Grande bouche guitars

Passacaglia · November 2012

Thanks, Eddy, perfect info. And unfortunately puts it a stretch out of budget. Jay, I like the look of the grand bouche, too. And the physics. I saw that Vieux Paris, though, and drooled. I listened to Michael H's vid, and was very impressed. I wasn't looking for a Selmer or Busato, but listening to the video, exchanging info with some folks who've played it, and reading the man's site and what he was after with this guitar, well...a lot of positives.

And, edit: Sorry, missed that the hard case is included. Good food for thought, thanks again, Eddy.

swingnation · November 2012

Paul,

I own the Mazaud and can definitely say it's an amazing guitar. Sounds exactly as described- full, tight bass, great mids and nice rounded highs, just enough wetness to give complexity to chords, but enough dry to let leads cut through. Suckers loud too. Playability is fantastic with high or low action. The Rodrigos I've played have more wetness to them and in my experience, AJL XO was drier. All three were amazing guitars, but sound totally different. And then there's Holo...

The one thing I would tell you is don't be in a hurry to buy your guitar- and I bet everyone will tell you the same thing, because it's true. Get something in a low price range you can tolerate until you try some of these guitars, save up and then buy with certainty. Michael and others have a great policy of trying for a couple of days, but if you're not sure of the sound you're looking for it may take you months of owning a guitar before you realize its not the one for you.

Cheers,
J

Passacaglia · November 2012

swingnation wrote:

Paul,

I own the Mazaud and can definitely say it's an amazing guitar. Sounds exactly as described- full, tight bass, great mids and nice rounded highs, just enough wetness to give complexity to chords, but enough dry to let leads cut through. Suckers loud too. Playability is fantastic with high or low action. The Rodrigos I've played have more wetness to them and in my experience, AJL XO was drier. All three were amazing guitars, but sound totally different. And then there's Holo...

The one thing I would tell you is don't be in a hurry to buy your guitar- and I bet everyone will tell you the same thing, because it's true. Get something in a low price range you can tolerate until you try some of these guitars, save up and then buy with certainty. Michael and others have a great policy of trying for a couple of days, but if you're not sure of the sound you're looking for it may take you months of owning a guitar before you realize its not the one for you.

Cheers,
J

Swing, thank you very much. I have a DG-300, have had it since I began playing the music (not long ago, admittedly), and it's fine. In fact, to honor it, I'm very pleased with the thing, which for the price, to me, is a fantastic playing instrument, and it's done me well. I think I'm just at the point where I want a better sound, and an instrument that "fits." I totally hear you on the rush, and thank you again for the comment, accordingly. It's tough! I've heard all 3, each one of them is a beautiful instrument, each of them, equally wonderful sound, and each of them, recommended by players I really admire. I'm coming into some (fairly minor) additional liquidity, and am weighing buying a guitar here...or using that liquidity towards a planned extended stay in Europe (my wife's an EU citizen), and buying there.

I guess "breathe" would be a good option, at this point...

Great info, thanks, Swing.

Archtop Eddy · November 2012

swingnation wrote:

I own the Mazaud and can definitely say it's an amazing guitar. J

J. Is this the Mazaud Vieux Paris Model that was at this year's Django in June? It was a beauty!

Paul, you may remember it -- it was getting the hands-on treatment from a lot of players. And it was definitely a treat for the eyes as well. AE

Passacaglia · November 2012

Hey Eddy -

Yep, I heard from Michael Bauer this was at this year's DIJ. Swing, is this yours? Agree with Eddy - man, is that a seriously fine looking guitar. I can't stop looking at this page. And, no, nothing like a nostalgia for Paris, and all it offers...

Ugh...I'm afraid to admit I was painfully shy of trying out others' guitars, and Michael's room was like passing the portal to another dimension....so as lame as it is, I just plonked the blue hours with my trusty DG-300.

Next year, I hope to try as many as possible...have a weekly gig in an hour, and will be gabbling with the other guitarists on all things Vieux Paris, AJL XO, Rodrigo Shopis Model F!

-Paul

noodlenot · November 2012

Passacaglia wrote:

Hey Eddy -

Yep, I heard from Michael Bauer this was at this year's DIJ. Swing, is this yours? Agree with Eddy - man, is that a seriously fine looking guitar. I can't stop looking at this page.

wow, that´s some fine spider-webbing on that brazilian rosewood! although i find the half-herringbone pattern a bit over-the-top (specially in the rosette, where it breaks the geometric tidiness of the simple concentric lines, IMO) for a selmer type, his chops are definitely very good. have you seen the oud? classy stuff.

wim · November 2012

First things first, the 12 fret and 14 fret D holes are very different beasts. Probably the scale length / string tension has more to do with the sound than the shape of the soundhole.

I play a Barault D hole. Before that I was on a short scale cigano for a couple of years. I prefer the D hole sound because it feels more balanced in volume across all 6 strings. My B52 is a long scale D hole (14 fret to the body), I feel the 12 fret D holes lose a bit of punch up in the higher register, the long scale D holes are fine up there.

swingnation · November 2012

AE,Paul,
Yup, mine is the same Vieux Paris at DIJ. I didn't realize how much noteriary the guitar had until I got there- "oh, you're the one who bought it", or "Bauer's looking for you, wants to make a deal" or "Wanna trade". I think I got to play it twice that week- everyone else was playing it the rest of the time. It got a lot of mojo that week.

Cheers,
J

Passacaglia · November 2012

swingnation wrote:

AE,Paul,
Yup, mine is the same Vieux Paris at DIJ. I didn't realize how much noteriary the guitar had until I got there- "oh, you're the one who bought it", or "Bauer's looking for you, wants to make a deal" or "Wanna trade". I think I got to play it twice that week- everyone else was playing it the rest of the time. It got a lot of mojo that week.

Cheers,
J

I was one of the unlucky, timid few.

She's a beauty, Swing. Congrats.