It is here!
I got the guitar yesterday, and left work early to experience it in its full glory. I spent the better part of yesterday and today playing it, and I can confidently say this is the best guitar that I have ever played.
I'll post a full NGD in a few days, including the small collection I've picked up in the last few weeks. Before I go any further though, the pictures.
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Album of my pics: (bonus gif of my cat)
https://imgur.com/a/EMP1WTo
and Simon's (much better) album:
http://padalka-guitars.com/space-gallery-10/d
Guitar Spec's:
scale – 25.5″-27″ (9 fret neutral)
number of frets – 24
number of strings – 7
model – Space
headstock – A-2
Body:
construction – solid body
material – African Mahogany one piece
top – Burl Maple, 16mm
Neck:
construction – set in, 7 pieces
material – Wenge / Mahogany
thickness – 18mm (1 fret), 20mm (12 fret)
profile “U”
fretboard material – Macassar Ebony
fretboard radius – compound 10-16″
frets – Jescar Stainless Steel 2.79×1.45mm
side markers – luminlay dots
fretboard binding – 1 ply curly maple
nut – Hipshot Zero Friction
Pickups:
BKP Rebel Yell
Electronics:
volume
5-way lever switch
Hardware:
tuners – Schaller M6
bridge – Hipshot Hardtail
wooden knob
Schaller straplocks
Finish:
Oil + wax
Body, headstock – gloss (polyester)
Weight:
3,58 Kg
This guitar is absolutely unbelievable. I really don't know how to describe it other than perfect. I know I haven't had it long, but over the years I've owned a ton of guitars, and in the last few months I've picked up some really quality stuff from Ibanez, EBMM, Dell'isola, and earlier this year I had a Kiesel K-Series made. None of them are at the same level as the Padalka imo, except maybe the Dell'Isola, and still the Padalka is clearly nicer. I didn't expect that a guitar could really be so much better than the others in my collection, as each is a very nice guitar, which I am happy to own. The care and craft that Simon puts into this is really something spectacular. I've sat waiting for the last year, reading reviews, watching as my own build progressed, and waiting patiently for each picture, and it was completely worth it. Even still, when I first opened the case, when I first held it, and when I first started playing I was blown away. Honeslty, I can't believe he is selling these guitars for as cheap as he is. The fact that you can get a guitar from him in the same price range as most of my other guitars is a complete joke.
As important as the quality of his work, I just want to point out again the quality of Simon's business practices. His communication is fantastic, I received a reply to every email I sent him within a day. He always seemed engaged, and invested in the project. Where unlike Kiesel, and it seems a lot of the other semi-custom guitar shops, will build whatever you spec out, Simon's builds are much more of a collaborative effort. He gave me a timeline for completing the guitar, and kept to it with delivery when it was quoted. His baseline price of 2k is almost absurdly low for the quality, and even sitting on the higher end of his builds, the pricing is super reasonable. I really respect his system of taking one year's worth of builds on at a time, unlike other shops that will take deposits with queues that stretch into multi year projects. I know we have been over it before, but it's really something to respect that he sits in the intersection of a great luthier and decent business person. I plan on buying another guitar from him, and can't think of any company I would put a recommendation behind as strongly as Padalka.
Also, look at that wiring job. Fantastic.
Perfect build spec, congrats.
