I've searched long and hard
near and far,
for a vintage Martin style,
small body, 12 fret, slot head, wide nut, finger style guitar that DOES NOT HAVE a V- profile neck
A new offering came out at the most recent NAMM show.
I have one on order, due to arrive by Monday.
I feel like :nanadance
I've never seen or played one and have a 7 day return option if I don't like it
but my hopes are UP :bgrin:
It has a " C " profile neck,
and has won an Editor's choice award by Guitar Player magazine.
It has all the right ' parts ' -
OO size, 12 fret, slot head, wide nut, pyramid bridge, dove tail joint, abalone rosette......
WHAT IS IT ?.......its a MYSTERY until I get it in my hands and find out if its the guitar I've been looking for 2 years now !
I'll reveal it then.
Some of you may have already heard of it.
By the way, my Recording King will go up for sale if I keep the MYSTERY GUITAR :bgrin:
- Larry
Kinda sounds like an H&D 00-sp custom. Good luck; hope this is the one!
f
QuoteKinda sounds like an H&D 00-sp custom.
CLUES- to the MYSTERY GUITAR
Its NOT
Huss & Dalton
Martin
Collings
Larrivee
Taylor
Gibson
Olson
Louden
Recording King
Seagull
Blueridge
Morgan Monroe
Tanglewood
Eastman
Epiphone
Yamaha
Takamine
...those are just SOME of the places I searched and came up empty :angry:
....but it is the editor's choice award from Guitar Player magazine :bgrin:
Cort? Lakewood? Stonebridge?
BTW, did you know that Recording King does make a 12-fret 000 with a 1-13/16" C-profile neck? And it's priced at around $250.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B002IC1DDQ/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
QuoteCort? Lakewood? Stonebridge?
YES - one of those
you get a 3-pack for narrowing it down :bgrin: :donut :donut :donut
QuoteBTW, did you know that Recording King does make a 12-fret 000 with a 1-13/16" C-profile neck? And it's priced at around $250.
I forgot to mention that I am looking for a ROSEWOOD guitar -
so this model was not on my list because it is MAHOGONY
Also - I want a SOLID top and back and this model has a laminated back
EVEN SO, are you sure it has a ' C ' profile -??? I don't see that in the specs I looked at.
- Larry
The specs on their website say it's a C-profile, and frankly, at that price I'm tempted to find out myself. :smile:
http://www.recordingking.com/guitars_ros06.html
QuoteThe specs on their website say it's a C-profile, and frankly, at that price I'm tempted to find out myself.
YEP ! you are right.
I guess I never read that far because it was mahogony and laminate and NOT a slot head (its a paddle head)
The nut is listed as 1 3/4 - and I was looking for wider like the 1 13/16 on the ROS-627 I got
I just noticed they also have a rosewood version too - the R-07
if I decide to accept the 'smaller' 1 3/4 nut and laminate back and sides and a paddle head,
maybe I will check it out if I'm not
satisfied with the MYSTERY guitar I have on order :bgrin:
At that price - having another guitar is an option !
I'm very happy with my Recording King ROS-627 - in every way
(except it came with a mod-v profile).
I just noticed the main reason why I did not consider the Recording King R-06 or R-07 in my search -
Those are 14 FRET guitars (and a paddle head with 1 3/4 nut, OOO size)
I don't care for the longer neck on 14 fret guitars.
My search is for a 12 fret (and , slot head, wide neck - 1 13/16 or 1 7/8, )
and I prefer an OO size (but had to settle for OOO size when I got my Recording King ROS-627).
The MYSTERY guitar is listed as a parlor but is an OO size 14" lower bout, 4" depth
- so its big for a parlor.
My classical guitar is 14" by 4" -
and is just the right size for me.
Larry, you like the hunt more than the guitars.
I'm going with a guess that it's a Cort L900P.
QuoteI'm going with a guess that it's a Cort L900P.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner in the ' name that MYSTERY GUITAR ' contest
:nanadance :nana_guitar
The prize is an assortment of delicious home baked doughnuts - fresh from Larry's oven
My new Cort L900P is on the truck and due in at the dealer today.
It got a recent 'Editor's choice award' by Guitar Player magazine.
I'm hoping by the end of the day it will receive the coveted " Larry's choice Award " :thumb
It is a " C neck profile " - the one thing I could not find anywhere else (all others had V neck) it also has
12 fret - requirement
slot head - requirement
wide neck - requirement
rosewood back and sides - requirement
OO SIZE - preference ( OOO would be 2nd choice )
solid top and back - preference
pyramid bridge - preference
dove tail joint - preference
abalone rosette - preference
scale - is a little shorter than the standard 25.5 ( I would prefer 24.9 )
- Larry
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Hey, congrats and thanks for the donuts!
