Cedar is back on the menu!

[BlueBowman]

After spending the last three weeks with this guitar, I thought I'd share it with everyone.  It's a 00-28vs (12-fret) in cedar/mahogany. The following pics are quite good, but I'll upload my own if anyone would like to see additional ones: https://www.bailieguitars.com/vs04-033

Marcus Bailie is a builder out of Washington state. Judging by this guitar, he's going for the fingerstyle thing, and - boy - did he really nail it here. The warmth of cedar blankets each note, but there's still plenty of clarity and crispness to the tone. Powerful, responsive, projecting, the midrange doesn't quit. It plays so powerfully up the neck. A fingerpicker's delight  I also think the short scale is winning me over (and not just with this guitar), and the "soft glow" finish strikes just the right aesthetic with the wood, IMO (hard to see in pic). His wooden rosettes are a nice signature style for his guitars. Be sure and zoom in on those. Looks beautiful in person.

I'm digging it. Digging it so much, in fact, that I've approached Marcus about a possible commission with him. This cedar/mahogany guitar leans towards the "drier" side of tone, so I thought it might be nice to have a 00-12 fret representing the other side of things: overtone central  I really love the look of his 00-12 fret with the cutaway, as seen here: https://www.bailieguitars.com/vs02-030

Very classy. For that guitar, I was thinking maybe a softer spruce, like Euro or Engelmann (possibly even cedar, which would make for a very interesting comparison!) combined with a dense back and side wood (or go the other way with maple, which is a back and side wood I've really come to love). But I'm still in talks with him about all that...and clearly undecided   

Anyway, I just wanted to shout out one of his guitars. It's a dynamite little 00. I'm so impressed by all the solo luthiers out there building great guitars. So many unknown ones. This guitar deserves a moment in the spotlight. Thanks for reading!

[StringPicker6]

Gorgeous guitars!!!

[BlueBowman]

Thanks, Stringpicker! It's a lot of fun to play.

I've not had a non-ebony fretboard on a guitar in dang near a decade. It's really taking some getting used to! Almost wish I could dye it black just so it would look "normal"      

[StringPicker6]

I always liked the look of rosewood fretboards on gibsons, so i really like that look on that Bailie!

[BlueBowman]

I always liked the look of rosewood fretboards on gibsons, so i really like that look on that Bailie!

I guess I just outed myself in my severe lack of Gibson ownership!

[William2]

I really like the looks of that instrument. And i like his site also. I like it when a builder offers a lot of information including pricing for their instruments.

[B0WIE]

 Not sure if we say congrats or if it was just one you were test playing? Sorry, maybe I misread.
I've really like cedar w/ mahogany. I think the tendency is to take everything in the same direction and pair cedar with rosewood, which is wonderful, but in some instruments I love the tightness and response the mahogany can offer a cedar top. Really lets the magic of the cedar speak.

[BlueBowman]

I really like the looks of that instrument. And i like his site also. I like it when a builder offers a lot of information including pricing for their instruments.

Thanks, William. Maybe this will nudge you into giving cedar a go    I agree he's done a good job laying out his website.

Not sure if we say congrats or if it was just one you were test playing? Sorry, maybe I misread.
I've really like cedar w/ mahogany. I think the tendency is to take everything in the same direction and pair cedar with rosewood, which is wonderful, but in some instruments I love the tightness and response the mahogany can offer a cedar top. Really lets the magic of the cedar speak.

I could've done a better job in explicitly stating the cedar/mahogany guitar is mine. Yes, it is. Probably also confused things by jumping right into a possible custom build with him. Sorry for the confusion. 

I dig this wood combo, too. There's something so dynamic in these guitars. I think you're right that the mahogany, being a light and less dense wood itself, "let's" the cedar do most of the "talking." That's a great way to put it. So very quick. This is my third cedar/mahogany guitar; all three share that same DNA in having wonderful dynamics across the fretboard.

