BERNIE LEHMANN "Roycroft" Model Manouche (Carpathian/Cocobolo)

[iim7V7IM7]

Bernie (Lehmann Strings, Rochester, NY) is building me a version of his “Model Manouche” (http://www.lehmannstrings.com/guitar...y-manouche.htm). This is a non-traditional, x-braced (Selmer's are ladder braced), Grande Bouche or D-hole Gypsy guitar with a shorter 25-1/2” scale, but with 14-frets to the body fingerboard. Here is a link to an article where Bernie discusses his build strategy on these types of guitars (http://www.lehmannstrings.com/Articles/selmer.htm). He has his take on bracing, tail piece, bridge and a slotted headstock that doesn’t have the D and G strings touch the wood (actually a tradition in these guitars!).

Unlike a flat top, will of course be strung with lighter tension Argentine style strings (round steel core with silver plated copper windings) which have a distinct sound. If any of you are attending the Woodstock Invitational in October, he might have one his models there (TBD). This Gypsy is being built for my playing style, which is flat pick and fingers, solo jazz chord melody vs. the traditional hot club jazz that these are frequently used for. It should provide playing contrast to my archtop and flat top guitars. I don’t think that I have seen many Gypsy guitar builds here on AGF, so perhaps this is a first.

More details to come, once the build begins in earnest.

[iim7V7IM7]

...Not familiar with traditional Selmer bracing/contruction, here is what a traditional Gypsy is constructed. The back and sides are usually laminate as well.



You can understand why Bernie's approach (described in the link in the earlier post) is considered non-traditional by purists of the genre. See what I mean about the D and G strings? I absolutely hate this aspects.

[cigarfan]

Gotta say that D & G touching thing would bother me too. But I like the design with the zero fret.

[iim7V7IM7]

Here is the top set. It is tight grained (28-30 gpi) Carpathian spruce harvested in Romania in 2010 and came from John Preston at Old World Tonewoods. While still in the rough, Bernie says that it shows some signs of bearclaw and some cross-silking.



Here's a closer look. He said it was quite light, stiff across the grain and rang well when tapped



Here is the quartersawn Cocobolo back and side set that was harvested from Southwest Mexico in 2009. It was sourced from Jerry Hibdon at Hibdon Hardwoods. It has a nice straight grain and some sapwood. It is not the most flamboyant or ornate set, I like the straight grained look and the sapwood will provide some good contrast opportunities with a back strip.

[iim7V7IM7]

Bernie was kind enough to bring my top set and back side set to the Woodstock Invitational for me to see. My photos are unfortunately not very good and don't adequately capture the detail of the pieces. What was interesting is that I took the pieces outside to take the photos to get some better lighting. While carrying the wood in and out of the hall, a number of luthiers stopped me and asked to see the sets (they thought that I had purchased them in the Utopia Soundstage where the hardwood purveyors were). Perhaps they were being kind, but they all seemed to like them very much (as did I).

Here is the cocobolo set. What players can't grasp (at least, I did not) is the density and ring when tapped of this wood. While the back set is similar in size to the spruce top set, it was easily 3 times as dense. The back and sides will indeed require additional thinning to be used insitu. The grain is quite straight with flecks of dark among the lighter hues, particularly adjacent to the sapwood adding visual drama/contrast to a somewhat mundane piece



The Carpathian Spruce top set was, tight grained, extremely light and stiff across the grain. Looking closely, there are some indications of silking and some bearclawing, but the visual mysteries in the wood will have to wait until its finished and the first coats are sprayed.



Here is a macro shot...

[dgimcmillan]

I've been lurking for 4 years on this forum, and I think this is the first gypsy jazz custom build I've seen! I'm very excited to be able to watch this build!

Bring on the pictures, please....

[iim7V7IM7]

Well thanks....

I am still in the queue behind some fiddles and a bass guitar. I suspect building won't begin in earnest until January 2014. In the mean time, some design aspects can be collaborated on. We are also working together on an upstate New York design theme (Bernie is based in Rochester, NY).

