Subject: My New Osthoff Madagascar Rosewood/Italian Spruce OM...
Posted to www.13thfret.com by Ken Totushek on 2005-01-07 at 22:23:34

I first heard about Osthoff Guitars back in 2002. John and I began correspondence shortly after that time regarding a CD recording project being sponsored by a few members of the 13thfret.com. I've nanchalantly kept tabs on John's completed works, but until August, 2004, I've never had a chance to actually see or play one.  It was at that time that John asked me to demonstrate his guitars at the 2004 Newport Guitar Festival. First of all, what an honor. Secondly it meant I would suddenly get to play several of John's guitars all at once--how cool.



John brought over 3 guitars the night before the weekend conference. I played them in our family room that memorable night in early August, and remember thinking these are each incredible guitars in their own right. Well, I fell in love with this one in particular. It just sang to me, and looked so incredibly beautiful with that triple strand rosette reminding me af a verse from Ecclesiastes which says '...a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken.' Anyway, I recorded the guitar that night, loved how it sounded, and in another story you'd find out how that guitar came to reside with me full time ever since (An early Christmas present from my wife!).



AESTHETICS--the craftsmanship, woods, finish, fit...all look excellent, as good as any I've seen. The beauty of this guitar is immediately captivating. The light colored Italian Spruce top in contrast to the luscious Madagascar Rosewood and one of the most beautiful rosettes I've ever seen, grabs the eye. The neck width at 1 3/4 is not what I would have ordered, but for some amazing reason it was working incredibly well for me, and still is. All my other guitars now have a 1 13/16th nutwidth MINIMUM. The neck is beautifully laminated 5 piece, which I believe adds a certain rigidity positively affecting tone some.



--PLAYABILITY--outstanding ease--I love the setup, and like I mentioned earlier, even the narrower string spacing is working very well for me. This is a very fun guitar to play.

--TONE--Of course this is extremely important, and this guitar passes the test with flying colors and all areas of the frequency spectrum. The highs are sweet, shimmering, crisp and clear. The mids are prominent yet balanced and do not overpower requiring midrange cuts on recordings and PA systems. The lows are loud, rich, full and warm. Played softly the notes come through clearly and sweet as sugar. Played loudly, the notes come through clearly (oops, did I already say this?--well they do and also distinctly, whether strummed by pick or nails). The articulation is as good as anything I've played, and again always beautifully. The guitar has lots of volume when called upon, and does not break up. I think the wood combo has lots to do with this, and I love it.



SERVICE/FOLLOW UP--Upon very thorough inspection (inside and out), I had a few questions about the guitar, which John answered quickly and satisfactorily.  The Madrose back is actually 4 pieces due to the difficulty of obtaining this wood in wider cuts. However, the piecing together is almost unnoticeable inside and out due to the flush splicing method John uses. The inside X bracing is scalloped well but not quite as refined as say an Olson, Ryan or Sheppard. But then, what should one expect of a guitar that is 1/2 the cost of at least the first 2 of those brands. This has no impact on tone or structural integrity, just an observation poking around inside the box with a mirror and flashlight (one of my favorite pastimes!).



After several months now owning this guitar, I can say that this guitar will serve at least several functions extremely well for me--in practice, in performance, in leading in Praise and worship events, and in various recording applications (in a nutshell, a 'true dream' beautiful, workhorse guitar). That's not at all to say it doesn't accomplish other functions such as inspiration, creative song writing and arranging, jamming, etc., as well as anything else I currently own.



--Amplification--Lastly, I should mention that the K&K Pure Western system I recently installed I was very pleased with the amplified tone. My Expectations were fully met and exceeded when used with a direct EQ box. I believe John's guitars are one of the higher value 'boutique builder' guitars out there today, and have my name on a waiting list for another in 2005--probably a small 13 fretter.

To hear the guitar in action, click here!
MP3 Sample

Thanks for checking it out!

Ken T.
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