NGD: Valentine

This gorgeous Valentine showed up today! I’d not seen one in person other than the Trans Buttermilk, but this finish is just incredible. Up close, you can see the grain of the body in the finish, but get a few feet away and it just looks like a deep maroon guitar.

The tones are wonderful, and the feel is perfect. I was nervous about the absence of a belly cut, but it’s no issue at all for me as it turns out. I was also a bit wary of the 11s it comes strung with, but I’ve been playing acoustic a lot more than I had been, so my fingers are used to heavier strings now, and the 11s feel great. It weighs something very close to 6.5 pounds, which I’m very pleased with.

We did some A/B comparisons with the Valentine and a Tele my son has. It covers that ground well enough that I think even a trained ear would be hard pressed to tell you it wasn’t a Tele if they heard it. And the humbucker sounds are very nice, too.

A huge thanks to Pete DuBaldo for the great service, as always! And a tip of the cap to James Valentine and all the crew in SLO for making this fabulous guitar.

One pic of the new one, and then the updated group shot.

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