This will by no means be a "traditional" grande bouche. Bernie is building an x-braced model with an upper bout sound port. It will also have a shorter scale length (25") to make extended chord voicings easier (like my archtop). The loss in volume and cut through won't matter for my solo playing application.

[jared1177]

My fave spruce for tops are carpathian. I only use carp for my builds. The headroom and dynamics are astounding. The batch I picked up a year ago is so stiff... I built an OM for myself and i stopped thicknessing the top at 2.5mm, and it still was extremely stiff, but I didn't want to go any thinner. Everyone who plays it falls in love with the guitar.

[dgimcmillan]

If you haven't taken a look at Shelley Park's manouche models, I suggest you do so. Her styles could provide some sample ideas for you and Mr. Lehmann. She's at http://www.parkguitars.com/

[CoolerKing]

These always make me feel like moving to Paris and start smoking gauloise cigarettes

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by dgimcmillan

If you haven't taken a look at Shelley Park's manouche models, I suggest you do so. Her styles could provide some sample ideas for you and Mr. Lehmann. She's at http://www.parkguitars.com/

Thanks...

I am familiar with Shelley's work as both a luthier and as a musician. She trained with Michael Dunn and makes great guitars more in the traditional style (ladder bracing etc.).

Bernie is is well into the 400s in his stringed instruments and has made gypsy guitars for a few decades. He has developed his own take on these and has created a hybrid that has many aspects that are more typically done in flat tops. I have a background in industrial design and have been designing a variety of products over the last 30 years. Together, I think we'll come up with something unique....

:-)

[iim7V7IM7]

After 7-months of waiting, my build slot with Bernie has now arrived. So, while it was not planned that way, but I will have two builds going simultaneously (other is a flattop with Kent Chasson). Yikes!

When I finally got a chance to meet Bernie at Woodstock '013 last October, we discussed a design theme. Given that he is an upstate NY artisan (Rochester, NY), an upstate NY design theme seemed appropriate. A cousin movement to the craftsman style/arts & crafts movement that Kent's flattop is incorporating that was based in upstate NY known as "Roycroft" movement. Its a bit more ornate than the clean lines of the Stickley/Greene & Greene theme that Kent is pursuing and pays more homage to the earlier arts & crafts movement in the UK (e.g. William Morris etc.).

Bernie actually visited the Roycroft Inn a few weeks ago for background research:

http://www.roycroftinn.com

Bernie is developing some very interesting custom decoration ideas in this theme that he has been refining (headplate, fingerboard, rosette, tailpiece, sound port).

The bones of the Model Manouche design can be found here:

http://www.lehmannstrings.com/guitar...y-manouche.htm

The top will be Carpathian Spruce and the back and sides will be Cocobolo (see earlier posting). The guitar will have a 25-1/2" scale and an ebony fingerboard.

More when I have it...

[iim7V7IM7]

I was chatting with Bernie about a rosette design today and he was discussing an inlay design and was suggesting using boxwood. I wasn't that familiar with it, but he described it well down the its "buttery smell" when you cut it (it is used in many instruments like lutes, violins, woodwinds actually...my naivety). Less than an hour later an e-mail with photos of a log that he's had for 40-years (yes, we're talking 1970s)! Luthiers love and hoard their wood!

[iim7V7IM7]

Sometimes, conceiving a design together with a Luthier is a fun part of a project. Bernie and I have been going back and forth over the last month as my build slot approached. Here is concept sketch that Bernie sent me of a Roycroft style rosette design for the D-shaped sound hole on the Grande Bouche.

Inset within the light colored Carpathian Spruce top is a mission oak colored rosette with boxwood "Dard Hunter" rose and tulips inlaid into at 9, 6 and 3 o'clock. Thin, light colored maple lines and red colored bloodwood squares as accents.

[iim7V7IM7]

Some preliminary Roycroft style decoration concepts...



The upper bout sound port might take the form of a Dard Hunter rose...