I just want to say that Elegee at this point in time will never be in the same league as the new Baker B3 because
1) It was handmade by a master luthier with around 15 years experience in the USA. He started out with Gibson Custom Shop and was with Fender Custom Shop for 8 years working with best luthiers of that time. He also designed and made Robben Ford's Signature while at Fender.
2) His wood. The wood used on the Baker B3s are old growth and pre-banned hand picked wood by Gene and Cliff. And i have to say that among the two Baker B3s that I have tried, marunong mamili ng kahoy na may character sina Gene and Cliff.
So, hindi ito shoot out. That being said, I believe that Jon had to improve on his polish and finish compared to standard USA guitars. Mayroon rin polido at magandang finish na standard na USA guitar na panget itsura and panget ang tunog. So, obviously an Elegee can beat that type of USA guitar. And I expect that at this point in time, Jon should have already improved. Weight of Jon's wood is kind of heavy. No matter the explanation, there are ash guitars that are so light even on stock Japanese made guitars. As I said before, what I like about Jon's work is his design and aesthetic appeal and I will say again that no local luthiers comes close to this. But for me personally, after the first few minutes, the guitar fails to connect. Either the vibe is off or the character is not there. I am hoping his PRS tribute guitar does have better vibe and character.
Not to diminish the excitement over custom guitars, but really getting a guitar with character is a matter of luck and not of design. As I said before, even Ron Thorn has refused to make a guitar for me because he cannot guarantee it will meet the sound character I want. I am just extremely lucky with my Baker#55 and I am just down to that single guitar because it killed everything else I owned. It is not ideal to be reduced to one guitar thats why I have a Baker#41 set to arrive any day now but it remains to be seen if Baker#41 can be on #55's level. I have always a been a "see what you get guy" when it comes to guitars but Baker changed all of that for me. And since Gene Baker and Cliff Cultreri now know my standards, I can order a guitar without every hearing it. There is only one problem with that arrangement, you cannot customize.
i see your point alex. however, dont you think it is unfair to compare jon to gene baker?
we can see you excitement over your #55, its been gosh damned at nearly every one of your post, and we can not only see but now feel how floored you are by bakers work. trust me, i believe every word you say about your baker, and have developed the my own interest in your fine piece. if its good for robben ford, that its fantastic for subhumans like you and me.
jon has to make do with whatever wood resource is available in our shores, and i reckon he is doing a fine job at what he does. but i haven't read anybody proclaiming elegee guitars to be the very best in the world, or even among the creme dela creme of all guitars in this vast guitar universe, to warrant your comparison as far as gene baker is concerned. thats far fetched.
its like comparing a ford mustang to a pagani zonda, man. both totally in different classes. or, should i say for a more juicier example, michelle madrigal vs jessica alba.
now, if jon wants to make a friendly comparison or litmus test of your baker and his personal prs copy, i'm sure that it would be a positive learning experience for him. he has improved, i firmly believe that the only way to go is up for him. the guitarhospital was not made in one day and i see elegee to be in its infantile stage. a child with great promise.
jon, in your eyes and ears, may have some catching up to do, but with the continued support he gets from everybody, that should propel him to world class heights. i'm not saying today, or tomorrow.
i'm sure arie and jun castro had it that way too. i have played a custom guitar arie made, i really dug it, but never in my mind would i have entertained the thought of comparing his work to what gibson or fender churn out en masse like big macs. and my imagination is limited by common sense as not to go as far as to compare arie to dan erlewine with regard to his guitar repair skills, or vs someone like james tyler or jeff earle terwilliger of JET guitars with the custom he made.
i do not seek jon's services for him to make me the ultimate guitar, and i'm dead sure that his many customers aren't after the holy grail. its a myth.
