1995 Jean-Pierre Favino

This instrument represents the final culmination of 50 years of evolution of the Favino guitar. Jacques Favino successfully refined the Selmer guitar to suit the needs of 1960-70s era players such as Matelo Ferret, Tchan Tchou Vidal, Han'sche Weiss, and the young Bireli Lagrene. These artists favored instruments with thicker mids and bass than was typical of the Selmer guitar. Jacques' son, Jean-Pierre, has adapted his father's classic design to meet the demands of contemporary players who seek a sleeker, easier playing guitar with a balanced and modern tone. Furthermore, Jean-Pierre transitioned the Favino shop from a fairly large scale production facility (four luthiers making about 20 guitars a month back in the 70s) to a premium quality, artisan workshop producing only six or so instruments a year. An opportunity to purchase a late period JP Favino guitar is a rare opportunity as so few exist and the wait list for a new one is around two years.

This is an early version of JP's modele S, which is a fusion of Selmer and Favino elements. The body is smaller than the original Favino. It is actually nearly identical to a Selmer: 15 3/4" wide, 3 3/4" deep. Scale length is JP's typical 666mm which is slightly shorter then a Selmer (670mm). The interior is lacquered like the original Selmers. The top was braced using a unique four brace design that includes a bass tone bar, something I've never seen before. Other innovations include an enlarged soundhole, a finely tapered heel, and a fingerboard extension that goes all the way up to the 24th fret. The hardware is original.

Sonically I'm pleased to say this is the best JP Favino I've ever come across! It has a beautifully balanced tone with just the right mix of mids, highs, and lows that produce full, rich chords and snappy, spitfire leads. Its Favino pedigree is clearly audible in its strong midrange, a sound that Jacques mastered back in the 1960s. This updated version mixes some of that Jacques Favino magic with the balance and crispness of a modern guitar. Additionally, this instrument posses a nice openness to the tone that adds complexity and character to anything you play. The tone is simply exquisite and stands among JP Favino's best work.

This instrument is in excellent condition. There are no cracks. There are a few light scratches on the body and some finish checking on the side of the upper treble bout. The frets have almost no wear. The fret markers appear to have been redone as there are some faint remnants of fret markers at the 3rd, 10th, and 19th frets.

This is a wonderful opportunity to own a pristine example built by arguably the greatest living Selmer style luthier today. Few can match the tone, workmanship, creativity, and aesthetic beauty of JP's work. If you're looking for something fresh and modern but with a real Gypsy soul, than this is it!

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card .