Rene Gerome 14 fret Modele Jazz

sadow · September 12

Was intrigued by this 14-fret version of the Modele Jazz on the Guitare Village site (I have the 12-fret). Emailed them twice for info, but never heard back. Perhaps they can't be bothered dealing with the tariffs. Might need a lot of work anyway (they label it "as is."). Nice to see Gerome made a 14-fret of this model - first one I've seen.

djazzy · September 13

hi sadow, I've never heard a Gerome in person but I think I like the sound A LOT from videos -- and have always been curious. I could be wrong but I get the impression they could be a bit uncomfortable to play since...their lower bouts tend to be little big and they tend to be shorter scale? How do you find your 12 fret? I also understand Philippe Moneret (who inherited the Gerome atelier) retired -- and made his last guitar this year.

sadow · September 13

djazzy, didn't find the larger lower bout an issue at all - what I struggle with at times is losing my place on the 12 fret neck. Not as easy on the hands as my Altamira, but fun to play, with a straight neck and surprisingly accurate intonation. Haven't had it very long, so I'm still learning to consistently nail the sweet spot, but when I do the tone has that old-wood richness with pianistic note separation on chords. This one appears to be a higher-end model, with a two-piece neck, embossed pickguard, solid flamed maple back and sides, diamond fret inlays, and multi-layer purfling around both body and bean-hole. Also has a pronounced heated arch running down the centers of both top and back. Has a few repaired cracks but that comes with the territory. Here are two shots I found of it from a previous dealer:

Buco · September 13

Those usually sound fantastic. A friend has a similar one (12th fret neck to body) and the tone is so sweet. Duved played in in a jam and fell in love with the sound but missed the access of 14 fret neck. Jack Soref has a custom built copy of Gerome but with a 14 fret neck. I love the look of this 14 fretter from the initial post.

pdg · September 13

Gian demos a Gerome 14-fret guitar, along with 44 other Gypsy jazz guitars (!) at Guitare Village, on this youtube:

https://youtu.be/3DVbvx4t2yE?is=8Z2p4rm_iZY3a9F3

This Gerome demo starts at 1:12:40.

billyshakes · September 13

I wonder if that is one of the few times THREE lefty Selmacs have been in such close proximity to each other?😂

Buco · September 13

I would've never remembered that video, nice find. That thing doesn't need anything except to be played.

sadow · September 13

pdg, thanks for finding that video! Yeah, buco, it seems to be in good shape. Is anyone familiar with Guitare Village? Wondering why they don't respond to emails. Think it's because they don't ship to U.S.?

pdg · September 13

A few years ago I had the same experience with them. Eventually, I used WhatsApp and phoned them, and I ended up speaking with an English-speaking person there.