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  #106  
Old 05-20-2014, 02:28 PM
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That's right. The next build will be an OM in the traditional style. I'm very much looking forward to that build.
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  #107  
Old 07-10-2014, 03:23 PM
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The Alessi tuners, which had some rather serious backlash, were replaced with another set. Because Laurent didn't have tuners matching the existing tuners, he "upgraded" to this set with black pearl buttons. The new tuners look AND FEEL fantastic. No backlash. And I think they go really well with the overall look of the guitar.

The sound is amazing. Huge sound. Cavernous. Very different from my mahogany A-2 and very satisfying to have the variety. This guitar has a much bigger (almost dread-like) bass and more sparkle in the highs and upper mids. And the mids are more subdued. In open C and open D, where I play a lot of my tunes, it sounds monstrous.

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  #108  
Old 07-10-2014, 05:42 PM
Leftyprs Leftyprs is offline
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New tuners look great!
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  #109  
Old 07-11-2014, 06:49 AM
billgennaro billgennaro is offline
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Must be really cool to have the two Brondels with different wood combos. As you know, I love Laurent's guitars and own one myself. This new one of yours is very classy aesthetically. The tuners look great. What's next on your build list?

Bill
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  #110  
Old 07-13-2014, 06:16 PM
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Yeah, I'm pretty jazzed about the contrasts between the 2 guitars. They are, to my way of thinking at least, more or less perfect examples of what rosewood and mahogany OMs should sound like. Both share the typical Brondel dynamic range, power, and clarity, but are wonderfully complementary.

Next on the list is the style 30 vintage-Martinesque OM. Should be extraordinary.
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  #111  
Old 07-13-2014, 09:12 PM
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Are the new tuners Alessi as well? I'm trying to decide between fancy open geared euro tuners for the Meridian starting in September. Graf crossed my mind as well.
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  #112  
Old 07-13-2014, 10:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matthewpartrick View Post
Are the new tuners Alessi as well? I'm trying to decide between fancy open geared euro tuners for the Meridian starting in September. Graf crossed my mind as well.
Yep, the new tuners are Alessi. The originals had substantial backlash, but these feel great. Honestly, I think the Schaller Grandtune tuners that Mike put on my PX are fantastic tuners. I don't know that I would go any fancier than that.
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  #113  
Old 12-01-2015, 01:10 AM
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It's been a year and a half since taking receipt of this commissioned guitar. In many ways, the guitar Laurent delivered was absolutely flawless, both in achievement of the tonal result I was looking for and in aesthetics and workmanship.

That achievement was overshadowed in the early months with the guitar as it had some rather significant stability issues from the onset. The action upon receipt of the guitar was 0.130", which means it had moved 0.020" during shipping. The intonation at that time appeared to be a bit flat, which was confirmed by Alan Perlman just to make sure I wasn't crazy. Both of us used strobe tuners and found a consistent intonation error of about 4-5 cents. Laurent took the guitar back and did a neck reset and action adjustment. Strangely enough, Laurent found no intonation problem with his tuner. Though I believe Laurent, it's a discrepancy I still can't explain. After the neck reset he shipped the guitar back to me. All seemed fine, though there was a downward ramp on the neck extension from the reset neck.

After about a week, the action went up 0.015" to 0.125" (with a corresponding increase in the relief). I tightened the rod and got the action back down to 0.110" where I wanted it. A week later, it was up to 0.115" again, along with increased relief, so I tweaked the truss rod again. A week later, it was up to 0.115" with no additional relief so I sanded 0.020" off the bottom of the saddle which got me to 0.105" action.

Within a month, the action was back up to 0.120" with no change to the relief. And then another week after that up to 0.125". I documented all this movement in Excel so that I could keep track, which is why I still have the measurements and dates. I was freaked out the neck was really unstable so I shipped it back to Laurent. And, of course - Murphy's law - the guitar was as solid as a rock at Laurent's shop and he can only conclude that I was out of my mind. Laurent reset the neck again to get the action down, and re-planed the fretboard to get rid of the dip on the extension.

