Look pretty interesting...especially the ladder-braced ones for old-timey finger-picking, -and quite a complement to my Collings CJ.

Anyone know anything about them?

http://www.johnhowguitars.com/guitars.html

Hi JoJo; I am a frequent lurker garnering info on Collings Guitars. I love some of the guitars I have played locally and am looking for that "special" one to purchase and play.

Specifically I am familiar with the How ladder braced guitars. I hosted a How ladder braced guitar in April of '07 when he was showcasing the guitars by hosting a traveling guitar.

Here is a review that I posted on APM (Acoustic Player Magazine Forum) at that time;

When I read/hear about ladder braced guitars I heard in my mind the early sounds of blues played in the southern states by a practiced hand. Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Blake, Son House, Charlie Patton, Barbeque Bob, Skip James and Furry Lewis all played very similar guitars built by a variety of companies like Oscar Schmidt or Lyon and Healy. Oscar Schmidt’s Stella guitar’s is no doubt what most folks commonly associates with the term ladder braced guitars. I have played a couple of oldster ladder braced guitars and a couple of the Fraulini ladder braced guitars. Enjoyed them, but was left feeling something was missing in the songs that I was playing.

I have been hosting the John How ladder braced guitar for a week and it has changed my ideas of ladder braced guitars. 1st ladder braced guitars are not all ladder braced guitars. This guitar with modern carbon fiber neck, radiused fretboard and working tuners make it easy to play. 2nd the sound is not the boxy, woofy sound I have heard from many oldsters. 3rd the guitar is a hottie and has mojo!


Playability; The little parlor is 13.5” wide at the lower bout and is comfortable in your lap. I had worried that the size might, even for my small body, slide off my lap and I would have to work to keep it steady while playing. No worries – the pretty guitar just sits with its neck perked up into your hand oh so comfortably. I found that at first I enjoyed playing with one leg higher, bent one knee to lift the guitar higher in my lap simulating the height of my taller bodied guitars. Within a couple of hours of comfy chair playing I noticed that the guitar was resting lower, no knee-bend. My body more relaxed and my fretting hand not fatigue free. No buttons needed on this guitar as it does exactly what it is intended to do – sit comfortably in your lap, in the parlor, and provide easy access to playing. The string spacing, nut/saddle = 1 13/16" - 2 5/16”, is what should be on this guitar. The nut width is familiar to me. The saddle was wider, but was an easy adjustment and very comfortable. The neck profile has a smidgeon of a V. It has a round profile with a hint of a V.

Asthetics; The guitar’s asthetics make me want to pick it up. On a wall in a boutique guitar store – I would pick it up. On a stand with others, I would pick it up. It stands out with the top a honey burst and rosewood fretboard, the back is a warm Mah. The binding colors combined with the simple white plastic is simple and pretty. The bridge, why it just makes me want to have a closer look. I love the bridge design – just so cool. I am smitten by the looks and as I am writing this it is sitting on a stand on my desk in clear view. Simple, clean aesthetics, showing off the fact that it is a wood instrument. A winner every day in the looks department. Check out John’s pics of the guitar yourself on the website, http://www.johnhowguitars.com/LBCG.html .

Sound; I wish I could bring you some really tasty tunes like other posters, but alas I do not have that skill (yet). My recorded tunes, in comparison, can not show the range and capability of the guitar. Do use the Search function and check out the tasty tunes, Andre, John and others have posted. My fav is Bill Shefield spanking the guitar (accessible on John How’s site). These skilled posters really demonstrate the range and complex sound that this guitar is capable of. Good stuff and fun to listen to. That said,here is a clip of me playing a Miss. John Hurt key of G compilation, http://h1.ripway.com/Short%20Balding%20Guy/CBS32607.mp3 . Dry recording with no alterations to the sound.

