Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused). NGD - Acoustics Discussions on The Fretboard
UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

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TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
My trip to Coda was bloody fantastic (5+ hours in the car notwithstanding :-/ ) 

Result : see my new (to me) Baranik CX

If you're wondering what one is, me too. I'd never heard of the brand let alone the model.

Despite expecting to buy a Lowden (probably Cedar) I have a cutaway guitar in Colorado Blue Spruce and Panamanian Rosewood.

Some crappy phone pics:





















It was a custom order just over 2 years ago by a guy who waited months for it, then on day 1 smacked it against his coffee table and split the top. You can see the repair in one of the pics. It was repaired (possibly by Dave King) at the time then sold by Coda to its 2nd owner who had it for 2 years then traded it in last week. 

It sounds, to me, nothing short of amazing. It gives up a big sound with the gentle finger picking, but was still one of the best I tried when cranking out strummed cowboy chords. Obviously I'm firmly in honeymoon period so I won't wibble on, but on the aesthetic front some of things that stand out better in the flesh:

The impossibly thin fingerboard binding, the odd curve to the cutaway end face, the similar figuring/emblem on the headstock and the endpin area, and the spalted maple soundhole. 

Very happy Tim. 
"Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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Comments

  • kaypeejaykaypeejay Frets: 751
    That's quite a looker you've got there. Hope you continue to enjoy it. 
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  • Moe_ZambeekMoe_Zambeek Frets: 3238
    Very nice!
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  • Cor that's pretty!
    If you must have sex with a frog, wear a condom. If you want the frog to have fun, rib it.
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6284
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    Cheers guys.

    Oh yeah, and the 'label' inside is made of wood too :-) 

    I've just been doing some googling re the materials (I wasn't familiar with either of the main woods) - sounds like the Blue Spruce is a quite a hefty upcharge looking at some builders' pages, and that the Panama Rosewood is a bit 'quicker' and physically lighter than EIR which fits with how much I like the sound but sometimes find other Rosewood guitars a bit ploddy.


    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • DougCodaDougCoda Frets: 538
    That's a stunning guitar,I remember it coming in and was very impressed with it. I'm not often in the acoustic shop as I'm holed up in the noisy place. I think we may have crossed paths as you went out for lunch and I popped up to the quiet place for a coffee...Thanks for coming and enjoy that guitar!
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  • John_PJohn_P Frets: 2725
    Fabulous!      I hope it plays and sounds as good as it looks. 
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  • Chris_JChris_J Frets: 138
    Looks stunning! 
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  • AliGorieAliGorie Frets: 308
    well done - great choice, no excuses now Tm - that’ll do everything you can - and a lot moresound clips ?.
    ah the fabled Dalbergia Tucurensis / Panama Rosewood touted by some esteemed luthiers as one of the best r/woods.

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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    DougCoda said:
    That's a stunning guitar,I remember it coming in and was very impressed with it. I'm not often in the acoustic shop as I'm holed up in the noisy place. I think we may have crossed paths as you went out for lunch and I popped up to the quiet place for a coffee...Thanks for coming and enjoy that guitar!
    Ah yes that was me :-) 

    It was well worth the schlepp - despite the gridlock on the way home. 

    Quite a place you have there, and the guys were fantastic. 
    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    AliGorie said:
    sound clips ?.


    Funny you mention it - my studio-owning friend has said he wants to hear it so I should have some nicely recorded samples soon 
    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30023
    Lovely looking guitar but what's the strange black protuberance on the back of the peghead? 
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    It's a volute that's kind of blended in and with a veneer or stain over it. a 
    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • LewyLewy Frets: 3795
    Sassafras said:
    Lovely looking guitar but what's the strange black protuberance on the back of the peghead? 
    They are a bit of a design nod to how headstocks used to be attached. Nowadays as necks and headstocks on high end guitars are usually one piece, they don't fulfill any function beyond decoration to my knowledge.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 24852
    I have to say I don't like it as such (in terms of an instrument that I'd like myself), but it looks like a fantastic thing. Looking forward to clips!
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • jellyrolljellyroll Frets: 3073
    nice dat
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  • guitarfishbayguitarfishbay Frets: 7928
    That's a very smart looking guitar.  Congrats
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 763
    Blue spruce, sounds awesome. Must admit I have never heard of this brand. Happy NGD.
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  • jellyrolljellyroll Frets: 3073
    @TimmyO - I can't see this in the classifieds yet. Is your internet broken?
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    jellyroll said:
    @TimmyO - I can't see this in the classifieds yet. Is your internet broken?
    Fuck off! lol 

