The “Smoothtalker” REINVENTS the Acoustic Guitar! | UNBOXING
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- I just got this “Smoothtalker” Model SSJ1 in from Mervyn Davis Guitars, and it is blowin’ my mind! 🤯 The design features on this baby are incredibly innovative. It’s a huge challenge to re-imagine the acoustic guitar design, since the traditional designs work so well… but I have to say, Mervyn Davis really brought something to the table with this Smoothtalker design. The smaller sound chamber, adjustable tensioning bar on the bridge, crazy high fret access, and modular design, all combine beautifully to make this guitar truly badass!
You can check out more about the Smoothtalker and Mervyn Davis Guitar at the following links:
• Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
• Website: www.smoothtalkerguitars.net
• Contact: info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
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#guitar #acoustic #acousticguitar #justinjohnson #smoothtalker #fingerstyle #fingerpicking #unboxing
That is a work of art a banjo morphing into a guitar but sounds as stunning as it looks.
I was going to say it reminds me of a banjo resonator.
Yes, it's an all-wood banjo.
Electric Banjo GUITAR?
Same concept as a banjo harp. (The name is weird;it's just a banjo with a solid "head", usually made from wood)
your first stroke on the strings was enough; I felt my heart is coming out of my chest
I grew up a few miles from the builder Mervyn Davis. He's a legend at his craft. Had a long phone conversation with him once as I wanted to get into building. Humble, low key guy . Not afraid of bucking convention
@Vladimir in the thousands of dollars. They are crafted of really exotic indigenous African wood. Totally hand made one at a time
@Vladimir hi Vlad, Instagram @Smoothtalkerguitars or if you want to email straight away... info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
@Vladimir just about a quarter of a kidney
@Vladimir Over $3.5 K US... There's one on Reverb for $3,797.00
Dankie Markus! Mooi bly, Merv
An exceptionally well-crafted guitar in the hands of an exceptionally talented player. Result: 11 points out of 10.
This one goes to eleven. :)
Um, how old are you?
Amen
Make it a 12
More like 101 out of 10
I am not a musician, but listening to your style, fluidity, & natural comfortability of your play & selection of tunes, is very stress relieving & therapeutic to my 70 year old ears. My oldest son is a singer, songwriter & musician, not by trade but by passion & I also love to hear him play & talk technically about it. Thanks for your hard work in running your channel. I wish you good health & prosperity. Best regards, Barry from Western Mass
What a beautiful and sweet comment. I too am grateful for Justin's music, it really is good medicine isn't it? :)
He is one of the best in the world therrs no doubt in that.
Ditto
so I started to watch because of the weird guitar, His playing made me close my eyes and just listen....its beautiful, don't care what the song is, or the guitar... I love the Blues and listening to him play made my day better.
Barry, as another 70 year old, I could not agree more on your therapeutic comment. Only problem for me when listening to JJ's music is I want to sip some Old Granddad when he's playing.
We have many great luthiers here in South Africa, but Mervyn Davis' Smoothtalker is a gem! It sounds great in your hands bud! Lovge your channel! Keep up the good work!
Looks like a cross between an acoustisonic and a banjo. Sounds very nice!
Thanks so much for the comment, please visit us at www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
Sweet playin’ on that sweet instrument!
@@smoothtalkerguitarsuk4431 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 mph .
The blended sound of the mics & piezo pickup = heaven, and then you add Justin’s Godly playing!!!! 😳. I would pay money just to be in that room. Such a nice guy too 👍🏼
Yes - he inspires me to be a better musician and his personality adds to his playing rather than detracts from it like a few other guitarists I can think of, lol
This guy is obviously good. He's got a major award in the back of his studio space.
Nice lol
Best comment ever
Fra gee lay. Must be Italian.
You used up all the glue on purpose!
@@billS-c3n You beat me to it, expanded the comments just to see if this was already posted.
That, my friends, is an absolutely undeniable work of art...an amazingly graceful example of form, function, beauty and feel, with a true maestro's touch unlike any I've seen before or since.
Oh and, the guitar is damned nice too!
The kind of guitar you don't dare show to anyone unless you can really play the hell out of it, like Justin Johnson.
As a loudspeaker designer (domestic speakers) it sounds beautifully defined to me. It's pressing all the buttons of the things we look for in good recordings and reproduction. Warmth, clarity and definition, plus a few others like being engaging and not sounding messy. It sounded stunning through my speakers at home. It's almost a "high fidelity" guitar.
Btw, I also loved the sound of that guitar you played Can't Find My Way Home on. That got a lovely tone too.
