NGD - Brook 12-String

Kalimna

Greetings folks,
A while back I posted about a guitar I was having built by Andy and the chaps at Brook in celebration of my wife and my 10 years marriage. Well, I went down to Devon from central Scotland on a rather damp day a couple of weeks ago to collect. And here it is. I didn't spend too long with them, partly due to COVID and partly due to turning up later than expected in the day.
To recap, the back and sides are cocobolo, the top a piece of Huon pine from Australian Tonewoods, fretboard is Anjan (superb dense chocolately brown wood with dark spots) and the neck mahogany (with a small amount of ripple in it too!). Tuners StewMac Golden age.
I am pretty crap at describing sounds, but it is full, mellow, not as 'jangly' as a Taylor, and the action is typically Brook - quite low. It responds very well to heavy strumming, and Ive found it less happy being played quietly at night
I had a K&K Pure Mini fitted, so now need to purchase a suitable preamp - advice and suggestions please

So, the pictures. I had intended to take some more photo's in nice sunlight back at home, but it has been fairly wet here near Stirling, so these were all taken in Devon.

The inlay was made by Jack and taken from a photo of myself, Marie and the boys.

https://i.imgur.com/uqpolgR.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/GiKXy2p.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/P6KXKfY.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/8wVkidQ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/M843a1O.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/F4tuUZ6.jpeg

As always, comments welcome and anyone who is passing through Stirling is absolutely welcome to pop in and try it.
Cheers for looking,

Adam

camf

That is beautiful.  

TheBigDipper

Lovely guitar.

TheBigDipper

Also...  I've got K&K Pure Minis in two acoustics and own...

1: K&K Pure XLR Preamp - runs on a PP3 battery or phantom power from the desk/audio interface.
2: Fly Rig Acoustic that I use for open mics.

Both work well with the pickups and I get a nice sound. I'd recommend either to you 

GTC

Looks really superb and special.

Jalapeno

Just wow !

Winny_Pooh

That is great, I love the figure on the top too.

jhumber

Wonderful looking guitar, and what a great concept / end-result on the headstock. 

sunshinewelly

nice - my wife would love that

danishbacon

Stunning!

Trude

I like the inlay idea.  Have you discovered the secret to spousal approval for new guitars?

Now someone needs to create a print-your-own service for self-adhesive transfers with shapes to fit Teles, Strats, Les Pauls....

Kalimna

Thanks for the kind words, folks I think that Brook have truly produced something special here. Of course I am biased, but I think the ornamentation (including the figure on both the top and back/sides) is just the right side of "too much". The top, in particular, changes figure depending on lighting and it may not be immediately noticeable that, due to run out, there is a quartered appearance sometimes. I don't mean quartered in the traditional wood grain sense, but that if you divide the top into 4, there is a light/dark in adjacent quarters. If you see what I mean. 
Also not immediately clear is that the soundhole is bound with rosewood (I think it is - mightt be walnut or anjan even), a subtle aesthetic Ive seen on Bourgeois guitars I think it was.

Thanks for the preamp advice too, I'll look into them.

Cheers, and as soon as I feel up to recording something on my phone (undoubtedly 90's rock ballad strumming!) I'll post up a llink.

Adam

Spousal approval was easy - just be married 10 years and buy your wife an equivalent eternity ring (that she asked for)

BeardyAndy

What a pretty guitar and that head stock is a superb touch.

20 years is going to have to be good to top that one!