There's one of these in my local shop and I'm saving up.
I had the predecessor to this, a Cort Earth 900. It was a really sweet guitar, though in mahogany
(and too much bling)
They made the L900P even nicer (and not so much bling) and the rosewood/cedar is the way to go.
And yes, the nut on the Earth 900 was spec'd at 1 3/4 but was actually 1 13/16
Very nice looking AND it has a cedar top. That's what I like: classical steel!!!
What's she going to be called (Rosie's taken).
:bgrin:
f
QuoteThey made the L900P even nicer (and not so much bling) and the rosewood/cedar is the way to go.
I'm glad. I did not like all that bling on the 900 - I like a more pristine fretboard - micro dots on the side are all I care about.
Rosewood is a requriement for me.
The CEDAR - is an UNKNOWN for me at this point.
I've never played a small body 12 fret STEEL STRING guitar with a cedar top....
I've only played those with spruce tops.
My classicals have cedar tops but I don't know if I will like the cedar on this L900P steel string or not.
I'm buying from a local dealer and he has a 7 day return policy - with no fees involved -
So if I don't like the cedar I can return it and continue my search.
If the delivery is on time, I'll find out about 5 hours from now if I like it.
It comes with bronze 80/20 strings -
that seems an odd choice to me for a rosewood / cedar guitar.
They are usually too 'bright' for my taste.
- Larry
QuoteVery nice looking AND it has a cedar top. That's what I like: classical steel!!!
What's she going to be called (Rosie's taken).
You know, back when I started this search
I thought to myself what I'm really looking for is a guitar just like my classical but with steel strings.
That's pretty much what this L900P is :bgrin: complete with cedar top
I hope the memory of that $12,000 Olson small jumbo cedar top I played a few weeks has faded from my memory.
....else I may be disappointed in the sound of this OO size Cort.
I just did the math and I can buy 25 1/2 Cort L900P guitars for the price of that one used Olson.
The tax alone on the Olson at my local shop would be about 2 1/2 times as much as the entire cost of the L900P.
Price was not my priority when doing this search - I was just trying to find ANY production guitar with these features
and ANY neck profile except the V.
No name for the guitar yet. I'll wait and see if we bond.
Maybe I'll use the name Eurika ! - as in, after all this time I finally found it.
I've considered the Cort L900P myself, but I've heard that the string spacing at the bridge is pretty tight.
Can anybody confirm? If it's at least 2-1/4", I'll have to get one. :smile:
QuoteI've heard that the string spacing at the bridge is pretty tight.
...just curious,
is it possible to cut a new nut and widen the spacing a little ?
Quote from: lw216316 on March 12, 2010, 01:47:53 PM
...just curious,
is it possible to cut a new nut and widen the spacing a little ?
I've heard of people doing that -- you just need to be careful of having the E strings too close to the edge of the fretboard.
I've also heard of people widening the spacing at the bridge by cutting string ramps that angle outward.
QuoteI've heard of people doing that -- you just need to be careful of having the E strings too close to the edge of the fretboard.
I've also heard of people widening the spacing at the bridge by cutting string ramps that angle outward.
to me, something about this does not add up...
The nut on this L900P is listed as 45mm - that's 1.77+ inches ...just over 1 3/4...very close to the 1 13/16 that is my favorite
so how could someone report the spacing to be 'tight' ?
seems like it would only be 'tight' if all of the available space from the nut size was not being used
and the strings were actually closer together than necessary - leaving a wider than average border between the E strings and the edge of the fretboard.
If that's true then cutting a new nut with 'normal' spacing should solve that.
Quote from: lw216316 on March 12, 2010, 02:47:58 PM
The nut on this L900P is listed as 45mm - that's 1.77+ inches ...just over 1 3/4...very close to the 1 13/16 that is my favorite
so how could someone report the spacing to be 'tight' ?
Sorry -- I said spacing at the bridge, not the nut. The nut width sounds fine.
Personally, I like at least 2-1/4" between low-E and high-E at the bridge.
Quotespacing at the bridge, not the nut
maybe the strings can be made wider by modifying the saddle -
I found this comment on a classical guitar forum, I guess it would work for steel string too
QuoteI have cut notches in the saddles of my guitars many times to change string spacing, and the technique works perfectly. There is so much down-bearing pressure from the string over the top of the saddle that it takes only a very shallow notch -- more of a scratch than a gully, really -- to securely hold the string in its new position. Therefore, it's possible to use your existing saddle without altering the action if you cut the notch only on the aft edge of the saddle , where the string first passes over it as it leaves the tieblock, and leave the forward edge alone, preserving its current height. If there is already compensation cut into your current saddle, it also will be preserved by notching only the aft edge.
ok. the guitar arrived. I decided to return it.
