Hamblin GC Review - The Acoustic Music Company

hamblin gc
Hamblin GC
Premier luthier Kent Hamblin produces a small number of high-end guitars from his
Colorado workshop. Represented solely in the UK by The Acoustic Music Company,
this guitar is only the third Hamblin to be imported into the UK.
K
ent Hamblin’s CV
includes stints
working with Bob
Taylor, Charles Fox
and the Phoenix Guitar Company,
in addition to imparting his skills
to others in his role as tutor at
the Roberto-Venn School of
Luthiery. Now operating out
of his workshop in Telluride,
Colorado, Kent hand-builds
around 15 guitars a year, with just
two designs, aimed primarily at
fingerstyle players.
Build Quality And
Features
This is a beautifully built guitar
that simply oozes quality and
class. The Grand Concert
approximates to an OM-type
design, though it appears to be a
little more nipped in at the waist
and has a slightly more curvaceous
profile overall. Hamblin eschews
unnecessary decoration in favour
of letting the woods speak for
themselves. And what fine woods
they are. The top is a creamy,
evenly grained Italian spruce,
renowned for its responsiveness.
Decoration is simple, comprising a
spalted maple, ebony and cocobolo
rosette. Back and sides are made
of spectacularly figured macassar
ebony – an unusual choice, but
one that is finding increasing
popularity with luthiers searching
for an alternative to Brazilian
rosewood. Body, neck and
headstock are bound in cocobolo,
and the distinctively designed
headstock is faced, both back and
front, in macassar ebony.
The ebony fingerboard is
undecorated and provides a
supersmooth playing surface.
Everything on this instrument
seems to have received an
incredible level of attention, from
the immaculately finished frets
to the silky smooth ebony bridge
and the perfectly cut bone nut
and bridge saddle. The mahogany
neck is a fingerpicker’s dream,
with a relatively shallow, rounded
profile that fitted my hand as if it
had been made to measure, and a
well-judged width of 1 ¾” at the
nut. Gold-plated Gotoh 510 tuners,
fitted with what appear to be
striped ebony buttons, do their job
with expected efficiency.
Although Kent Hamblin
employs traditional hand-building
skills, he isn’t afraid to use new
technology where it enhances
build quality and performance, and
Spectacular macassar ebony.
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hamblin gc
it’s associated with Hamblin’s own
distinctive approach to designing
and building guitars, is difficult
to say, but I have played one
other macassar ebony guitar and,
although it was a very different
instrument, I remember noting
similar tonal characteristics in
terms of clarity and separation.
Open tunings are a joy, and
employing a capo around the 4th
or 5th fret does little to diminish
the tone in the way it does on
some guitars.
Taking a plectrum to the guitar
produces a slightly less pleasing
response, the separation seeming
to hinder chord coherence; but, to
be fair, Hamblin’s design intent for
this instrument is clear – it’s meant
for fingerpicking and it does the
employs bolt-on necks, reinforced
with carbon fibre to increase
stiffness, without significantly
increasing the weight of the neck.
Set-up was spot on for me and the
guitar played beautifully all the
way up the neck.
Sounds
According to his website, Hamblin
aims to produce guitars primarily
geared to fingerstyle playing,
characterised by an even sound,
enhanced with a touch of sparkle.
That’s pretty much exactly what
we have here. Response across
the strings is perfectly balanced,
and I’d say that if Kent’s aim
was to satisfy the fingerpicker,
then in this instrument he has
certainly achieved it. The GC
is very lively and responsive.
Cocobolo binding.
Unlike some guitars that need to
be worked quite hard to get the
best out of them, the Hamblin
shimmers and sparkles with the
lightest of touches, yet the guitar
avoids being merely some delicate,
shrinking wallflower. Dig in a little
harder and the GC is more than up
to the task. It’s an instrument with
considerable inherent dynamics.
Bass response is excellent – firm
and clear without swamping the
sound. I found that a thumbpick
was completely unnecessary;
indeed, I was reluctant to put
anything between my fingers
and the strings of this beautiful
instrument. There is a little more
clarity and separation here than
I would expect from a rosewood
guitar. Whether this is the effect
of the macassar ebony, or whether
Open tunings
are a joy, and
employing a
capo around
the 4th or 5th
fret does little to
diminish the tone
in the way it does
on some guitars.
job admirably. Then again, this is
a new guitar and is likely to loosen
up a little as it’s played, probably
improving its response to a pick
too.
Conclusion
This Hamblin GC is, without
doubt, one of the finest
fingerpicking guitars I have
encountered. It played like a
dream and provided a tonal palette
that I suspect would be the envy
of many luthiers. Build quality is
beyond question, and meticulous
attention to detail manifests itself
all over this guitar. Its looks may
be understated, but I thought it was
a pretty spectacular instrument
that met and, indeed, exceeded my
expectations. There’s no denying
that it’s an expensive guitar, but
equally one has to recognise
the superb quality of materials,
the flawless construction of the
instrument, and the sheer tonal
range and playability. Taken
altogether with its handsome
Ameritage climate-controlled
case, it’s actually a very tempting
package and yet another guitar I
was sorry to part company with.
Richard Thomas
Hamblin
GC
Price: £6,395
Manufacturer: Kent Hamblin
Made in: Telluride Colorado USA
Body Size: Grand Concert
Top: Italian Spruce
Back & Sides: Maccassar Ebony
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony, no position
markers
Frets: 20 medium
Tuners: Gotoh Super 510’s w/
Maccassar ebony buttons
Nut Width: Nut 1 and ¾ Inches,
Scale 25.5
Onboard Electronics: None
Strings fitted (Gauge & Brand):
D’addario Phosphor Bronze lights (12)
Left Handers: Yes
Gig Bag/Case Included: Ameritage
custom climate controlled
Contact Details
The Acoustic Music Co
Tel: 01273 671 841
www.theacousticmusicco.co.uk
What we think
Pros: Top-notch materials, flawless build,
tone and playability to die for.
Cons: Only the price and, just maybe, a
slightly less attractive response to a pick.
Overall: A simply stunning guitar and a
fingerpicker’s delight.
Acoustic rating out of five
Build Quality
Sound Quality
value for money
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