txbumper57
Enlightened Member
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, my New Baby arrived this morning in a driving Thunderstorm. What a way to make an entrance. After giving her the Virtuoso Treatment of cleaner and polish I began to put her through her paces. Visually she has some of the most unique grained Brazilian I have ever seen. Not the usual "Presentation" grained brazilian that you often see these days but a very Dark and almost "shifting" grain as you look at it from different angles. I've never seen anything like it before. It even changes colors under different lighting sources which you will see in the pictures below. The Engleman Spruce top has an amazing grain to it with lots of "Silking" as you travel from the upper to lower bout. The mother of pearl used in the triangle inlays is absolutely brilliant in the light. I've never seen so much color change in inlays as they travel from direct light to shadows. The fit and Finish is absolutely on par with my GSR D50 but this is a Heavier Build. I haven't weighed them yet but I suspect the D55 anniversary is at least a pound Heavier than the GSR D50 if not more. Overall appearance is absolutely Stunning. This guitar must have been lost in translation for 13 years as it appears to be in "Untouched" Condition.
Now for the tone, Booming bass notes with unbelievable Clarity, Very Sweet ringing Highs without overpowering, and Long sustaining mids that really project. The string projection is amazing. It only takes a light touch while finger picking to bring out the small nuances of overtones in the guitar. But don't let that fool you, When you start to flat pick her she just comes to life with an amazing balance. I know this Cliche' is overused but it really does sound like striking a key on a Grand Piano. When strumming chords it almost sounds as if you have an Orchestra playing along with you. As far as sustain goes, you can feel the resonance in the neck from the lightest of finger picked notes all the way to a full on vibration when strumming. I really am blown away by the tone of this girl. Completely Different than any D55 I have played. You would think with the Engleman top, that this Guitar and my GSR D50 share, that they would be very similar in tone. While they do have some similarities you can definitely tell them apart by their Distinct Individual sounds. I can only hope that now she has been freed from her 13 year sentence in the basement of a guitar store that she will continue to grow and open up more with time and playing. As it is, she has an amazing voice. The thought that she could get better with time just blows me away. Enjoy the pictures, I'm going to try to get some sound clips done this week of the Anniversary D55 and the GSR D50 for everyone to hear if I can figure out how to post them.
Now for the tone, Booming bass notes with unbelievable Clarity, Very Sweet ringing Highs without overpowering, and Long sustaining mids that really project. The string projection is amazing. It only takes a light touch while finger picking to bring out the small nuances of overtones in the guitar. But don't let that fool you, When you start to flat pick her she just comes to life with an amazing balance. I know this Cliche' is overused but it really does sound like striking a key on a Grand Piano. When strumming chords it almost sounds as if you have an Orchestra playing along with you. As far as sustain goes, you can feel the resonance in the neck from the lightest of finger picked notes all the way to a full on vibration when strumming. I really am blown away by the tone of this girl. Completely Different than any D55 I have played. You would think with the Engleman top, that this Guitar and my GSR D50 share, that they would be very similar in tone. While they do have some similarities you can definitely tell them apart by their Distinct Individual sounds. I can only hope that now she has been freed from her 13 year sentence in the basement of a guitar store that she will continue to grow and open up more with time and playing. As it is, she has an amazing voice. The thought that she could get better with time just blows me away. Enjoy the pictures, I'm going to try to get some sound clips done this week of the Anniversary D55 and the GSR D50 for everyone to hear if I can figure out how to post them.
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