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Marc Beneteau Alpine/Walnut SJ (VIDEO ADDED!)
Excited to have recently put the deposit down on my very first custom build with my favorite luthier! I've been a fan on Marc's work for a long time and every one of his guitar's I have heard in quality demo's has a distinguishable voice that I've grown fond of. Clear, muscular tone with just the right amount of overtones and always balanced.
I've enjoyed my Model M that I purchased from GuitarGal immensely however have always had my eyes on the lookout for a jumbo much like Don Ross or Craig D'Andrea play however they're extremely rare. I asked Marc for an Alpine spruce soundboard but really any high-grade Euro would do. I've always been a fan of the versatility of European spruce and I figured the slight overtone content it tends to provide would be nice for the dry, woody tone of Black Walnut. I've always been a rosewood guy however my past experiences with walnut have been lovely and I reckon the bass from the 17' lower bout jumbo body will have a full sound regardless of what b/s is used...rather it not be too thuddy. When Marc said he had some nice sets of 20-year-old black walnut I expected him to send some pretty basic looking walnut but I'm incredibly excited for what he sent me: He also offered to do a black walnut neck which I happily agreed to for a nice change! Other upgrades include: Koa body binding with walnut purfings Koa Ryan-style arm bevel and ribrest Sound port w/ lid Spalted maple rosette with walnut purflings Pinless bridge I'll be posting updates as I get pictures from Marc! Cheers, DF
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com Last edited by Dustinfurlow; 07-16-2018 at 05:28 PM. |
#2
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Killer guitar! So pleased that you get to have this experience, Dustin. You certainly know Marc's work and how this will fit for you. The frosting on the cake is how very personal and individual this connection is with the builder...a connection or even friendship that could last indefinitely. It's a very special time when it all works well together.....as it did for me with Tom Doerr.
Will love following this build! Fred
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1993 Bourgeois JOM 1967 Martin D12-20 2007 Vines Artisan 2014 Doerr Legacy 2013 Bamburg FSC- 2002 Flammang 000 12 fret 2000 McCollum Grand Auditorium ______________________________ Soundcloud Spotify |
#3
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With a 17" lower bout, I'm thinking it's a "J" rather than an "SJ." I too am a walnut fan. Good luck sleeping until this one is finished!!
Steve
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"Naturally torrified, & unnaturally horrified, since 1954" |
#4
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Quote:
I've yet to play a Doerr but boy do I love their sound. I believe one of my favorite players Frank Smith plays one and the tone is heavenly.
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com |
#5
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Marc actually labels his "SJ" as a "Super Jumbo" and the 16' as a "MJ"..I actually almost ordered an MJ until I realized the SJ was what Don and Craig were playing. The MJ had a tighter waist and was too much like the "M" model for me to justify. "Go big, or go home" as they say
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com Last edited by Dustinfurlow; 09-18-2017 at 07:47 AM. |
#6
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Beneteau Build
Congratulations and thanks for posting. We rarely get to see a Beneteau build. My first custom build was with Marc too and he certainly does not disappoint. My Brazilian/Englemann concert standard is a lifetime guitar for me. I too was drawn to the balanced, dynamic, earthy and woody tone of Marc's guitars. My Beneteau CS is also noticeably louder than my other guitars. The setup and finish has also held up great; it looks and plays like the day I received it. Plus, Marc was a fantastic builder to work with and an extremely nice guy.
I will certainly be following this build thread with anticipation.
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John Tucson, AZ 2020 Kraut 00, Swiss/Brazilian, build 2018 Eady EG Pro Electric, Redwood/Mahogany 2013 Baranik Meridian, Blue Spruce/Cocobolo, build 2008 Baranik CX, Blue Spruce/African Blackwood 2008 Breedlove A20 Masterclass 12-string, Adi/IRW 2003 Thames classical, Euro/Brazilian Fodera Standard 4 Fretless bass, figured walnut |
#7
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Quote:
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1993 Bourgeois JOM 1967 Martin D12-20 2007 Vines Artisan 2014 Doerr Legacy 2013 Bamburg FSC- 2002 Flammang 000 12 fret 2000 McCollum Grand Auditorium ______________________________ Soundcloud Spotify |
#8
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Islandguitar, I listened to some of your tunes, great work my man.