    Yeah I know I was a bit all over the show over the last 6 months - I admit that I went off a bit half-cocked with the 000 and the Yamaha - on the upside it made it clearer to me the sort of sound/feel that I was after. And a bloke in a Maserati got a good deal on a Martin ;-) 

    I'm supposed to be going to an open mic next week with a mate - it'll be nervewracking taking this but that's a first world problem and no mistake... 
    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • Moe_ZambeekMoe_Zambeek Frets: 3238
    TimmyO said:

    I'm supposed to be going to an open mic next week with a mate - it'll be nervewracking taking this but that's a first world problem and no mistake... 
    Does it have a pickup installed?
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    TimmyO said:

    I'm supposed to be going to an open mic next week with a mate - it'll be nervewracking taking this but that's a first world problem and no mistake... 
    Does it have a pickup installed?
    Nope
    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    TimmyO said:
    TimmyO said:

    I'm supposed to be going to an open mic next week with a mate - it'll be nervewracking taking this but that's a first world problem and no mistake... 
    Does it have a pickup installed?
    Nope
    I'm all spent up. 

    I'll put another couple of unused pedals up for sale while I decide what pickup I want, and if I can bring myself to have the endpin area (and its spalted Koa insert) drilled into!
    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • jellyrolljellyroll Frets: 3073
    TimmyO said:
    jellyroll said:
    @TimmyO - I can't see this in the classifieds yet. Is your internet broken?
    Fuck off! lol 

    Yeah I know I was a bit all over the show over the last 6 months - I admit that I went off a bit half-cocked with the 000 and the Yamaha - on the upside it made it clearer to me the sort of sound/feel that I was after. And a bloke in a Maserati got a good deal on a Martin ;-) 

    I'm supposed to be going to an open mic next week with a mate - it'll be nervewracking taking this but that's a first world problem and no mistake... 
    It's a gorgeous guitar.  Stupid comment - but it looks as though it sounds great. Enjoy. 
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 6976
    Oh my....

    I emailed Mike Banarik earlier to see what I could find out about my guitar (plus I wanted to find out what it should be insured for hence his 'quote' comment) - not only did he send a lovely reply but also a link to a picture gallery of its build (!)

    https://goo.gl/photos/xG4xaGCn1A5t84f86

    Here's what he had to say:

    Hi Tim,

    Thanks for the email and welcome to the world of handmade guitars! 

    I'd be happy to give info on your guitar and glad to hear you're thrilled with it.

    It was made for a customer who has a couple of my other guitars and he custom ordered it. He did damage it and asked for my input on fixing it and I believe he had it done correctly and expertly, so it shouldn't be a problem and I don't believe it would harm the sound.

    The spruce is something of an anomaly, there are very few guitars made with it and mostly by myself. I had a friend who made archtops with this wood and he gave me a flattop set to try about twenty years ago and the first guitar I made was exactly as you described, responds to soft touch but also handles heavy attack. I found out the supplier and bought a dozen tops. When I ran out the supplier had disappeared and I found out that Spruce is not harvested as a tonewood as the trees normally grow quickly or have multiple flaws which makes minimizes yield to the point of no profitability. 

    When I did find the supplier again he told me that he had billets from the same tree that were air dried for twenty plus years that he never cut into sets. I told him I would buy all of it, which I did. So I have been building almost exclusively with this wood the last four years.

    The Rosewood is from a board I bought in the late 90s and resawed myself. It has an excellent tap tone, rings for ages.

    I believe we made it a bit deeper and put a slight wedge in the sides.

    I highly recommend the McIntyre Feather pickup as it is the less intrusive of all the types of acoustic pickups and is very natural sounding. Installing is straight forward as well.

    Here's a replacement quote. I will send a photo album documenting your guitar's build.

    All the best,
    Mike

    :-) 


    "Congratulations on being officially the most right anyone has ever been about anything, ever." -- Noisepolluter knows the score
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  • KalimnaKalimna Frets: 1486

    That's an absolute beauty of a guitar - I love the birdseye maple label, a lovely touch. Ive often thought that for a hand-builder, taking photos of the build and printing off an album would add almost no cost either in production or purchase of the instrument, but would elevate ownership considerably.

    Enjoy.


    Adam

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  • jellyrolljellyroll Frets: 3073
    TimmyO said:

    I emailed Mike Banarik earlier to see what I could find out about my guitar (plus I wanted to find out what it should be insured for hence his 'quote' comment) - not only did he send a lovely reply but also a link to a picture gallery of its build (!)

    https://goo.gl/photos/xG4xaGCn1A5t84f86

    Great pics - and quite special to have such a record. If this does indeed turn out to be your "keeper for life" then it'll be wonderful to look at those photos in decades to come.  
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