an melbourne-made gypsy jazz guitar 2012

wim

recently i got a strange call about a gig where i would just be required to play 1 or 2 django tunes .. it was a concert for a guitar school, where one of the makers had built a selmer/maccaferri type instrument. there were almost a hundred other guitars in the exhibition, a lot of interesting stuff (but this was the only gypsy jazz one)!

anyway after the concert the maker was kind enough to let me borrow the instrument for a week because my barault was in the shop getting bridge shim and some other repairs done. here's what it's like. not the greatest sound quality, i just recorded it on my phone.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ST8K6y0QI

http://thomaslloydguitars.com.au/

the guitar is all made out of Australian tone woods but built in the selmer way (with pliage bent over a hot iron by hand and all that!). actually the guy even went to paris to buy the plans , tailpiece and tuners in person from RF charle ! he says it took 2 years worth of weekends to build, and he will be attempting a D hole later. anyway , it looks / plays / sounds like one .. not a bad first effort at all i think

noodlenot

the flamed wood looks beautiful! is it australian blackwood (acacia melanoxylon)? (looks like it)
what about the body depth? (if i´m not asking much)

nice playing, BTW.

thanks,
miguel.

wim

back & sides, binding, headstock - tasmanian fiddleback blackwood
top, bracing - queensland bunya pine
neck - queensland maple
fretboard - gidgee
bridge - tasmanian tiger myrtle

i don't know about the body depth, sorry, but i think he followed the plans from RF charle so whatever is in the plan ..

noodlenot

thanks! i just love aussie blackwood. There is a lot of it here (Portugal), but it seldom (if ever) develops interesting grain figures and tends to be lighter than southern hemisphere trees. that one is just wonderful. Also, 1st guitar i hear with bunya... i´m surprised - it´s supposed to be much less stiff than spruce, but if it works - hey! -who am i to say anything?

cheers,
miguel.