To my ears, the JH Parlor has a refined and even a delicate sound to the trebles. It is certainly not jangly or ringing. Pleasantly sweet trebles. The mids, especially the higher mids, have a fat tone with some complexity/sustain. The bass is percussive. No tubby or woofy sounds from the bass. The bass is more than I expected from a parlor size, but not as big sounding as a concert sized LB guitar. In the past, when I played some of the oldster ladder braced guitars I heard woofiness in the bass. The sound would rise and rush out the sound whole. This guitar – none of that, instead it has an immediate bass sound that is pleasant and easy to make into a country blues song or rag tune. I am not a hard player and it the sound/set-up works great for me.

I would easily suggest that this particular guitar is a downtown cousin of the oldster ladder braced guitars in sound. A little fancier, but indeed recognizable sound.

Changes; I would change the tuners, small personal aesthetic choices, but leave the wood/build choice and resulting sound alone.

Thinking about a parlor guitar – this is the one for rag time, blues, root-folksy tunes. I heartily recommend one from John How just like this one. Sweet guitar, sweet sounds.


Long - but I hope this helps. BTW; Hi folks. Eric -

I've met John and played a few of his ladder braced parlors. Very impressive instruments that tend to cross the line between the vintage vibe and modern tone......I guess in some ways like Collings.....yet different.....

Dream Guitar has had a few of his guitars in recently.

They sound very interesting.

I look forward to trying out his guitars.


Stuart

I am the proud owner of a John How LBC (ladder
braced concert) guitar that I bought from Eric Schoenberg's just before last Christmas. Living in Australia, it is difficult to find guitars like this locally, so I am used to buying based on research, and hoping for the best. I bought this guitar so that I would not have to use my Collings 00-42 ESB for gigging, and because Bill doesn't make an 0-size 12 fret slothead (I am a firm believer in the virtues of same), more's the pity. However, it turned out for the best, because this little beauty is now my #1. It is truly a 21st. century Stella, with carbon fibre neck reinforcing rods (no adjustable truss rod), slightly radiused fretboard, wonderfully comfortable V neck (1 13/16ths at nut, 2 5/16ths at bridge) - I have to say the 00-42 feels clunky by comparison with this lightweight wonder made of Honduran mahogany with a red spruce (Adi) top and ebony fretboard, bridge and headplate. If I sound enthusiastic, you're right, and I haven't even started on about how comfortable it is to play.
A "dream" guitar? It certainly is for me, but then I'm an old blues fingerpicker who has never owned a dreadnaught, nor aspired to.
In addition to all this, John How himself is one of Nature's gentlemen for whom nothing is too much trouble, and who takes wonderful pride in his work and ensures that everything about the guitar you play is exactly the way you want it. If you are in the market for a parlor guitar as many people suddenly seem to be, you MUST check out the John How ladder braced models.
You can see mine in Schoenberg's Sold Guitars Gallery (it's the LBC), and there are a couple of John's newer models (X-braced and much fancier and more expensive)on their Independent Luthiers page.
These are wonderful instruments by any standards and any Collings aficionado would be as proud to add one to their collection as I have been.

jrfree

nice review.

Is it like this one.

http://www.dreamguitars.com/instock_how.htm#XGX

scroll up to the concert parlour ladder braced.


sounds lovely.

I'm temped to pick one up. They are so well priced.

I know they are going up though. I have spoken with John How and he indicated they have to or he can't continue to build. Get em while they are less expensive.

then again, i should try one first.

Stuart

Hi Stuart

Yes, mine is the same as that, but in a natural finish, and ebony.
I did change the Gotoh tuners for Waverly's - but I think John's going for Wav's now.
Mine is now fitted with the de riguer K&K mini's so it has an endpin where there once was none. And always use a Pure XLR pre-amp - the pickup itself is only half of the equation.
I didn't try mine before I bought it - I just thought that any guitar that looked that much like a real Stella would have to sound like one too - but it sounds (and plays) much better!!!
Did I mention comfortable to play?
If you check out Schoenberg's current inventory you'll see that John's guitars are going up in price - he builds in short runs of about half a dozen, but each guitar gets the best part of a month spent on it.
Have no qualms about buying long-distance and without playing - I'm very used to it in Oz.

