Back in the Fall of 2002 I commissioned my first
guitar--a Hoffman Concert 12, EI Rosewood/Englemann
w/flaming koa binding. I was psyched then, after talking
to Charlie Hoffman about what I wanted and what he
recommended based on my need. However, I was not going
crazy at all as I already had some instruments from some
of the finest builders of our day, and then discovered
Gerald Sheppard Guitars
in November. It was cool though to be checking the
Hoffman Guitars
website during the months to keep up on the latest
progress via posted pics. Then March came, and I was
notified my baby was finished and would soon be arriving
on my doorstep. Cool, I couldn't wait! Anyway, that was
about a month ago now. I have since been playing
regularly and often, getting to know my new friend. The
following is just a bit about this new gem, much of it
quoted from an earlier email I sent to Charlie.
AESTHETICS--the craftsmanship, woods, finish, fit...all
look excellent. I like the build lightness of the guitar.
It reminds me of a 1970 Martin D-18s I used to have--that
guitar was a real lightweight powerhouse with beautiful
delicate tone. The neck width and thickness, and string
spacing are 'made for me' (liberal 1 13/16 nut and 2 7/16
--very comfortable and easy to move around on, ). Took me
a bit to get used to the unique looking volute, which
personally I find sort of oversized and odd looking, but
I won't be worrying about the headstock snapping off on
this gem!
--PLAYABILITY--outstanding ease--I love the setup, the
string spacing, etc.,...cool, cool cool! One of the main
reasons I chose to commission a Hoffman guitar was
remembering as a newbie guitarist back in 1975 what
Belleville and Hoffman (Charlie's original shop) did when
setting up and dressing the frets of my Guild D-40. I was
blown away by the work --it came back a 'new' guitar,
easier to play than anything I had experienced
previously. I've really been enjoying playing the concert
12 in the past month--I love the feel on the fretboard
and the ease of play--certainly is easier on my fingers
then most of my other guitars, so it's great for
practicing large chunks of time too. The Concert 12
sounds very clean, even when playing hard, which IME is
unusual with action set this low.
TONE--sounds better every day--good, full, and incredibly
balanced. Got to record some with it the other night for
the tonewoods samples. First impressions have me thinking
it will require little or no EQ tweaking for that nice,
rich, full, yet crisp, clear, balanced tone. Quite
honestly though, the first couple days I was not
immediately woowed by the tone--couldn't quite put my
finger on it, but I suspect there are 2 reasons for this:
1. I generally dislike the tone of new strings on any
guitar I ever had (I find somewhere around the 2 week
point being when I get my rich and clear guitar tone back
again on most of my guitars), no matter what kind of
guitar and what kind of strings--never enough punch and
clarity, usually too bright sounding and compressed
sounding. 2. The guitar was 1 week old when I got it. I'm
sure the woods have allot of maturing to do, and even
within a few days of receiving the guitar a fuller and
more open tone was quickly developing. Charlie gave me a
week before he ran the credit card (just in case I wasn't
quite satisfied). Needless to say, the card has been run,
the guitar is without question a keeper, and I'm enjoying
playing this sweet guitar regularly, while trying to
squeeze in some time for the others as well. PREVIOUS
KNOWLEDGE REAFFIRMED--'never judge a brand new guitar by
its new strings and fairly greenish tone'--they can
develop significantly in a short period of
time--especially if played often!
SERVICE/FOLLOW UP--Upon very thorough inspection (inside
and out), I had a few questions/concerns about the
guitar, though admittedly mainly due to my own ignorance
re: individual luthier techniques and build practices,
etc. Charlie addressed those in an open and responsive
manner, educated me on some of the 'why questions' I had,
while at the same time restating his satisfaction
guaranteed policy if in the end I wanted to return the
guitar. Well obviously, I am keeping this one.
After 1 month I can say that this guitar will serve at
least several functions extremely well for me--in
practice, in performance and in various recording
applications (in a nutshell, a real workhorse). That's
not at all to say it won't accomplish other functions
such as inspiration, creative song writing and arranging,
jamming, etc., but I have others that more readily serve
those purposes.
There was one other reason I chose Hoffman Guitars, and
that was the incredible value. For less than $4,000.00
delivered, I have myself the above beautiful instrument
made to my specifications, and including several options
such as cutaway, slotted headstock, 12th fret inlay,
Master grade Englemann spruce top, flaming koa binding,
and others. Hats off to Charlie and crew, my expectations
were fully met and exceeded!
Ken T.
Graceworks Music
