My first purchase thanks to insurance. All of my gear got stolen in Montreal (no details necessary really – we got badly robbed, it sucked, we got insurance money, good now).
It took me forever to finally decide on one.
All Canadian made Simon and Patrick Vintage Burst CW Cedar HG A3.2. Solid cedar top, rosewood fretboard, laminate sides. I really like a few things about this guitar. Really thick neck for my sasquatch hands, beautiful warm tone (no crispy tinny country sounds ala Taylor/L’Arrivee/Takamine), solid pickup system with built in chromatic tuner. I’m neutral on the burst/colour. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I don’t. In lower lighting the sheen of the lacquer is less which is nice (although my klutziness should lean towards the finish).
It was between this and a Chinese all solid wood Guild. I know… I’m crazy for not getting the Guild. Just the headstock alone is sexy enough to warrant wanting one. Buuuut the colour was gross and it had no versatility as an acoustic/electric. Sound was great but not worth the price for me, and the neck was a bit thin for my taste. So it was a head vs. heart battle as usual. I always thought of Simon and Patrick as a budget brand, but the more I play them the more I like them. Trying to compare it with the Guild is hard because… it’s Guild and who isn’t swayed by brand sometimes. I surprisingly made an intellectual choice rather than an emotional one, and I think it’ll be the right one down the road. I’m no virtuoso, but I’m also a bit of a tone snob. So we’ll see.
