Frankie Montuoro Guitar Delivery

[wlm50]

I recently posted in the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, where there is a Montuoro thread, that I took delivery last week of a new guitar from Frankie. Perhaps there is interest in his guitars here as well.

It's been a long wait, with some ups and downs as Frankie has gone through some personal challenges. But the guitar is excellent! He just posted a description of the guitar with photos on his website last week as well. Better that you go to his website than for me to try to duplicate the photos here.

http://www.montuoroguitarco.com/brutus-model-no-212/

This guitar is visually a Larson dreadnought. It's built in Frankie's vintage style like his Bench Copy series based on 30s Martins. It also has the same finish, looking like a well preserved 1930s guitar. But it's actually a combination of Larson and Martin design. Shaped like a Martin Dread, but with the depth of a Larson. Slightly arched top built under tension. Bracing that combines elements of the two brands. Martin scale length. Adirondack Red Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. 1 3/4" nut. 2 3/8" spacing at the bridge. The neck profile is a C. Not too big. Steel fixed truss rod. It's more or less the first of a series he plans to make going forward that are based on pre-war designs but not on one specific model. He calls this one the Brutus 212. On his website, Frankie says this guitar is like "a more robust OM or more articulate dreadnought." I agree. It's less boomy than the dreads that I have often played. And it feels a bit more like an OM.

The guitar is extremely light - less than four pounds. Because of the Larson influence on the depth, it's very comfortable to hold. It's very articulate. Excellent balance, with plenty of bass. I also have a Euphonon that Frankie made for me a few years ago. That guitar has Honduran Rosewood back and sides. So it is warmer, and I would say more complex in tone. The new guitar is more dry in tone, but still compelling. Relatively bright. My Euphonon has really opened up and today sounds even better than when I first got it. I imagine the same will be true of the dreadnought.

The fretboard, frets, and setup are wonderful. The guitar is extremely easy to play.

I live close to The Music Emporium in Lexington, MA, which is where Frankie's Bench Copy guitars will be sold. So I took the guitar by for them to see it. Stu, one of the owners looked the guitar over. And Andy, who does a lot of their video demos, played the guitar for quite a while. It's always great being able to hear your guitar played by someone who really knows how to do it. I wish I'd recorded it. It sounded great with his picking technique. His comment was that it sounded vintage, like an old guitar. He also said it is very different sounding from the Bench Copy with which they did the demo in their shop, with it's own unique sound. That makes sense given that the previous guitar is a Martin D-18 type build.

I've had several conversations with Frankie over the past week. He seems to be doing well, and I can tell that he is very excited about getting some Bench Copies produced. I don't know how many guitars he still owes to custom clients before he can get on to the Bench Copies. But I don't think it is many. So, hopefully, we will see some new guitars of his at The Music Emporium in the not too distant future. I'm sure many people are anxious to see, hear, and play them.