Michel Aboudib MA-D "Kalila wa Dimna" demo by Matt Thomas

[sinistral]

For those who attended the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, you’ll recall that Michel Aboudib had two MA-D guitars on display, mine and this guitar, with an Italian spruce top and Bois de Rose back and sides. The MA-D is Michel’s interpretation of a dreadnought, which has a tighter waist than a Somogyi Modified Dreadnought.

Matt Thomas demo’ed this guitar on Sunday at the WILS, and the guitar sounded phenomenal, cavernous, even though it was finished literally days before the show.



I think the wood combination is similar to the woods on the guitar that Michel is building for Doug (doodahdoug), but that guitar will be shaped like a Modified Dreadnought in the Somogyi style.

[doodahdoug]

Thanks for posting this Bill. Matt Thomas really does a great job reviewing and demonstrating this Aboudib MA-D in this comprehensive video.

Italian Spruce and Bois de Rose is indeed the same wood pairing that was selected for the Modified Dreadnought that Michel is currently building for me, although mine will not have a black top and will be gloss finished.

I'm glad that I was able to play this MA-D at Woodstock and hear Matt's demo of the guitar at the show. A fellow AGF member who was also at Woodstock owns this MA-D so maybe he'll chime it at some point after he's spent some time playing it.

Michel also has a 2024 commissioned guitar starting soon for Matt Thomas, so I'll be keeping an eye out to see how the two of them spec that guitar out.

[GaultierRedon14]

I'd been patiently waiting for this demo myself, and it was worth the wait! I had the pleasure of meeting Matt and enjoying his fine musicianship during an intimate concert performance at the Nashville Fall Fingerstyle Retreat put on by Steve Krenz back in October. He shared some details on his build with Michel, I'm also quite interested to see how that one turns out, as it may influence my upcoming build choices with Michel.
I'll be sure to provide a build thread once his work is underway on my commission. Until then, I'll continue to watch with great interest the Bois de Rose Mod-D already underway here.

[Deliberate1]

Thanks, Lefty, for posting this video, which is remarkable. I was thinking that if a cathedral could make its own music, it would sound something like this. Stunning.

David

[nootis]

I've been out of the country, but just saw this thread recently. Yep, this guitar is coming to me! I attended Woodstock in October, and I played so many fabulous guitars that weekend that my head was spinning. I really had a great time and wasn't planning on purchasing a guitar, but when I got home, I still couldn't stop thinking about this guitar. It was so impressive at the show, and it blew my mind that it was merely days old. I am genuinely curious on how it will open up. Needless to say, I contacted Michel a day or two after getting home from Woodstock and we made a deal. Matt Thomas had already taken it with plans to record a demo and take glamour photos, so I let them take their time. They were ready to ship it a week before Christmas, but I asked them to wait until now. It should arrive within days.

[dcn]

That’s awesome, Dan! Glad to hear this masterpiece is going to a good dude.

[Nemoman]

Congrats, Dan--it looks and sounds like an incredible guitar.

Hope to play it one of these days! (maybe B.I.G. V--hint, hint!)

[SaintClarence27]

That sounds and looks amazing! What is the rosette?

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by SaintClarence27

That sounds and looks amazing! What is the rosette?

Although a few of Michel’s rosettes are inlays, Michel is best known for his hand-carved and hand-painted rosettes. The intricate, repeating geometric shapes are hand-carved.



Take a look at the rosette that Michel carved for doodahdoug’s guitar that is still in the works.

[SaintClarence27]

Originally Posted by sinistral

Although a few of Michel’s rosettes are inlays, Michel is best known for his hand-carved and hand-painted rosettes. The intricate, repeating geometric shapes are hand-carved.



Take a look at the rosette that Michel carved for doodahdoug’s guitar that is still in the works.

Just saying: screw abalone. In the right hands, wood is the most beautiful substance known to man.