I said it once, and I will say it again man, you are a real living legend, thanks for these treasures for us the blues fans. And I''ll keep my words about honor your blues legacy. See ya, and keep bluesing bro.
Looks like a banjo and guitar had a little love child. Body looks alien, but the sound is very impressive.
If you look at how a banjo is constructed this guitar shares many of those traits and it definitely has banjo like undertones to it.
@Dave Foster. Don't you think this guitar looks somewhat like the Deering Crossfire electric banjo?
It looks like a banjo with reindeer horns and it’s beautiful.
I was thinking the same thing but to me the left side looks more like a cupped hand
Oh dear, now I can't unsee the reindeer face (sideways) >.
Allen Murray now that you said, yeah, it looks like a cupped hand propping the neck with the thumb. The guitar is like an optical illusion.
♬ Banjo got run over by a reindeer...walking from the studio Christmas Eve...you can say there's no such stringed contraption...but me and Grandpa Jones - well, we believe ♬
Naah, like a reindeer with banjo horns.?? Like a Platypus. An animal designed by committee.
I want one, and throw in one of those legs in the high heels.
Best done unboxing video ever. Justin, your musical interpretations leave me stunned and delighted and this video should be an example all other youtubers.
UA-camrs pay attention, pay attention if you want to know how to do a great video.
First I was made to care and know it wasn't a cheat. Justin gave a quick preview upfront so he didn't waste my time. I heard and saw the instrument right up front and wanted more. If this has not been my cup of tea, I could have bailed and felt no hate.
Second he gave history and did a quick unwrap showing how it was shipped. All the joy of unwrapping without the tedium.
Third, he made the strings dance and made me thrill to the sound. The real content was here but Justin was not through.
Fourth he taught me things I did not know and made it real while doing magic on strings.
UA-camrs, pay attention, This is the perfect new guitar video. Justin rules and my head is still rocking to the music.
One can buy an awesomely sounding guitar, but one cannot buy the skill of Justin Johnson to awesomely play the guitar! God I wish I could play guitar so well as Justin does!
I don't think I've ever seen you more excited. SUCH a great-sounding instrument and you play it worthy.
Good morning Justin from Nz. Just a new subber here. As a 74 yrs young bloke, I'm hearing a bit of Blind Owl Wilson late of "Canned Heat" as you were playing. Not sure why, because you have your own style. Anyway I'm liking what i hear. In this mad crazy world we need a distraction. And for me it's you. Thankyou Sir. Take care and stay safe. ATB.
I think its because alan wilson and justin both developed their style by listening to the all the old blues legends
I agree. I saw a Canned Heat concert when I was 16 or 17(in '68 or '69) when Blind Owl was with them. Absolutely BEST concert I've been to,and that's saying a lot,since I saw Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, Ccr,Vanilla Fudge, Santana, Iron Butterfly, and others,all at the now closed Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino,CA. Brings back memories.
Wish I could play like him!
@@terryadrian7448 hi Terry. I understand that "Fito" de la Parra their original drummer is still alive.?? Is that correct. He'd be 74.?
Larry Taylor (Mole) their bassist died last year, I think from cancer. He might have been 75/76.? Justin mate, thanks for allowing me to use your channel for this discussion. Looking forward to the next clip. Atb.
@@bryanbadger6841 Hi Bryan. Not sure,burmt it's entirely possible. I saw Canned Heat a couple years ago at a blues festival (yes,they're still touring)they had 1 original member,but I don't remember who. They were ok,but nowhere near as good as the lineup they had in late 60's,early 70's
@@terryadrian7448 which reminds me I have seen a youtube clip which had Larry Taylor playing bass at a pretty big concert. Which may have been the concert you refer to. He still had the head nod characteristic, that's how i knew it was him. FYI....I had planned on coming over from here in Nz last year for 50th reunion of Woodstock. But disappointed it was cancelled. I believe Canned Heat were signed up to perform. Thankyou for your previous response.
Is it a classical guitar? Is it a Banjo, a resonator? It really does not matter. Justin plays it, and it sounds amazing!
Hey countryy man come out west this winter to Arizona so people can get a taste
Yep Banjo and Guitar mixed together as one instrument
It sounds great I just tell you that sound good I just a little bit more tune you got it
Justin: "I'm gonna play some blues."
REINVENTS the genre.
I don't know if it's the youtube "sound" but it has a touch of the upper midrange punch you get with a quality resonator.
Hi Nigel, I make these to sound exactly like that.
@@mervyndavis5484 you've got a winner there!
@@ifax1245 Thank you!
