Brondel Guitars at Luthier's Collection

[justonwo]

I understand that a large collection of Brondels is for sale at Luthier's Collection, most from a single owner. I thought I would bring some visibility to these amazing guitars, as I think this represents a rather unique opportunity to select among a wide variety of different specifications.

I have owned (still own) and played MANY Brondel guitars. I currently have an A-2c with a Carpathian spruce top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides. I formerly owned an A-2c with a red spruce top and mahogany back and sides, which I stupidly sold and is one of the few acoustics a truly regret selling. I also own a Brondel Telecaster, which is amazing in its own right, but that's another story.

Laurent's guitars are clearly inspired by the vintage Martin sound, but he brings his own voice to each guitar. His guitars are characterized by excellent clarity, volume, and dynamics. Overtones are present but not overwhelming. His guitars end up sounding very sweet and melodic and are among my favorite of all time. My rosewood A-2c has a wonderful reverb-y quality and a huge bass.

The A-2 is right in the sweet spot, in terms of being a fantastic all around guitar. I could easily own it as my only guitar and be very happy. Laurent is among the best of the best and I would highly recommend checking them out. Mike Joyce has a very nice policy to try out guitars.

A-2 German spruce to with Madagascar rosewood back and sides

I would imagine this sounds pretty similar to mine, though it has double sides.





A-2 German spruce top and Honduran rosewood back and sides

Killer detailing on this one.







A-2 Carpathian spruce top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides


I can vouch for this wood combination. Amazing.





A-2 Italian spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides

This is the HGF guitar that started it all for me. I probably came back to this guitar 15 times at HGF 2013 - then I decided to commission one. This guitar completely knocked my socks off.





A-2 Torrified Red spruce top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides






A-3 German spruce top and African blackwood back and sides (00 size)





And finally one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen. I played this one extensively at HGF and absolutely loved the tone. It's for sale at Schoenberg Guitars.

[Diamondave]

Nice thread...!!! Laurent Brondel is hands down one of my favorite Luthiers on the Planet... And, I have one on order...! 😜 I'll be making a build thread when all gets started... Anyone attending the SB show must pay him a serious visit...!

[iim7V7IM7]

Being an owner of one of Laurent's A-2cs, I can also attest just how good his guitars are in terms of their fit and finish, responsiveness, balance, timbre and feel. They are simply a joy to play. I am amazed to see the number of great guitars by builders like Laurent (and other big name custom luthiers) in inventory on the second hand market at retailers these days. If someone is looking for an amazing guitar and does not need or want a custom commission, they would be wise to check those out...

[DamianL]

Oh my goodness....

D

[bho]

Hello,

I do not own a Brondel guitar, but I did play one at Luthier's Collection a few years ago and just loved it. Resonant, responsive, playable, and with mojo. If I weren't already on the waitlist for another luthier I'd pick one of these up.

Thanks.

[cogito]

All very nice. If you happen to know the prices on the Luthier's Collection ones, it would be great to see those posted as well. (I know I'm not alone among serious consumers of high end guitars in wishing Mike would just list the prices on his site).

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by cogito

All very nice. If you happen to know the prices on the Luthier's Collection ones, it would be great to see those posted as well. (I know I'm not alone among serious consumers of high end guitars in wishing Mike would just list the prices on his site).

I don't know the prices, unfortunately. Also, just to be clear, most of these guitars are from a single owner. That's why I brought it up. It's unusual to have so many Brondels available at once.

[Richard Mott]

I did not know much about Brondel guitars, never thought about them actually, but I stopped in at TAMCO in Brighton a couple of years back and was just blown away at how responsive the Brondel there was. Out of a wall of world class luthier-made instruments, the top three guitars at TAMCO to my ears were a wonderful Claxton, an out of this world Baranik, and the Brondel, with just incredible energy, raring to go.

[M Sarad]

I would love to have a cutaway A-2.

My Wenge/Carpathian A-2, Laurent's first in that combination, has a smooth response far more balanced than my Merrill OM 28 Brazilian/Adirondack. I also have a Hardtail Sonic Blue Strat he made that is a stunning electric. With the Telecaster bridge pickup it's really two guitars in one.

[justonwo]

A couple of shows are now behind us, and I'm sure a few of you got a chance to play some Brondels. In my opinion, they easily hang with the best of the best. I'm quite surprised these guitars are still for sale, frankly, but there's still a nice selection at Luthier's Collection. I have played those specific guitars or close variants of just about all of them.

The German Spruce and Brazilian rosewood A-2 convinced me to commission my first Brondel. It is absolutely breathtaking on every level. Wonderful power and projection, which is something of a signature of Laurent's guitars, combined with extraordinary complexity.

I have also played German spruce and Madagascar rosewood A-2, which is very similar to my own A-2. Totally stunning guitar on every level.

The C-4 Laurent exhibited at Healdsburg is also now available through Schoenberg. I remember playing this guitar and being floored by the wonderful intimate tone and surprising power. An absolute masterpiece of tone and one of the coolest looking guitars of all time.

I'm truly surprised these guitars are still around.