A LOT of misunderstanding, sadly, happened over the course of that whole process and nerves were frayed on both sides.

It's been a little over a year since I received the guitar back after the second neck reset. The guitar hasn't budged a millimeter (or a thousandth), to my great relief, and that has left me plenty of time to enjoy playing it.

Laurent is quite passionate about electric guitars, and I think some of the qualities of his acoustic guitar necks are influenced from this world. As an electric player, the neck just feels like "home" to my hand. I've discovered, compared to my other guitars, that the tall frets make it much easier to play, particularly on bends but also on barre chords. I get much better holding power and cleaner barre chords when my index finger doesn't "bottom out" on the fretboard.

The frets are beautifully finished and flawlessly leveled. There is no buzz ANYWHERE on that neck. As a result, the notes a very pure and sweet.

The sound tugged at my heartstrings right out of the gate. I was looking for the rosewood cousin of my (now departed) mahogany A-2c (which I WILL get back some day. Are you listening, Ed??), and it was really a wonderful complement. Huge, resonant, slightly reverby bass. Present, but slightly subdued, mids, at least compared to my mahogany guitar. And beautiful, crystalline highs. Enormous headroom. Powerful but not brash. The Carpathian spruce is very similar in most regards to the Adi on my 000-12. Compared to my old mahogany A-2c, the highs have more sparkle and sustain.

I would describe the tone as firmly in the Martin camp, though certainly with Laurent's twist. It has the signature projection quality that most Brondels seem to possess, possibly a result of the lateral arch bracing. The guitar focuses mostly on the fundamental, which is something I desire in the music I play, but it is nevertheless complex and musical. The key word here is "clarity." The notes work with each other and do not interfere with each other. No part of the spectrum is hod rodded or scooped out. It's even. It's dynamic. It's expressive. Beautiful.

In open C tuning, the guitar is a resonant, gorgeous, huge sounding, cello-like beast. I play in this tuning quite frequently on this guitar because I find the sound so moving. It makes the glasses on my kitchen table rattle.

The aesthetics speak for themselves, obviously. Incredibly stylish and unique with flawless execution. I am a BIG fan of the oil varnish finish, which I first discovered on Bruce Sexauer's guitars. There's something very attractive and natural about this finish. Oddly enough, I even like the smell, particularly when combined with the Spanish cedar used inside the guitar. The buckeye burl is a wonderful, classy accent.

This remains one of my all time favorite guitars. Any yet I can't help but feel a little sad (actually, more upset than I care to admit) that I've so profoundly bonded with the instrument, but haven't been able to see eye to eye with the man who built it. And maybe that's why I've been silent for so long on this guitar. I still have a hard time reconciling the two feelings. I watch Brondel build threads with great anticipation and excitement, but have this nagging ambivalence that prevents me from being as effusive about those guitars as I feel about my own Brondel.

But there is no doubt that this A-2c is a wonderful expression of the craft of luthiery. I believe that Laurent is a very consistent builder; I had a clear vision for this guitar after playing the Brazilian A-2 at HGF. Laurent understood and executed this vision perfectly.
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  #114  
Old 12-01-2015, 10:33 AM
billgennaro billgennaro is offline
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Wow! That's quite a post, and a very strange set of circumstances. At least you finally got the instrument to the point where it is perfect for you. Sorry it was such a tug of war.

I enjoyed the description you gave of the tonal characteristics of your Brondel, as well as the feel of the neck. I am not good with such descriptions but you summed it up nicely, as my Brondel exhibits many of the same characteristics (German/African Blackwood).

Hope you can get past the emotional stuff and end up keeping a guitar that sounds like it is perfect for you now.

All the best.
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  #115  
Old 12-01-2015, 11:13 AM
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In my experience, Laurent is not only one of the best luthiers in the business, he is also one of the very best person in the business.

