Huss and Dalton OM Custom

2007, Made in Staunton, Virginia, USA. 14-fret to body. Solid, sitka spruce top with rosewood back and sides with rosewood bindings. H&D stingray abalone inlays and abalone rosette. Clear finish. This guitar combines the classic Martin OM outline with subdued accents in the form of non-traditional abalone stingray inlays and shiny clear-coat top. Just enough to make it look unique, and no where near over-the-top.

I switch between finger style and strumming style and the it sounds great either style. I own two Taylors (414ce-30L and 714ce-2006 Fall Limited). I've also owned an Ovation Balladeer. The tone of this guitar blows them all away. There are tones in the mid-range that I've never heard projected from any of my other guitars. I'm currently trying different types of strings and have found that some bright strings will bring the open G string tone out above the others (like the body resonates at that frequency). I avoid that by using more balanced strings. The full tone makes me want to just keep playing.

I was lucky enough to get a tour of the H&D workshop a couple of days after buying the guitar. The tour was given by the person who does the final set up of the guitars. He showed us his workbench and the setting. I measured my guitar and it met his specs. The action was also about the same as my Taylor set ups. That is, very comfortable for fingerpicking and strumming. One thing worth mentioning--compared to the Tayors, the H&D has a little wider fretboard resulting in more freboard room between the E strings and the edge. As a result, I can finger certain chords on the H&D where the same form on my Taylors would result in the high-E string sliding off the board.

I've picked and strummed it hard, and the guitar feels solid. It is a lot lighter than my Taylors, which made me wonder about strength, but there is no buzzing when I strum hard--only a louder sound projecting from the sound board.

As mentioned earlier, we took a tour of the company's only shop. The people were friendly and very open about their guitars. H&D guitars are guaranteed for the life of the original owner--and I've heard stories where they've extended the warantee to second owners. I feel that if there were a problem, I could just drop it off and they would address it.

I did my homework when looking for a guitar this time. I read the book "Acoustic Guitar" by Tea Gerken, which describes all of the facets of a guitar. Having owned a couple of Taylors, I really wanted to get a Martin. I traveled the the state of Virginia trying out different Martins at different stores, but none cryed, "take me home." A friend who lives in Staunton told me about H&D. After that, I began recognizing their advertisements in various magazines. I then started looking for reviews on the Internet and found that they were consistently rated "great". When I finally came across one, I played it for about an hour. Walked away for a while. Came back and played it for another hour, then bought it. I've been enjoying it ever since.

I bought the H&D OM about a month ago as a Christmas present to myself, as I have been playing fingerstyle on a Martin D-41 dreadnought. The Martin is a beautiful guitar, but it just doesn't have the right sound for fingerstyle. My H&D OM has an Adirondack spruce top, Indian rosewood back/sides, and ebony fingerboard. It has a glossy finish which took a bit of getting used to, but after a short while I really prefer it. The neck feels like butter in my hand!

I also really like the solid wood purfling as opposed to plastic "ivoroid." Yes, I've read that the plastic may last longer and protect better. But the wood looks much cooler (at least to me) and I plan on taking care of this baby. And if it does get scarred I'll either have it repaired or show off the combat scars.

The case is heavy and rigid. In fact I think it will stand up for airline travel, although I don't plan on making a habit out of it. It is a bit heavy though and stretches out my arm a bit more than I'd like. But it certainly protects the instrument and that's what we want it for, right?

I compared the H&D directly against two Collings guitars. They had been my first choice. We changed the strings on all of them to make a fair comparison. The Collings is very nice too, and the differences are subtle. But in the end I chose the H&D because of its wonderful resonance and sustain. It speaks to me.

The fit and finish is remarkable, really. It's a beatiful instrument which I'm sure I'll be holding on to, to pass on to my sons. One of them will get the Martin, one gets the H&D... I'll probably let them fight over which one gets which one!

I don't see any reason why this guitar will have problems withstanding live playing, but I don't have enough hours on it as yet. I sure hope it can, as it wasn't inexpensive and my wife won't let me buy another for awhile.

The warranty is valid forever - for the original buyer. I bought it used (at a very reputable dealer), so there is no warranty. I did exchange emails with H&D, with questions about the guitar, its wood, and so forth: they were very responsive and helpful.

I love the guitar, and if it were lost I'd buy another. Simple as that.

This is a 1999 model made in Staunton, Virginia. OM features include: Rosewood or Mahogany back/sides, radiused Sitka Spruce top, ebony body binding, black/white/black purfling, abalone rosette, "Stingray" fingerboard inlay, ebony peg head veneer, gold Schaller tuners w/ebony buttons, 1-3/4" width at nut. I speical ordered a 24.9" neck, diamond bridge and additional inlay.

It is the sweetest sounding guitar I have ever played. Small size is great for finger style blues but can handle being strummed without breaking up.

I had the pleasure of picking my guitar up at the company. Dalton set the guitar up for me while I was there and made any modifications on the spot.

I've only had the guitar for a few months so it is hard to say. At this point the workmanship on the guitar is perfect - Mark Dalton told me if I ever have concerns just bring the guitar back and they will look at it. NO signs of poorly applied finish, uneven fretting, etc.

All the people at Huss and Dalton have been wonderful. Of course living 25 miles from their workplace makes it easy to stay in contact with them. I even had the chance to come and watch at the guitar was being made. H&D answered all questions - it was a great experience.

This is the best sounding guitar I have ever owned or played. If it were lost or stolen I would immediately get on the wait list to have H&D make me another. I own several other acoustics, including a Larrivee LS09 and Martin D 0015 but the workmanship of the Huss and Dalton is truly in a class by itself. H&D only make about a hundred guitars a year but they are well worth waiting for.