A beautiful instrument. Rich and warm on Maggie Little Ribbon Speakers. I found myself preferring the DI sound to that from the condenser mics. More C-3 and C-4 and little pick sound. Nice rich warm voice.
I've been following Mervyn (visited his workshop a few times too) for many years and this particular guitar in particular. It's amazing to see how far it's come in it's development, each iteration being an improvement from the last, leading to what is undeniably one of the sexiest and most beautiful sounding guitars out there.
Beautiful guitar, beautiful playing. The two of you were meant to be together. Hopefully, you'll have many years together.
Hi Tim - Thanks so much for the comment, please visit us at www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
I believe my dad would've fell in love with this. He could play anything with strings. This would've been right up his alley!!
Hi Justin,
That is a radical change in guitar design and sounds incredible.
It's a bit difficult to count, but seems it has over 25 frets, and as you commented, with a banjo shaped body, access to the fretboard in the higher registers is so easy.
The body looks quite small compared to a dreadnaught to.
Thanks for showing it.
Hi Dennis, it has 22 frets. The models with larger body size has 20. Mervyn Davis
Justin, you don't even need to explain how awesome the guitar is or you are. Your playing says it all. Magical.
That is the h e most awesome guitar I've ever seen abd heard in my lifetime and I'm 56 years old playing since I was around 14 never seen anything like this ever, abd Justin you play off the charts
This sounds so good it is like a musical massage...this guitar needs its own album...
It's J's evident enjoyment of this exquisite, weird-looking instrument that sells it.
20:11 - Mr. Johnson, a 20-minute segment of just that last play would cure my insomnia. Mellow and haunting. Closed my eyes and just let it sing to me. Killer tune.
I'm pretty sure that is the best sounding guitar I've ever heard! Hard to tell without being there...but from what I can hear on this....it is perfect! Thank You for the detailed and well-spoken review. And of course the playing is just plain magnificent!
This guitar is truly meant for you. The sound is so amazing, the sustain, and resonance caught my ears, I just fell in love with the sound. The best thing of all, without a doubt it fits your style of playing, you are truly an amazing musician.....
Sure the guitar is uniquely beautiful, and sounds incredible. But this is a guy who makes shovels, and cigar boxes sound amazing as well! What can’t you play? Give Justin a stick and a string and enjoy the show!
This.
Looks like a piece of junk .
The other Ellis of the internet. There are 2 on the planet.
I guessed I might find it already said. Just because it sounds good in JJ's lap, doesn't mean it's going to in mine.
I had no idea there was such a variety of guitars until i started watching your videos. What an education! LOVE LOVE LOVE the sound on this one. Remarkable.
Heeeeey Silver - Thanks so much for the comment, please visit us at www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
It sounds awesome and looks like an acoustic Prince would play 👍
The color of the wood, the form, the neck, are Fantastic !
And the Sound so clear, pretty sound.
You receive such beautiful Guitars ! It's Amazing, so nice to hear and watch !
Thanks, Justin !
The smile on your face as you were playing said all that needed to be said.
I love the sound of this Smoothtalker, It is a masterpiece.
Sounds like an acoustic with a mic on it when plugged in! Much better than almost any acoustic pickup I have heard on standard acoustics. A brilliant and innovative design. Probably will catch on in future years for studio and stage.
Everytime I think I have a revolutionary idea for guitar design, I find out somebody is already doing it. Love it.
Yay South Africa..Sounds amazing. Both the guitar and the player
Just... WOW! I thought my acoustic design was pretty innovative (and it is), but this thing is MAGIC!
I've got the nylon string version. It's so different from everything else I have and very fun to play.
Hi Michael, if you ever have any questions about your nylon, feel free to email us at info@smoothtalkerguitars.net. Mervyn
Holy S#!t ... wishing my dear, sweet dad were alive to see and play this sweetness. He was a guitar /mandolin/ banjo man, grew up with this incredible sound ... thank you.
Justin I need you to play “Bridge of sighs” on that beauty I bet it would sound superb! Thanks for the demo man...Awesome!
Lucky Dog Ooooh Yes!!! I love that song!!
Excellent request!
Absolutely!
Epic song
That bridge is pure genius!
The name „Smoothtalker“ fits perfectly for that soft, rich sound.
Hi "Axy" yes and played by a superstar. Hey Glad you liked - if you have any further interest in the SmoothTalker - feel free to contact or have a nose around - Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars / Website: www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or if you want to email straight away - info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
This design is next level stuff man. Whoever came up with this is genius.
