Blackwood OM has Landed...Finally!!! PICS ADDED!! 1st impressions added!

[Blue in VT]

 

It here...Its here....!!!!!!

Our Trusty UPS driver just dropped off a a beautiful new (to me) OM for me to play with.  I'm so excited...I don't even know where to begin...

OK...I've only had the chance to play it for a few minutes....I am at work afterall... ...but initial impression is good.  The sitka top has a fairly wide grain and has aged beautifully to a caramel brown...the BW sides and back are gorgeous!!!  and Inspector13 did a wonderful job of polishing out the satin finish...not glossy like an 05...but much better than I expected...it really brings out the depth in the wood.  The action is nice and low...but the strings are ancient...I can't wait to throw a new set on see how she sounds.  The frets and fingerboard need a good cleaning...and the guitar (and especially the case!) has a bit of a cigarette smell... ...but that will fade with time.  Tone is hard to gauge at this point...the strings are nearly black with tarnish...but it seems a bit brighter and bassier than my hog top...the bass is a bit rounder and fuller...not as crisp as the hog but...thicker?  very nice... ...the treble seems sparkly...but again...I'll give fuller account of the tone when new strings are one and I've spent a couple of hours getting acquainted with her...

BTW her name is Shelia....the wood is AUSTRALIAN blackwood after all...

Special thanks to Inspector13 for all the fabulous upgrades on this guitar...she looks great...and to other forum members who have helped me through this transaction...it was a long road to hoe...

more later...



(not so) Blue in VT

[Denis]

Congrats Blue.  Bet she's a keeper.

New strings will make it sound like a completely different guitar no doubt.  Now don't forget to post some photos of this beauty.

Congrats again.

[inspector13]

Blue,
I should have never sold her. Let me know what you think once you give her new strings.   

[Cybenator]

Glad everything worked out for the best......

[bluesman67]

NICE!!  That is a very very nice guitar.  Enjoy blue.

[kdonovan]

Congrats on that new guitar Blue

kdonovan

[Daysailer]

No doubt about it...

You got a great guitar  !!!!!         

Inspector13 definately loved that one.       



When we recieve the:  initiation fee.......

                              first and last life time payment

                              graft.......... and ...........bribes.............


?


oh... to heck with it.....









to the elite  B.O.B.O.

Brotherhood of Blackwood Owners


Here's hoping you love it         

'ds

[gsammy52]

 
Congratulations Blue..........  There's nothing like a new guitar, well almost nothing....
enjoy............. 

Gary

[thistle]

 

We want pictures!

[hal537]

We want pictures!

Yes we want pictures and  and

[dberch]

BTW her name is Shelia....the wood is AUSTRALIAN blackwood after all...

Is that "Shelia" or "Sheila"?

[inspector13]

Is that "Shelia" or "Sheila"?

Oh...I get it now. Thats funny.

[Queequeg]

Congratulations, Blue!
Shelia/Sheila- Great name for a girl from Down Under! (no matter how you spell it).

[noyage]

Brighter and bassier than the hog?  Must be sweet.  Congrats!

[Blue in VT]

    I've never been a good Speller...hehe...Sheila it is...

I only have a minute...so here are the pics I'll write a more thorough description in a bit!  she is fantastic...tone and appearnace!!!



Blue

[dberch]

Holy cow, Blue.  That is absolutely gorgeous.  Beautiful wood.  You sure dohn't see any othe manufacturers putting that kind of wood on an "entry" level guitar.   

Lovely.  And I have to admit, I'm more than a bit jealous.

David

[thistle]

Keep me first on your list when you decide you want to part with her! (Note I didn't say "if".... )

What a beautiful guitar.  Can't wait to hear your review!

[Denis]

Just awesome!!!!   

I love the buffed out satin finish look.  Not super glossy but does it ever bring out the grain...all over but especially the back and sides!!!   

And top looks like it's darkend quite a bit and has some lovely grain as well. 

Congrats Chris and if Sheila sounds anywhere near as good as she looks, then you've got a keeper for sure. 

[Blue in VT]

Ok...I've got a minute to get a few thoughts down...

First of all thanks to all for the kind comments...it is very exciting to have a new guitar in the house and she seems to be a good fit.

Daysailer...I hope you take Donuts and beer for dues... ... ...hehe

dberch...thanks for the spelling pointers... haha...and you're right for an "entry" level guitar this is a stunner...in appearance and tone!

Ok...So when I got her home on Wed...I took off the crusty old strings and cleaned the fretboard with extra fine steel wool...this did a great job of cleaning the ebony (which has some subtle figuring in it) and removing a considerable amount of funk from the frets...they were BLACK.. .  I then gave the guitar a complete wipe down with a microfiber cloth and restrung with my usual Elixir Nano PB lights...WHAT a Difference...she came alive!

Tone wise this guitar is a powerhouse.  In comparison to the hog top she is much more articulate...loud...and has a powerful bass.  Not as subtle and funky as the hog top but more upfront.  Not great for a quiet practice guitar...but she really shines when you put the spurs to her...she likes a heavy hand.  last night I was really laying into Mance Lipscomb's "Night time is the Right time" which has great monotonic droning E and A bass lines and this guitar was humming....vibrating against my chest and filling the room with powerful bass and sparkling trebles...My wife came in and thought I was playing through an amp!!!  All in all think this will be a great tonal compliment to the MT.

Visually the guitar is stunning...as you can see from the pics.  The polishing job done by Inspector13 is fantastic.  The top may not be classically beautiful...ie tight even grain...but I think it looks and sounds great.  There is quite a variety of grain widths...from fairly wide to tight...but the whole thing has aged to a nice butterscotch color with some lighter stripes.  You can see that the BW is Stunning...not as flamy as some I've seen...but great figuring none the less.  If you catch this wood in the right light there are subtle hints of red and green in the grain!  just awesome.

It is a used guitar...and there are a few dings in the top...but nothing to worry about.  The back, sides, and neck seem to be flawless...and the polished headstock has convinced me that I need to do the same to my 05.  The FWI saddle is gorgeous but while changing strings I noticed that it is seated on a sizable shim...not a big deal but something to think about for the future.  The bridge pins will need replacing...one is cracking and several have indents on the sides where they were carelessly grabbed with pliers.  I also think I'll try to find some black knobs for the tuners.  The current setup is quite low...which makes fretting easy as pie...but I have been getting some buzzing when I really get after a bassline...nothing a good setup couldn't fix.

All in all she is a wonderful guitar and I look fwd to getting to know her better!



Blue

[Blue in VT]

Also the cigarette smell is already fading...and now that the humidity is coming up in our neck of the woods I can leave the case open and let it air out some more.  maybe a little fabreeze to speed the process.



Blue