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Location: Flint Hills of Kansas, USA | Wow! Very nice! Thanks for sharing the pics. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | dvd - 2013-09-27 9:52 PM
Patch would be the best person to comment on the sinker sound since he's got a few..
I may have several, and redwood is definitely my favorite tonewood, but DVD has built a guitar with unique specifications that will certainly make it a bit different from any of mine. Still, in the interests of answering what is the tone like, here are quotes from the original threads of my impressions from the redwood Ovations I own and love...
- 2001-X--figured RW, suspension ring, satin finish, mid-bowl
"It really is hard to describe how much this feature (the ring mount) impacts the sound. It adds the aforementioned sustain, upgrades the volume, and brings a ringing, brassy tone that none of my other guitars can mimic. And it does all of this with a mid-depth bowl, so it's a very comfy guitar to hold on to."
- FD-14-X--Sinker RW, deep bowl, 12-fret, gloss finish
"The sound is as fine and as firm as silk. There is something that's just comfortable about it. Then I noted that the chord was still ringing....and ringing....and ringing. I'm big on sustain, but this guitar just holds its notes forever! But then I noticed something I've never felt before in ANY guitar. Note the word "felt".
I have occasionally felt that "rumble in the belly" having owned a 1537, an 87 Collector's, and other similar guitars known for their low end punch. But this one was different. The whole instrument was vibrating! Lightly touch it anywhere; bowl, top, neck, headstock; and you could distinctly feel the movement. It's like the whole bloody guitar is harmonically balanced!"
- 1716-X Figured RW, nylon string, deep bowl, 12-fret, gloss finish
"It's a figured Redwood topped, non-cutaway, 12-fret, 1 3/4 inch nut, OP-pro studio, deep-bowl of tone goodness. Absolutely nourishing to the soul! Acoustically, just try to imagine a cedar nylon string with a little more bass and a LOT more sustain. It's well balanced throughout the tonal spectrum and, with the tortoise binding and abalone purfling, just dares you not to look while you listen. "
- 1537 RW Elite--figured redwood, 1537 specs otherwise
"The tone is unlike any other O I have. It doesn't fill the room with volume like a spruce deep bowl. But this redwood deep-bowl surrounds the space with the warmest, almost comfortable feeling, timbre I've ever heard in a guitar. Regular 1537's are acoustic cannons that command attention with their voice. This one just sings to you and you can't help but listen." |
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Location: Chicago | Glorious. I, too, would be very curious to see what Redwood does for tone. No idea.... |
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Location: Indiana | Beautiful guitar. |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | Isn't that the Redwood shown in MWoody's pic that just sold on e-Bay!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281184290906?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trks...
One of these days... |
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Location: Central Massachusetts |
Wow, yes, that's the one! No other guitar like it out there.
Good catch! |
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Location: NJ | I posted one for sale and got NO responses on it. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Now I'm just as guilty as anyone else here but....
For something that's made to make sound, isn't it amazing how much importance we attach to how it looks?
Edited by Slipkid 2013-10-16 9:58 AM
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Location: Jet City | I fell in lust with that guitar when I met her at one of the gatherings! I think she'd just got back from her surgery. The top is to die for, and the inlaid eppies really add to it... 
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Location: Central Massachusetts | Brad Durasa - 2013-10-16 10:56 AM
Now I'm just as guilty as anyone else here but....
For something that's made to make sound, isn't it amazing how much importance we attach to how it looks?
Brad, interesting point. The same could be said about a car or a chair. They are purpose-built to perform a specific function. But there are still hundreds of variations out there designed to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, uses, and circumstances.
To me, guitars are not just objects created to make sound. In and of themselves, they are (or can be) works of art. Their design and workmanship reflect the craftsmanship, skill, and creativeness with which they were made.
We've all certainly seen/heard beautiful guitars that sound like crap, but it doesn't have to be either/or. Not to mention, looks and sound are both very subjective so each person may arrive at a different conclusion.
As for me, I fell in love with the looks and origins of redwood as a guitar top. When I got my first one, I also loved the sound and I've been hooked ever since. The one pictured in Damon's post above has been to two OFC NW gatherings.. some people liked the sound, others didn't take to it.
If I was a more accomplished player, I would post samples of my new one vs. my other guitars. As it is, I'll just have to bring it the next time there's a gathering and let people take it for a test drive. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I played the one Damon has when it was dvd's. I can't remember if it was before or after the repair. Whichever, I really liked the sound, though I agree that looks influence my ears. People spend thousands on sport exhausts and swear they make cars faster, but if they actually timed them, they don't.
Back to guitars, the redwood had a softer sound than spruce, probably more like cedar, which makes sense. The mid-bowl sounded better than the mid-bowl 99 Collector I had at the time, probably because the waterfall bubinga was laminated to a stiffer wood. Not as much punch as a deep bowl with a good spruce top, but, a very soft, warm pleasant acoustic sound. I have to admit that if I bought one, it would be the looks that made the sale.
Edited by Mark in Boise 2013-10-16 2:14 PM
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Location: Central Massachusetts | Mark, for some reason, I was specifically thinking you were one of the folks who didn't like the redwood sound so much.
Damon's pics are from the Mt. Vernon OFC gathering in July of 2008, or whenever that was.
Edited by dvd 2013-10-16 2:55 PM
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Location: Boise, Idaho | dvd - 2013-10-16 1:49 PM
Mark, for some reason, I was specifically thinking you were one of the folks who didn't like the redwood sound so much.
Damon's pics are from the Mt. Vernon OFC gathering in July of 2008, or whenever that was.
My memory may be worse than yours, but I recall trying to justify (as I did with every guitar purchase) how this guitar was different from my 99 Collector. I thought it sounded better, but didn't look so much better that I could rationalize it. That was in the days before SWMBO decided my GAS was hopelessly incurable, the kids hadn't graduated from college and the mortgage wasn't paid off. I did bid on a couple of them on ebay, but didn't get them and gave up. Now that the 99 is gone, maybe I should look for another eye catcher.
I bought the LAV Koa right after the Mt. Vernon OFC gathering, which is very eye catching to me, but SWMBO's question was "what's so special about that one except for the wood?" I thought special wood was a pretty good reason for a guitar. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I bought my original 2001C off of eBay because of the looks and price. Within ten minutes of receiving it, I and my wife fell in love with the tone. I've been smitten with redwood ever since.
I also have a deep bowl bubinga top and love it as well, but the tone is woodier, much like Mark suggested. Speaking of which Mark, if you need another looker, you might want to take a peek at my 2000C in the for sale section. It sounds a lot like the 99C I used to own, and that lacewood is stunning!  |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Red has always been my favorite color, so it sounds better than other colors. |
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Redwood revisited...