Instagram @Smoothtalkerguitars or if you want to email straight away... info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
Thank you Scott! Just a homely man having fun. Merv.
@@mervyndavis5484 Looks like you've succeeded. This guitar looks fun, indeed. Well done!
WHAT AN AMAZING INSTRUMENT. WOW.
Hi Steve - lovely compliment - a great video & a master player... If the fancy takes you... Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars / Website: www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or if you want to email straight away - info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
The acoustic sound was kind of banjo-like and didn't have that depth that the amplified sound has. But the amped sound is incredible! So sweet. And I do love the design!
Gorgeous sound. I can hear past the amplification into the guitar. Beautiful guitar.
It`s always good to hear a new guitar , but when it`s Justin Johnson playing , well it`s a sophisticated and well rounded contentment delivered for our listening pleasure , much respect from the South Pacific .
This guitar was absolutely made for your type of playing..the sound is amazing and it begs to have a slide drug across those strings…👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Great playing an a perfect solution to acoustic/electric usually sounding non-acoustic. Excellent engineering. Thank you for the content.
That sound is absolutely amazing. It almost sounds piano like on the lower notes. It's absolutely unlike what I expected, as I would have thought it would be more boxy like a banjo.
That is a very rich, full tone. As soon as you hit the E string, you picked up on it. Yeah, loud too. Nevermind the nice wood finish and craftsmanship. Well done.
Justin, I absolutely love the way you play guitar and bass simultaneously. My hat is off to you sir.
Bad ass guitar 🎸 bad ass guitarist 🎸🙏🙏🙏☮️☮️☮️
Yup! And bad ass sound recording!
Thanks Mike - Instagram @Smoothtalkerguitars or if you want to email straight away... info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
Modern Advanced Robert Johnson -I 'm sure he can do a lot more - the Guitarist and Guitar sound great . Love the action , and the resonant cavity effect. Very balanced even tones from bottom to top. Loud harmonics too. Excellent demo . Very useful Guitar. Brilliant design . Nice tones for recording or performing . I like it !
My dad used to play trumpet and I can just hear his trumpet playing right along your blues... Awesome...
That would make a great banjo... It sounds like one already... Definitely maybe the true crossover becoming its own genre.
You are the right person to introduce this guitar. I am hearing tones I've never heard from any other one. You are a unique blues player and I love the blues especially with a slide , I could listen to your music for hours on end. Jackie Womble
I think this guitar sings very well with your style, it was a real pleasure to listen to you both
I gave up on learning guitar and sold my beautiful Madeira by Guild decades ago. I’m still regretting it.
Of all the things I’ve learned and done, not playing guitar is the missing experience. As an empirical learner, who cannot be taught, and lack the patience to practice, so I know I will never learn.
Thank you for sharing this awesome guitar and your off the scale skills.
Peace
The whole aesthetics of the guitar just blows me away and how you play it's awesome
This is 100% the ugliest, most terrible-looking guitar ive seen in my entire life! So bad! wow!
Its a beautiful guitar with a great tone. Its an acoustic but some of the tones, maybe just from your playing style, sound a little resonator-ish. Very cool riffs your playing by the way, stuff I wish I could get
It's all so beautiful, couldn't be a better paring. Artist and art together.... Nothing else to be said.
Badass...man, what a sound! The low end is simply astounding and having access to adjusting the action is a great feature 🔥
If Steve Vai had played the "Smooth Talker" in the movie "Crossroads", he would have beaten Ralph Macchio in the final guitar duel !!!
The Devil loses in the end, Regardless.🙂
No one defeats the Karate Kid
@@adecree Daniel Son wins
bonzai!!!!
I would like to hear you play fly to the angels by slaughter on it.
Love it
This guitar is wicked cool , its like they combined a banjo with an acoustic/ electric . Amazing sound
Jonathon Butler has a lefty nylon string version. Beautiful work of art and it sounds great.
Hi John, you are correct, an in fact Johnathan Butler has 3 SmoothTalkers :)
We don't need no stinkin' pick. That amazing instrument is so clear yet so full and deep and balanced sounding. WOW !
I'm here in Brazil, a true artist that sound of many qualities combine with Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Thanks so much for the comment, please visit us at www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
Man that tone is rich. Realy appreciate your depth of your wisdom and insight! Beautiful tone and engineering
Recently I've taken up learning how to play the guitar(Using my younger brother's old basic training guitar) and I've subscribed because I love your videos. They're so cool and inspirational. This guitar looks and sounds amazing! I'd love to play something like this.
