Meanwhile HoS has let those "gilded" series run loose.
Dubrovnik Redux
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I am very pleased with my HoS golden rosewood Dubrovnik. I chose HoS because you can see how much more intricate the Knight details are compared with Chess Bazaar version 1 or 2...I do like the crimson of CB though. Is the gilded red from HoS a lacquer? What does gilded mean in terms of the wood?
Jun 15, 2017
0
#24
zm55, here's a pic of a HoS red gilded King. I bought the set because I was curious about the gilding (and I like red). No, it is not a lacquer. It seems like a stain used in the same manner as ebonizing. (Sorry, I know nothing of the process.) But it's pretty nice and I'm thinking the gilded HoS Dubrovnik pieces must be pretty nice too.
Wow - that's gorgeous - the red is very appealing!
Jun 15, 2017
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#26
It is!
By the way, this King stands at 3.25 inches so it is on the small side. And the rook - which is even smaller - is nicely detailed and clean, so much more so than my CB set of a couple of years ago.
I had no idea the HS red gilded size was 3.25" K. That could be perfect for my 2.125" board. Do all their gildeds run at this size? The purpleheart and mahogany stain are whispering my name.
Oh I see now it's the grandmaster series., not Dubrov.
That's alright. The GM series is a very decent. I've seen it in action at the club.
Jun 16, 2017
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#31
I actually bought the GM 3.25 pieces because I'm actually interested in the Dubrovnik. I guess it was an "exploratory" acquisition. Oh, why didn't I just get the damned Dubrovnik? I don't know. 
Out of those three Dubrovnik version, the choice really is easy to my mind. I'm saving up for NOJ's real McCoy (the maple and brown combination is absolutely stunning)! Both HoS and CB get the bases completely wrong, which still looks OK on the pieces (as long as you shut your eyes to the original!), but the pawns just don't look right.
As for 'getting tired' of such a set, each to their own as has rightly been pointed out above. I for one think it's great that more variety is making a comeback of sorts, and would love to see the Dubrovnik II as a DGT set.
In my view, there are plenty of absolute duds among the Jacques and Staunton sets, mixed with a few real gems. Their early sets had kings out of proportion to the rest of the set, and I often dislike the knights (especially when the mane goes nearly all the way down). Plus, as someone pointed out on here a few weeks ago, many of the reproduction sets often seem to get the pawns wrong these days; they're far too similar between different models (I guess it's a way of making economies).
It's been over a year and CB still only has the 2.0 version in sheesham & Crimson. No other woods.
According to a CB reviewer, they'll make an ebonized 2.0 but you have to contact them first.