Victor Baker Model 14

[docbop]

Totally unplanned purchase, but I have one of those big milestone birthdays coming next month so have been thinking of getting something. I had seen a couple really good deals on other guitars pop-up and disappear and by the time I decided to buy they were gone. So a great deal on this appeared on Victor's site a guitar someone ordered and never picked up so Victor discounted it and I purchased it. It arrived yesterday so I got it strung up (he ships the guitar without the strings) and its settling in.

I really like it very punchy sound and amazing bottom end. The neck is wider than what I'm used to and I like it a lot. The small body is very comfortable. It's a semi hollow I can see a block under bridge, but with the Armstrong PU gets a very acoustic sound. Workmanship is perfection. Gilad H. has a couple VB's and Ed Cherry has a large body VB, probably others name players. I like the fact that VB is as much a player has he is a luthier I think it come thru in his designs. Here's a picture from VB's site.



Here’s the specs!
Guitar Style: Model 14 Semi hollow Archtop
BODY
Body depth: 2 3/8″ body depth
Body width: 14″ body width
Soundboard material: sitka spruce
Back/Sides materials: Stock Figured Maple
Bracing: semi hollow triangle block
Soundholes: Cat’s Eye Shape
NECK
Neck material: Mahogany w/two way adjustable truss rod
Headstock overlay: Ebony
Nut width: 1 11/16″
Nut Material: Bone
Headstock inlay: Standard “VB” inlay
FINGERBOARD
Fingerboard material: Ebony
Fingerboard radius :12″
Scale length: 25″
No of frets: 21
Fret size: Jumbo
Fingerboard inlay: side dots only
OVERALL BINDING SCHEME: Single ply Maple antique amber
FINISH: Satin Violin Burst
HARDWARE
Bridge: Ebony
Tailpiece: Ebony
Tuning gears: gotoh delta 21:1 in black
Pickups: (2) Hand wound Kent Armstrong PAF

[goshawk]

Congrats. I agree with your evaluation of VB's work, nice designs and excellent workmanship. Post a soundclip if you get a chance.

[coolvinny]

Looks like it was a good buy. The 1 11/16th neck is wider than what you're used to? Interesting. Once you settle on string gauges etc, a good luthier can usually cut the nut to feel slightly narrower if you are so inclined.

[Bushwackbob]

Beautiful. Mazel Tov and Happy Birthday!

[2bornot2bop]

Happy soon to be Birthday. Happy NGD!

[Patrick2]

Great looking guitar. I've always been a fan of Victor Baker's work. Hee's got a great reputation for attention to detail. Congrats!!

[docbop]

Looks like it was a good buy. The 1 11/16th neck is wider than what you're used to? Interesting. Once you settle on string gauges etc, a good luthier can usually cut the nut to feel slightly narrower if you are so inclined.

I've been using 13's lately and that is what VB sent me to put on and they feel good. The string spacing seems a little wider and I like it so don't think I will be changing. The only thing I've done is raise the bridge slightly, he had the action very low and I'm kind of heavy handed picker. I going to try to get used to the lower action, lighter picking should have its own benefits.

[rpguitar]

Very slick! Looks a bit like a Sadowsky SS-15, but more swanky. Play it well.

[Edit: You caused me an evening of VB GAS and associated surfing. Thanks for that...]

[marcwhy]

Fantastic!! Congrats!!

[jazzrat]

Congrats! VB's proportions are beautiful and I love the tone I'm hearing from G'Heks and other Baker players.

[Flat]

That's is just luscious. Elegant lines, and those humbuckers give it weight and gravitas.

Congratulations, docbop, on the VBaker...and turning the Big x0!

Long may she run!

[disco~juice]

Oh man, I was about to buy it!!! Damn you're fast!

Still, happy new guitar day!!

[IbanezAS100]

Congrats, wonderful guitar! Have a great birthday and play it in good health!

[kris]

congrats!

[Jabberwocky]

Ooh, you're turning....Forty! Still a young'un, by my reckoning despite the receding hairline and expanding waistline...Nyuk, Nyuk. 40 is the last year of one's 30s so enjoy it. You don't enter your 40s until you turn 41.

Nice VB guitar. Love the satin violin finish. Congrats! Enjoy her in good health!

(Brisk-walk 3.5 miles a day and do those pushups. Watch what you eat. Quit smoking. Drink moderately. More greens and fruits and unsalted nuts. More fish. Less red meat. Meditarranean diet does wonders. Cut out sodium. Eschew sugar. Watch those snacks. And no TV dinners, please. Get rid of that damned microwave oven, the chief cause of a poor American diet.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but things start happening when you hit the 40s. Don't wait for the doctor to start prescribing pills. Keep the waistline in check. I measured 39 in my 40s with a BMI of 29.73! Today, I'm down to 32 with a BMI of 22.72. Lost 55 pounds and it is not difficult when you are determined.)

