It's been close to 2 months since I've received my Ruck guitar, and the reason why I've not yet written much about my experience with it is because I wanted to give myself some time to 'get to know' the instrument.
So far, in the few quartet rehearsal sessions in which I've used my new guitar, the experience has been wonderful.
It is often pretty difficult to gauge just "how good" an instrument is. I mean, how to you say whether an instrument is worth that 5-figure sum of money paid for it, as compared to another instrument valued at less than half its price tag, but also with a good sound? Sure, many a times the distinction is more in the mind (or heart) - you THINK you are playing a better instrument simply because the price tag on that instrument is heavier than the other one. It could also come down to personal preference - who is to say a spruce top is necessarily better than a cedar top (or vice versa), or for that matter, a Spanish-made classical is superior to a Japan-made model?
Personally, I feel it is hard to put a dollar value down on an instrument like classical guitar - simply put, it is PERSONAL. You simply try to find that one guitar which you find yourself loving the sound that you can produce (from it); enjoying the relative ease of playing a big chord that requires a full stretch; or playing a tough scale at say the 15th position - and there you have it, the G (not girl.... guitar!) of your dreams.
My Kohno 30 is very dear to me. Even though I'd gotten it as a 2nd/3rd hand instrument, she has accompanied me in so many performances and it has "grown" (old) with me. In other words, she's like my trusted buddy and ally in battles past. Perhaps even more like an old friend.....
When I received the Ruck, of course I'm delighted and very keen to begin using the new instrument. I want to know how good it can be, if it would be the "last" guitar which I'd need to look for to sustain my passion in playing the guitar. From all of what I feel and hear so far from the instrument, it certainly may be!
The Ruck feels significantly lighter than the Kohno, and like all new instruments, she has the smell of new varnish on wood. I'd requested Bob to put on Rodgers tuners onto the instrument, hence completing the looks of what is already a really beautiful guitar. Of course, the tuners costs a lot, but besides looking nice it also gives precision tuning and to quote OG,"makes you want to tune everyday!". My Ruck guitar (#967) has a cedar double (composite) top, which is french polished. The guitar has relatively low action and is extremely responsive to play, giving a clear timbre and well-defined tones in the trebles. The basses are definitely considered loud but I feel it is not overly boomy in nature.
In order to know if she is comparable or better than my Kohno, I judged the Ruck based on my experiences during our quartet rehearsals. On certain tough passages and execution, the Ruck guitar made it much easier to navigate and still manages to produce a sustain which I found extremely impressive. For example, we were recently rehashing LAGQ's Blue Ocean Echo/Country Gentleman, and the difference was felt instantly when I did the chord slides. It was a pleasure to hear the sustained sounds of the slide chords and also made it much easier to switch from the pizzicato bass notes to the slide-chords, as you would not have to pluck so hard to give emphasis the the chord (I'm the first of the "echo-es", so it has to sound louder and sustain longer!).
Being the first owner of this instrument also gives me a different sense of ownership and pride. It'll be a learning and growing experience throughout the years of playing this guitar - learning how to make the best of the instrument and how to take good care of her; and growing in terms of improving my own technique and maturing the instrument further to make the sound "open up" over the years.
For anyone who's seriously passionate about playing any instrument, (and of course, subject to affordability) investing in a concert-worthy instrument is certainly one big step you MUST take at some point in your life. I feel I've just made that step, after playing the classical guitar for the past 23 years.
Yet, at the same time I will continue to play on my Kohno. She remains my trusted partner whom I can depend on for many more concerts to come. AND - she is a spruce top guitar! So now I truly have the best of both worlds.
