply; at that time Daniel was far less well known.
I ordered it as I was going through my " a better guitar will help you sound & play better" phase, which has taken a decade to work through ( to the point where my main guitar is a Norlin-era 175.
.)
It was a comparatively early Slaman, with a slugger neck, and at that point I think he was still refining his building methods, as this one wasn't quite " L5+" tone, as I phrased it in an earlier post. It might well have got better with age; I suspect the thin line format didn't help the tonal quality. The Jazz Junior I posted earlier sounded better, probably because the body dimensions are more in proportion and the top is thinner.
I did the head inlay myself, with MOP supplied by Daniel! His early guitars came originally with a plain headstock; I'd guess this one would be amongst his first few builds. It had a lollar CC at one point, which sounded excellent.
Incidentally I tried a Biltoft CC around that time, but it wasn't quite right, perhaps due to the relatively small coil and 43 gauge wire. People seem to like them now, so I imagine Pete has changed his CC designs. The Lollar was dead on.
Daniel made a very shrewd business decision to focus on the replica market and standardise his model range IMO.
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I am that man! I have Franz's North Sea Thinline, which I found by totally accident on Gumtree. Its had a few different pickups, pickguards, tailpieces in its time, had the neck shaved and gained a few battle scars prior to reaching me. It'd had a larger CC pickup cutout in the body so now has a custom made ebony, larger than stock, humbucker mount.
I prefer 1 3/4" nuts but with the neck re-shape this seems less of a problem. (guitar is 43.2mm appx). I don't play it enough, but when I do get it out of the case, I find the body (16" x 2.75") very comfortable and the action goes as low as anyone could want. I had a humbucker wound for me similar to the neck pickup on the Gibson Country Gent, (4.5K, alnico II magnets,) and it gives a warm but not too bassy sound which I prefer.
It sounds very even up and down the neck, and has the patina and appearance of an older guitar which has been well used.
The guitar is my avatar.
Before anyone asks for sound clips, I'm an old luddite and the only thing I understand about digital is that I have five on each hand. Can't seem to upload a photo, it all locks up when I press upload.
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Here are the ones that were for sale, perhaps some are still available ...
Clearance SALE 2014 - New Vintage Guitars
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Still has two of these on his website. That Whiteface L50 acoustic calls to me!
I think Daniel was ahead of the curve with his small archtops, that size, etc., seems v. popular nowadays.Last edited by bananafist; 07-10-2014 at 07:05 AM.
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Just dug up a couple of other 'pre-vintage replica' slaman pics.
The blonde DS175 is a 16", with hog neck, and bois-de-rose finger board, made in 2008. Very successful; lovely guitar, fine tone, robust enough for gigging. Still got that one.
The 'Blue Danny" is Daniel's take on a do-it-all guitar, 15", made in 2011 I think. By this time he had got his sound & construction totally nailed, and this is also a fine guitar, with a fabulous electric tone. Unfortunately I couldn't live with the colour although I tried, and so it went to someone who loves it, and the colour. Shallow of me..
I have been lucky enough to obtain these guitars as protos; I couldn't pay his full list prices
BTW where is the original poster? have we bored you? Speak up Mr W…..
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