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  #116  
Old 12-02-2015, 04:05 AM
steveh steveh is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justonwo View Post
Any yet I can't help but feel a little sad (actually, more upset than I care to admit) that I've so profoundly bonded with the instrument, but haven't been able to see eye to eye with the man who built it.
I'm not too surprised by this if truth be told. Over the years I have commissioned several guitars and, on balance, it has often been an extremely stressful experience. This has been nobody's fault. It's simply that the buyer has a whole ton of emotional energy (and cash!) invested in the process and so has the luthier. Both are often very different personalities as well. The smallest detail can sometimes get blown out of all proportion because of this. Stupid things that, in other circumstances, just wouldn't matter.

In this respect, it's rather like building a house or getting a kitchen fitted. Something WILL definitely go awry at some point in the process and we can just hope that at the end of it the two parties still get along fine. I know lots of people here have had smooth, flawless builds but, in my experience at least, there are usually one or two bumps in the road. That said, I am "still talking" to all of the guys I have commissioned from, not least because there has usually been a great guitar at the end of it.

Cheers,
Steve
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  #117  
Old 12-06-2015, 02:29 AM
jaypun jaypun is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justonwo View Post

This remains one of my all time favorite guitars. Any yet I can't help but feel a little sad (actually, more upset than I care to admit) that I've so profoundly bonded with the instrument, but haven't been able to see eye to eye with the man who built it. And maybe that's why I've been silent for so long on this guitar. I still have a hard time reconciling the two feelings. I watch Brondel build threads with great anticipation and excitement, but have this nagging ambivalence that prevents me from being as effusive about those guitars as I feel about my own Brondel.

But there is no doubt that this A-2c is a wonderful expression of the craft of luthiery. I believe that Laurent is a very consistent builder; I had a clear vision for this guitar after playing the Brazilian A-2 at HGF. Laurent understood and executed this vision perfectly.
I have a guitar that was commissioned by Laurent and I must say that I couldn't be happier. From the first meeting through the process of picking the wood, to choosing all the specs with him, it was amazingly comfortable. Actually, when I first got the guitar he said, "the first week it will sound like ****," which makes complete sense. Well, when I received it, it sounded good, but not like what it sounds like 2.5 years later! I really fell in love with it after I toured all over Europe this past summer playing it night after night. I felt it truly did "open up." Now I can't wait to play it every time I think of playing.

I imagine that all guitars go through that period if it's being commissioned. Laurent is a badass, player and luthier, not to mention, someone who is great to work with. Not once did he try to sway me in any way. Even when he told me about the amazing choices of tonewoods I could choose from, he honestly told me what he personally thought would still make a great guitar. He realistically explained things about the woods and if different choices matter or not to me.

I could write a dissertation about this but I know that hands down, BOTH Brondels that I own exceed my expectations and are the right fit for me as a player right now. Before this I had a Ryan Nightingale, Ryan Mission, Huss & Dalton 00, Lowden 012. I highly doubt I'm going to be looking for another guitar to replace the Brondels I have.

So glad you're loving the guitar!!!!!

Last edited by jaypun; 12-06-2015 at 08:53 AM. Reason: Additonal edit
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  #118  
Old 12-06-2015, 06:31 AM
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I believe he said m*rde"...

Thanks for sharing your experience. Wise advice indeed...
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  #119  
Old 12-06-2015, 10:02 AM
M Sarad M Sarad is offline
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My Wenge A2 and Sonic Blue Double cut Honeycaster give me all I want until I saw the new guitar.

Congratulations on a stunning acquisition.

Regarding Alan Perlman, I had him work on my Merrill to improve tone and intonation.

The Brondel plays perfectly in tune from the first fret to the last with superb tone.
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  #120  
Old 12-07-2015, 04:00 PM
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justonwo justonwo is offline
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Matt, which Honeycaster do you have? Is it equipped with Ron Ellis pickups?

Yeah, Alan Perlman is great. I've been to his shop a few times, and he's always got some incredible restoration projects going on. He also has a real passion/niche for Larson-style instruments.
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