John

Hey John,

I'm so glad you love it though. I wouldn't think twice about shipping either, given my nature, but I've done a ton of research, and so I have a much better idea now re who I'm interested in. Although if you haven't played the guitar, you still are taking a big risk.

I just drove for 17 hrs to try a guitar I'm buying, but I could not yet take it with me. I live in Canada, and it's coming in from Conneticut (spelling), you know where I mean.

Here's his web site.

http://www.walkerguitars.com/

Picking up a Nick Walker Deep body 14 fret L-00. It's a smokin guitar. Can't wait.

I also have a Fraklin on order. Check those out. Three times what you'll pay for a new How, but worth every dime.

I must admit to having a hankering for a How.

Schoenburg's does tend to price a little high though. Some of the west coast stores do that. Tried to talk the owner, forgot his name now, down on a Larson mahogany. Nice looking guitar. But a little overpriced in my eyes at $6800. But at the time he wouldn't drop it.

You should record me a song.

Here's a picture of Kim Walker with an OM on the left and the L-00 on the right. That's the guitar I am getting. The L-00 burst. Sweet eh. It plays like a dream.



Stuart

Stuart,

The Walker L-00 looks choice - how long have you waited for that baby?
The OM looks a bit different - what's with the offset backstrip? A Martin OM custom was my #1 for many years. In fact, when I ordered it in 1991, there was not a single OM model in Martin's standard stock list - I had to special order an OM-28 and wait three whole months for it. Talk about ahead of my time - now everyone and his brother has an OM. I recently bought my son a $A300 Chinese OM, and it's not half bad!!
But when I saw my 00-42 ESB on the Australian Collings distributor's website, I knew instantly that the OM's days were numbered, and that I was to find out about guitars at another price level altogether. And this one is only EIR/Engelmann - Brazilian? Forget it, man.
Actually, to put things in perspective, I bought the How as a gigging guitar so that the Collings could stay in my studio to use for recording only. It sounds great using a blend of Rode K2 valve condenser mike with a dribble of K&K Pure Western mini for added body and depth.
But what I really liked about changing from the OM was going to a short scale length - suddenly phrases I had struggled with for years were in reach. I don't have Jimmy Reed hands, and that 0.6 inch difference means a lot to me.
I had a Gibson Nick Lucas reissue from Elderly when they first were released, but for some reason it had a long 25.5 inch scale length and jumbo frets - I didn't find it comfortable at all, and sold it off.
I've got some sound clips coming on a myspace page - stay tuned.
I am currently recording a ukulele album - with vocals, of course - everything from "Bullfrog Blues" to "Lucy In The Sky (With Diamonds)."

Later,

Peace and love,

John.

totally cool,

would love to hear those tunes.

don't know what an offset backstrip is.

the om got converted into a burst I think.

shortscale could be good for me too, and across time I will investigate that.

The walker is pricy. 8 year waiting list with only one guitar a year delivered to a west coast store made to the buider, Kim's personal desires, not mine, but it's everything I could have hoped for with 2 5/16 string spacing. The adi top gives it a snap and it's got a dry edge and a cello like base.


It'll be a few years before I record, but I will and look forward to yours.



Stuart

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Stuart,

I had the pleasure of playing one of John's ladder braced, concert size guitars for a few days. Here it is on the right, its inspiration, with my circa 1920 O.S. Stella concert guitar on the left:



Both have Adi tops. My guitar has braz rosewood sides and a mahogany back. john's guitar was all mahogany.

I recorded soundclips on each. Alas, this was before I bought my Zoom H2. So, these are recorded with a cheapo Radio Shack mic straight into my computer. In any event, there they are.

How: Little Rock

Stella.:Little Rock

How: Shuckin' Sugar

Stella:Shuckin' Sugar

I really like the How. It didn't have quite the volume or richness of the Stella, but the Stella had an over 80 year head start.

You can see my How LBC here:
http:/www.om28.com/sluthier/howlbc.html
It has mahogany back and sides, Adi top and ebony bridge, fingerboard and headplate.

John.