If you want my reasons ....PM me... - Larry
Your playing is coming along nicely. Hope you find a guitar to settle in with so you can get to really know it and have a relationship.
Quote from: lw216316 on March 13, 2010, 10:24:50 PM
ok. the guitar arrived. I decided to return it.
If you want my reasons ....PM me... - Larry
I sent you a PM... Why?
f
There's a nice SD-50 for sell at a good price! Sorry couldn't resist. Cedar wasn't loud enough? You always give reviews, what's up?
since several people are asking WHY I decided to return the Cort L900P
I'll go ahead and post my reasons so it may be a help to prospective buyers
I returned the Cort L900P to the dealer
- because of 2 things I learned about the L900P I did not know
- and 2 things it caused me to learn about my Recording King ROS-627
First let me say this about the Cort -
The " C " neck profile - was wonderful - it fit my hand like a glove.
I see why it won the ' Editor's Choice Award ' by Guitar Player magazine -
it is that good -
excellent construction, very beautiful guitar - lovely abalone rosette,
beautiful head stock,
and the price of $469 (no case) is unbelievable.
I was very tempted to keep it for those reasons.
The number one thing that caused me to return it was the same
thing that caused me to sell my Huss & Dalton OO-SP - TONE -
I was not satisfied with the TONE.
There is nothing wrong with the tone. Its just not the TONE for me.
The cedar top may have something to do with it, or the laminated rosewood sides -
I don't know -
The tone reminds me more of mahogany than rosewood.
It did not have the deep, rich, lush, dark, warm, woody sound of my Recording King rosewood.
The size and tone actually reminded me of a Martin OOO-15 all mahogany slot head I once owned for one day - I returned it to the dealer after I tried singing with it and it did not match with my voice at all.
I had played a cedar top / mahogany back & sides guitar before and knew what that sounded like....but I had never played a cedar top with a rosewood back and sides.
(except the Olson and that is in a $15,000 world by itself)
I was honest with the dealer about that before I ordered it and told the dealer there was a chance I might not like the tone. He accepted that. I'm sure he will have no problem selling the guitar out of his shop.
The 2nd reason I was not satisfied with the L900P was that I discovered that the fretboard is FLAT - like a classical - it does not have a radius curve -
and I have come to appreciate a curved fretboard like my Recording King has.
It especially makes it easier to play barre chords on steel string if the fretboard is curved.
The specs did not mention that nor did the reviews I read.
Along with that, the nut width was listed as being 1.77 -
I was hoping that would be enough wider than the 1 3/4 guitars I've tried that I would be happy with it. But it felt a little uncomfortable to me.
When I measured it I got 1 3/4. I was hoping it would be wider and closer to 1 13/16 - like I prefer
The specs on my Recording King say 1 13/16 and that is what I thought it was.
But I decided to measure it and compare it to the Cort and that is when I discovered my Recording King is actually 1 7/8 !!! - perfect for me - I'm glad the RK is wider than the specs say.
Also, when I discovered the Cort had a flat fretboard I checked my Recording King and found that it was curved. I had not noticed that before.
One guy who posted was concerned that the string spacing at the bridge - 2 1/4 might be too narrow for finger style.... but I had no problem with that - it was 2 1/4 but felt ok.
I spent about 4 hours total playing time -
continually switching back and forth between the Cort and my Recording King and decided the Cort would not get much play time if I kept it.
I tried recording with the Cort and it records very nicely -
very articulate and clear, and projects well.
The Cort has good volume and sustain for its OO size. 14" lower bout, 4 inch depth
The scale on the Cort is a little shorter than the usual 25.5 standard size
I forget the exact number - 25.1 or 25.3 - something like that-
anyway it was enough I could tell the difference and liked it.
I really hated letting it go -
One odd thing about it to me - it comes standard with D-ad 80/20 bronze strings,
changing to less bright strings would probably have made a difference in tone -
but I doubt it would have been enough to cause me to reconsider -
the flat board and 1 3/4 nut would still have been issues with me.
For now , I have a greater appreciation for my Recording King
since I discovered it has a 1 7/8 nut and has a curved fretboard.
I would still rather have that wonderful " C ' profile neck instead of my customized
modified (smoothed down some) - modified-V.
And I would prefer a shorter scale than the standard 25.5 scale my Recording King has.
If Recording King gets their ' custom option ' available like they say they plan to-
then I will probably order one with a low profile type neck and a short scale.
- I hope this helps you decide if the Cort L900P is for you.
- Larry