For a fun factor, I think cedar is 3x more fun to play than a similarly spec-ed spruce-top guitar 
Slightly more serious, I really do think it's easier for a builder to hit the mark on dynamics (not tone) using cedar instead of spruce. I remember reading on the AGF a builder, I believe it was Bruce Sexauer, commenting: "building with cedar is like cheating." It sure seems true when it comes to the dynamic range of a guitar.

[B0WIE]

 I really agree. I think cedar has been overlooked because people were mostly flat-picking dreads for decades and that's just not where cedar excels (pardon the generalization). I've found that, particularly in smaller guitars, the flex of the cedar allows the top to do so much more. I think that may be the "fun" factor. It is for me.

 Interesting that it's your 3rd cedar/mahogany!
I've found that dynamic of letting the top speak is something that continues to interest me more and more. I think it's what drew me away from spruce guitars. It's sort of the opposite of where most of us begin our acoustic journey where we become fascinated with rosewood and how the back contributes to the sound. These days, I like the back to chill while the top communicates what my fingers are doing. A really resonant back, as wonderful as that can be, can sometimes muddy that up. My tastes may change in time. And, it's fun to generalize about woods but I never want to give the impression that I think these things work by themselves. It's really the builder.

[BlueBowman]

I really agree. I think cedar has been overlooked because people were mostly flat-picking dreads for decades and that's just not where cedar excels (pardon the generalization). I've found that, particularly in smaller guitars, the flex of the cedar allows the top to do so much more. I think that may be the "fun" factor. It is for me.

Yes, this particular cedar top flexes as much as I've seen a 00 top flex. The top and back go "BBOOOOOOoooonnnnng" when tapped. Almost always a good sign, IME   

Interestingly, he used hybrid X bracing in this particular guitar: scalloped (deeply) main X with lower, tapered tone bars. I always enjoying seeing how different builders "solve" the bracing issue. So many ways to get there!

Interesting that it's your 3rd cedar/mahogany!
I've found that dynamic of letting the top speak is something that continues to interest me more and more. I think it's what drew me away from spruce guitars. It's sort of the opposite of where most of us begin our acoustic journey where we become fascinated with rosewood and how the back contributes to the sound. These days, I like the back to chill while the top communicates what my fingers are doing. A really resonant back, as wonderful as that can be, can sometimes muddy that up. My tastes may change in time.

I love the back's role in the guitar (the whole "reflective/non-live" vs "live" back debate). I've owned both, and I appreciate both. I wonder if maybe you're going for a more articulate and exact sound these days, because that's what I the hear less resonant backs doing (regardless of wood species). There's the feeling that the notes are immediately present, which makes sense if the back isn't moving much. Conversely, the highly resonant backs can be a little slower to respond to certain styles of play. It's for that reason I sold off all my big guitars. Smaller guitars, even ones with resonant backs, tend to be "speedier" than their bigger counterparts -- a really nice quality. 

I still have a deep love for my spruce guitars. Tonally, and when spruce is at its best, it's tough to beat; but like I said above, I think it loses a step to cedar in the dynamic range (an imperative for we fingerstyle players!).

And, it's fun to generalize about woods but I never want to give the impression that I think these things work by themselves. It's really the builder.

Definitely. Woods have certain general characteristics, for sure, but there's so much overlap, always tough to say anything definitively. To own a guitar that's truly "optimized" -- however one wants to define that -- a great builder is the sure fastest way to get there. 

[John in Charm City]

interesting thread and congrats Blue.  After several rounds I'm starting to think Cedar works better with EIR for me.  I frequently play with bare fingers and cedar/mahog can certainly be challenged in the sustain, bass and volume categories.  completely different animal when using a pick which is how I generally use my cedar/mahog larrivee.

of course, I have no doubt that within the next couple of years I will stumble on a guitar that will completely change my view yet again.  thats the beauty of this stuff.

so congrats and enjoy!

john