Goodall WCJ Walnut Concert Jumbo/Cedar Top

Used (1999) James Goodall all solid wood Walnut Concert Jumbo with Engleman spruce top, ebony fingerboard, full abalone top, and flamed maple binding. Gloss lacqer finish. After-market electronics installed: LR Baggs IMix. Schaller mini tuners: replaced with Gotoh super 510's. Body size: lower bout is 15-7/8" and 4-3/8" deep. This is comparable to some builder's Small Jumbo models, and VERY comfortable to hold. 1-3/4" mahogany neck with 25.5" scale.

I am a fingerstyle player: jazz, classical, showtunes, new age. This is NOT a blues guitar! Goodall's have very well developed overtones that make them very beautiful to listen to--nothing gritty, here. Balanced across the scale: the notes are warm amd sparkling. The bass is tight--not boomy--and the trebles have the signature Goodall sparkle.

I amplify the guitar using a presonus tube preamp with a Mullard NOS tube. The issue in amplifying all Goodalls, in my experience, is that the brightness is too much of a good thing, especially in the B string. Taming the B so that it doesn't sound loud and harsh requires scooping out the high mids--which is possible with the sweepable EQ on the presonus. Keep in mind that unplugged these guitars sound beautiful. The other thing that helps is to change out the bone saddle with pre-ban elephant ivory. This saddle material is much more dense than bone, and evens out the B string considerably. This is a $50 fix worthy of an expensive instrument.

Everything was an A+. It is worth mentioning that I bought this used from Buffalo Bros, and they went out of their way to buff out all scratches and wear on the finish. I recieved a guitar that looked almost new, but was 5 years old. I replaced the schaller tuners simply because I prefer the gotohs. This shop treated me very well.

I am a working musician. I've flown with this guitar and taken it to several gigs. Goodalls are built very well--heavier than many high end guitars.

James and Jean Goodall are fun and friendly to deal with. Theyreally care about customer satisfaction, and respond promptly to both phone and email. The warrantee is five years. The Goodall's say that if anything goes wrong, it will happen before the warranty is up. History seems to bear this out: structural issues due to manufacturing defects are very rare.

Playing 30 years. This is my fifth Goodall. AFter developing tendonitis I sold my large body Goodall, and traded for this one. I also play a madigascar/cedar charis SJ and a german/pau fero Loriente classical. Goodall makes three wood combinations that are to die for: walnut/engleman, maple/cedar, macassar ebony/cedar. They are dynamic and have heart-breakingly sweet tone. The Goodall neck is my favorite in the whiole wide world. Especially if you like open tunings, this guitar in the ONE.

Made in 1999. 20 frets, solid cedar top, no electronics. Walnut back and sides, maple bindings, 1 3/4 inch ebony fingerboard, ebony bridge and peghead overlay. Abalone inlay. Mini-Schaller tuners.
Neck, body, peghead and healcap are all bound in very curly maple. The finish is flawless (as all Goodalls are) This guitar must have been one of the last to have the old stlye bridge. Just a few words about the sides and back: Curly, wavey, rich, multi colors of golds and browns, intense, 3-D, and stunning. A friend of mine said, (tongue in cheek) "Boy Mr. Goodall had to look all over for such ugly wood."

I am primarily a fingerstyle player. I have played for 44 years, and this is sonically the most pleasing guitar I have owned. Very powerful when strummed with a pick. This is the third cedar top guitar I have owned. The other two, (Taylor 714's...) had a tendency to "break-up or lose clarity when heavy playing became necessary. Not this Goodall. It stays true. It is punchy, full, and is wonderfully responsive in soft passages. The cedar top creates quite a cascade of sound. Balanced in all tonal respects, but has a wonderful bass. The mids and highs are just right for my style of playing. I love this instrument.

Set-up? It required none. It was perfect for me. I have not seen cedar with figuring in its grain before. This has it. Very beautiful. The sides match, the back matches, even the binding matches. Perfect finish.

This is my 4th Goodall. (RJ, RS, RCJ, and WCJ.) I have never had a problem with any of them. I play professionally and have used my jumbo with a Fishman saddle P/U since 1993, and my luthier/repairman
told me to stop bringing it to him until it need frets. James' guitar are VERY STABLE.

I believe the warrantee is five years. To that I say: it just as well be 25! I have had a few conversations via email with the Goodalls. They have always been very helpful.

I currently have 2 Santa Cruz OM's, and 3 Goodalls. Love them all. I would replace any of these guitars if they were lost. When I bought this WCJ. I was able to play alot of the "big boys". Collings, Weber, Santa Cruz, Breedlove, Froggy Bottom, Thompson, Lowden, Bourgeios and some others. The Collings OM-1 was VERY tempting, as were some of the others. The Goodall came home to Idaho with me. Expensive, yes, worth it? Absolutely. To all of you "serious" handmade owners and buyers...isn't this a wonderful time to be a guitarist. So many talented luthiers, and so many great guitars!