Assessing Your Weight and Health Risk

Calculate Your BMI - Standard BMI Calculator

[fws6]

Nice !

congrats

[mangotango]

I Liked Victoer Baker's facebook page a while back...and nowadays I end up getting tortured with the pics of his latest releases - and don't tell me not to look, it's impossible when he's turning out pieces as elegant as Docbop's new present to himself. Good move, Doc. Maybe I should treat myself to one in a few years time when that big Six-Oh comes around. Heaven knows I will need something to cheer me up on that suspicious, I mean auspicious, occasion.

Plus I like VB's music, he's got a cool sound going on there.

Jabs, you're absolutely right that you don't enter your 40's until your 41st b'day. Same reason why most of the world was 100% wrong to wave in the new Millennium on 01/01/2000. No Year Zero unless you're Pol Pot.

[Patrick2]

Hmmm . . . now, that's an interesting revelation to me. As I see it, 12:01 AM (give or take a few seconds) on the date of your 40th birthday, almost simultaneously marks both the end of your 4th decade of existence and the beginning of your 5th decade of existence. Therefore, you're now beginning your 41st year in this world . . which also means that you are indeed in your 40s, at least until the end of the day before your 50th birthday. On your 41st birthday, you would have completed the first year of beginning of your 5th decade in this wonderful world of jazz guitar music . . which of course would mean that you've been in your 40s for the past year.

Kinda like . . at the end of the day of December 31 of 1999 we ended the 20th century . . . . and on January 1, 2000 we began the 21st century?

I don't know . . . maybe things are different in the UK?? Maybe the rest of the world is wrong??

[339 in june]

I don't know . . . maybe things are different in the UK?? Maybe the rest of the world is wrong??

Back to guitars, please !!!
American, english, japanese, french (why not ?), even chinese or from anywhere else, but guitars !

This VB is a real beauty !
Thanks for sharing.

[kenbennett]

What is the string spread at the bridge, E to E?

[medblues]

Totally unplanned purchase, but I have one of those big milestone birthdays coming next month so have been thinking of getting something. I had seen a couple really good deals on other guitars pop-up and disappear and by the time I decided to buy they were gone. So a great deal on this appeared on Victor's site a guitar someone ordered and never picked up so Victor discounted it and I purchased it. It arrived yesterday so I got it strung up (he ships the guitar without the strings) and its settling in.

I really like it very punchy sound and amazing bottom end. The neck is wider than what I'm used to and I like it a lot. The small body is very comfortable. It's a semi hollow I can see a block under bridge, but with the Armstrong PU gets a very acoustic sound. Workmanship is perfection. Gilad H. has a couple VB's and Ed Cherry has a large body VB, probably others name players. I like the fact that VB is as much a player has he is a luthier I think it come thru in his designs. Here's a picture from VB's site.



Here’s the specs!
Guitar Style: Model 14 Semi hollow Archtop
BODY
Body depth: 2 3/8″ body depth
Body width: 14″ body width
Soundboard material: sitka spruce
Back/Sides materials: Stock Figured Maple
Bracing: semi hollow triangle block
Soundholes: Cat’s Eye Shape
NECK
Neck material: Mahogany w/two way adjustable truss rod
Headstock overlay: Ebony
Nut width: 1 11/16″
Nut Material: Bone
Headstock inlay: Standard “VB” inlay
FINGERBOARD
Fingerboard material: Ebony
Fingerboard radius :12″
Scale length: 25″
No of frets: 21
Fret size: Jumbo
Fingerboard inlay: side dots only
OVERALL BINDING SCHEME: Single ply Maple antique amber
FINISH: Satin Violin Burst
HARDWARE
Bridge: Ebony
Tailpiece: Ebony
Tuning gears: gotoh delta 21:1 in black
Pickups: (2) Hand wound Kent Armstrong PAF

Sweet ! Is it even wider than 1 11/16 ? How do you like the armrest design ?

[docbop]

Sweet ! Is it even wider than 1 11/16 ? How do you like the armrest design ?

As for width I'm going by feel, I don't measure things, but getting comfortable with it. I've been working on some stuff with close voicings and can play those comfortable and they sound good on this guitar. Really getting into the sound of the guitar the note definition is great.

The armrest and there is a similar belly relief are nice, it's just enough to so you're not on a corner.

[ESCC]

Congrats Doc, very nice birthday present!

I too had an August "milestone" birthday - last year, celebrated much the same way you did . . . if you need an excuse for gas, it's certainly a good one, enjoy.

[Jabberwocky]

Congrats Doc, very nice birthday present!

I too had an August "milestone" birthday - last year, celebrated much the same way you did . . . if you need an excuse for gas, it's certainly a good one, enjoy.

I missed all my milestone birthdays. So, last year, I made up for missing them and bought a clowder of archtops all at once.

(They sound like cats in pain when I play them.)

[onrpza]

Hi, looks like this post about 9 years old, and you would had a lot experience with this guitar,

I've just put myself on the waiting list for a VB, and I'll probably go for model 14 (hollow body) but I'm also close to clabbered body because of it's compact size, I know it's different than other semi hollows like es335's but how would you compare it to ES335 type of guitars, in terms of sound and feeling ? for some reason chambered body idea, makes me thinking less sustain and more like solid body. Or did you have a chance to try standard model 14 ?

I hope this message receives you well, thanks