Conrad wrote:
Bob what music do you like to play on the SmoothTalker?
Simple fingerstyle vaguely folky things. Mine is a steel string model.
And is it physically heavy?
Heavier. My Morgan OM weighs about 2 Kg, the Smoothtalker is about 2.5. So it's heavier but it's not overly heavy (to me). The weight is compensated to a degree by the ergonomics which are excellent.
How much did it cos approximately?
I ordered mine over a year ago. I don't know what Mervyn's current pricing is. The best would be to call or visit him and ask about costings. I ordered some extras with mine - LR Baggs pickup and pre-amp, non-standard machine heads (I didn't like the look of Mervyn's standard steel-string machine heads), hard case. So in any event my price is not indicative of his regular price.
and are you satisfied with it?
It has very good ergonomics. I did have to take it back to Mervyn for work and adjustments, but I think this is part of the game when buying a hand made instrument (this is the first such instrument I have bought from the luthier). He told me to take delivery, play for 2 to 3 weeks and then go back to him with a snag list. I think it's good value for a hand made instrument. You need to play one - so make a visit to his workshop. They do have a very distinct personality and that may not be everybody's cup of tea. I may be selling mine, but that's largely because I'm not a pro player and I'm thinking that two high-end guitars is one too many - it's not because I think it's a dud.