Hi Sunny - Thanks so much for the comment, please visit us at www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
Amazing continuity over the entire fretboard, the tone is also amazing.
Love the appearance and love the tone. A very unique instrument indeed. 🤘
Hi J.A. thanks - Instagram @Smoothtalkerguitars or if you want to email straight away... info@smoothtalkerguitars.net
love the big bass on it, a very nice guitar. guitar slingah once again. keep getting better.
That wood do badass sound for Ghost Riders In The Sky!
The only critique I can think of is that the snake-head-stock doesn't feel like it fits the rest of the guitar build. It's such a wonderful & wild piece of functional art that it seems that the head might've been overlooked in comparison to the rest of the build. I see that it somewhat resembles the tail piece shape, but it's such a striking instrument in contrast to that head stock IMO.
Hi Jason, the head stock has been designed to minimize the angle on the strings between the nut and the machine heads as much as possible improve tune stability. Another example of the form-follows-function principle Mervyn applied in the design of the instrument.
It looks like an acoustic version of Prince's "Symbol" guitar.
@Steelhead ,literally just posted that ,lmfao
I could listen to this all day every day...such a great tone that can be great feeling back ground...yet it could be the person playing it making it look easy...
Like the man said, "smooth as a fresh jar of Skippy".
Thanks so much for the comment, please visit us at www.smoothtalkerguitars.net or Instagram: @Smoothtalkerguitars
Sounds between a hollow body and an acoustic sorta. I like it !
An interesting design concept. I build guitars, my specialty is classicals. As part of my research into sound propagation, I discovered that, with traditional designs, only the lower bout is active. This luthier has taken advantage of this. That large round lower bout does a good job of sound production, it appears, although it seems to optimized for slide playing, sounding similar to a Dobro. Can it be set up for a different sound, like maybe a 00 or a dreadnaught? Incidentally, one of my classical designs takes advantage of this concept. The goal was to create a classicals where the neck joined the body at the 17th fret. By eliminating almost all of the upper bout I was able to achieve this. The lower bout was braced traditionally. I increased the depth of the body slightly to make up for the loss in volume -- the cubic kind. The result was a comfortably playing instrument with an almost SG-like reach to the upper frets. Most satisfying about the build was absolutely no loss in volume -- the sound kind.
Hi Michael, your comments are accurate. Tone variation is possible but not to the extent of making them sound like dreadnoughts...it's simply to small. I do however build actual dreadnoughts as well as a version of the smoothtalker that has x bracing and sounds more conventional, called juggernaut. Mervyn Davis
Mervyn Davis You build a very very nice guitar. Very impressive
@@jameshansen7092 Thank you!
@Mervyn Davis. You are very welcome. I play a single and a tricone. This has such a warm resonant tone and still so bright. Very nice. Must try one :)
Man, the bass on that thing is killer !! And as always, Justin makes it talk...
Sounds very nice plugged into amp. The sound is amazing !!!! Thanks for the demo.
I first played one at Gruhn and absolutely fell in love with them, especially the nylon string model.
How many guitars you have Justin?
Justin Johnson: YES.
I often listen to your videos. You play so smoothe and soft . It soothes my soul - and my pains from cancer
That guitar looks wild!
Dude!!!! That guitar was definitely made and named for you! “My respect!!!”
Fantastic playing.
PROS:
Overstring truss seems to be a clever way to remove pre-load from the soundboard
Very pleasant (almost compressed) tone to listen to
Nice workmanship and lines
I like the clean looks of most of the instrument
Appears to be designed for easy maintenance
CONS:
I prefer to have highly visible fret markers on the neck for playing with friends
Don't care for those shoulder bouts
Modularized/compartmentalized. Awesome levels of wow factor.
That thing handles blues so well it's mind numbing.
Most definitely a cool sounding and interesting addition to your tinal palette. A work of art in itself 👍😎❤🖖
Love brother
Mandolin concept but sounds like a rich guitar and a bass. Man, this is extraordinary, so glad he shared this with us.
There's NO Sound "Loss"! I Don't "Hear" the sound, as if, coming OUT of the Cavity!!!
The "tones" Resonate OUT and Forward!!!
youhou! I love such creative but practical new developments. 70 years passed since the electric guitar and technology allows new constructions and taste and stage demand changed, and I feel this one is going the right direction and I would love to offer our Paradis pickup and electronics for it to give it another boost!
...wish my guitar would play everything for me and it would sound like this smoothtalker just did for you...cool ax and vid
Cutter
The magic of this review is how well the piezo and mics are blended not to mention Justin’s playing . I thought it sounded kinda thin when unplugged .