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com |
#9
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Seriously, glad to catch your ear with a few of my tunes........thanks for that shout out! Fred
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1993 Bourgeois JOM 1967 Martin D12-20 2007 Vines Artisan 2014 Doerr Legacy 2013 Bamburg FSC- 2002 Flammang 000 12 fret 2000 McCollum Grand Auditorium ______________________________ Soundcloud Spotify |
#10
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Hey Dustin, nice to see a Beneteau build thread. Thanks for posting.
And walnut, even better! My first custom build was an Italian/walnut CX by Mike Baranik and it is a really fine wood combination. I’ve only played one Beneteau (John’s in Tucson) and it was a great guitar. So enjoy the build and please, post some more photos! Col |
#11
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Engelmann and Brazilian sure sounds like it'd be a treat to the ears though! I find it interesting that most will say Engelmann is generally a quieter Spruce without the headroom of say, Adirondack or Euro, but John said it's his loudest guitar. In one of our emails Marc made the point in saying "NOTHING IS SET IN STONE" in regards to tonewood generalizations and I couldn't agree more. That fella could probably make some driftwood and Home Depot plywood sound good XD
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com |
#12
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Dustin, I know exactly what you love about Marc's tone - I was immediatelly intrigued by the distinctive voice of his instruments, when I played a Benetau Standard Concert for the very first time. And I always found that familiar kind of tone in each of his instruments that I heard so far. Guess your walnut/euro will be no exception there and a fantastic guitar for sure! Congrats.
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#13
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Looks nice. Marc does good work, you won't be disappointed.
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#14
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Englemann
Dustin,
I have not heard that Englemann spruce is a quieter top wood. I believe that most would describe the tone and dynamics of Englemann to be quite similar to European spruce. Perhaps some of the luthiers could chime in. This wood supplier is selling Englemann, so may be biased, but here is his description: http://www.dt-luthier-supplies.com/w...ruce-tonewood/ With my initial discussions with Marc, I told him that I wanted a guitar for fingerstyle primarily and that I wanted a dynamic sound with lots of overtones. Marc recommended Englemann to me, in particular some that he had in his shop for over 10 years (and closer to 20). Marc cuts a lot of his own tops from logs and has many that are well seasoned. Plus, he has built lots of guitars with these batches and knows precisely the characteristic of each. I would not get hung up on having Euro spruce if Marc does not have a supply on hand to choose from. I would rather have a top that Marc is familiar with and has seasoned himself, and from a batch that he has built other guitars. Marc nailed the tone I wanted so I would trust him to select the best top for the type of sound and response you are looking for. Also, I have not seen another Beneteau with a walnut neck so yours will be special. A walnut neck with a center mahogany stripe would be cool too. Marc separates the sections with a pinstripe of black ebony so his 5 piece necks look really nice. I have one on my CS but with all mahogany.
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John Tucson, AZ 2020 Kraut 00, Swiss/Brazilian, build 2018 Eady EG Pro Electric, Redwood/Mahogany 2013 Baranik Meridian, Blue Spruce/Cocobolo, build 2008 Baranik CX, Blue Spruce/African Blackwood 2008 Breedlove A20 Masterclass 12-string, Adi/IRW 2003 Thames classical, Euro/Brazilian Fodera Standard 4 Fretless bass, figured walnut |
#15
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Perhaps what I meant was Id heard it has less headroom than a majority of euro spruce or adi topped guitars. I've owned two Englemann guitars in the past, one with Claro walnut and one with cocobolo and they both had a nice, lush sound for fingerstyle but did compress a bit If I strummed or flatpicked hard..however I'm sure that's not the case in Marc's hands! He recommended the Alpine spruce as i have had good experiences with it and has similar characteristics in his experience as Englemann. I really appreciate the link and sharing your experience John!
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Dustin Furlow -Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller -D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist -Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow -New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature available at www.dustinfurlow.com |