I have 2 US Angelus , a Cocobolo /Euro spruce and a Steve Fischer in flamed Mahogany /Euro . Steve was the Luthier who designed them ( now on his own with an expanded line) . Both have cocobolo fb's and peruvian mahogany necks. The Coco has an ebony bridge , the Mahogany a Cococbolo bridge.
Tonally I would liken the cocobolo to a great audophile CD , rich and precise, The mahogany .. A McIntosh tube amp through Klipschorns ..rich and warm yet still clear and shimmery.
I also have a Steve Fischer Tonare Grand custom made for Ricky Skaggs that is ALL pernambuco,(body neck,fb, bridge) with an Addi top, it was made during the early period when Ricky was advising . He ended up with a more traditional model and declined a signature model , deferring it to his sideman Cody Kilby. The smaller neck profile and woods make it a bluegrass dream, very bright, very fast, and very loud.
I own 5 Taylors and hardly touch then ( except thhe 856 12 string) anymore.
My recommendation would be any Steve Fischer model (i.e 2011 or earlier) for the best bang for the buck . They feature the carbon beam neck , rather than truss rod .. I prefer it as I switch open tunings a lot and in the South I don't have to deal with the weather changes.
They are worth it .
My only caveat with them is the solid bridge pins are prone to string rattle if the string is not well seated,it took me a while to get that wired.
The electronics are strong (18v) and simple . Outboard EQ is beneficial. The batteries are at the base of the neck so not as easy to access as Taylors .. but the double 9v's last a good while and it's worth it.
Beautiful Guitar There! WOW!!
