John has been making bows forever, and many more than one variety. He is an old coot and fun to be around. I really like his longbows, a lot. I own a 66" R / D model that is like a part of me. Mine is quiet, lite as heck and shoots a very fast arrow. I detect little or no hand shock. Never chrono'd it, don't really care how fast it is, but it is not slow by any means. When he built it for me, he asked what I wanted and I told him black handle, black glass, bamboo lams. Told him first thing I was gonna do was paint it. When he next saw me, He couldn't believe I actually did ! I am away from home right now and can't post a photo, but his long bow has a fairly long handle, not a big grip, but styled somewhat after a smaller recurve grip with indicator notch. Limbs are long and lean with a fairly heavy reflex so that the tips are pointed almost straight up and down compared to the rest of the limb. Someone will have a picture posted soon. I build my own bows as well and know a bit about what to look for in terms of quality features. I think John's bows are great quality. My opinion is you would most likely be happy with one.
ChuckC