Manouche Moreno Orchestre or repaired Dell'Arte Sweet Chorus

ibradbur

So I'm trying to decide between a repaired Dell'Arte Sweet Chorus or a new Manouche Moreno Orchestre any thoughts would be appreciated as I'm relatively new to this style and these guitars. Obviously the Sweet Chorus new would be the better bet, the question is, is it still with the repair. Here's what the owner says:

"there were two cracks in the soundboard that had resulted from the previous owner tripping onstage. I have since had my own luthier redo the work, which included thoroughly cleating and regluing the cracks, regluing a loose brace, and retouching the finish with a lacquer stick. The cracks are now purely cosmetic, and the sound was greatly improved."

Any thoughts would be helpful..

Michael Bauer

I have never played a Dell Arte Sweet Chorus, but I do have a Manouche Orchestre and love it. It has a more vintage tone than the other Asian guitars I have played, including my Manouche Jazz and my old Jorgenson. I don't play it as much as the Favino (obviously), but I play it alot, and occasionally will play it exclusively for a week straight. I'm kind of a sucker for the sound of short-scale D-holes.

I have heard other people make Dell Arte's sound good, but I have never played one, including several hand-made ones (a 503 among them) that I liked, either in terms of sound or playability. That may just be personal, because I heard Kruno make a cheap Asian Dell Arte sing in his capable hands.

Josh or Bob can probably advise you better about the cracks, but if you buy it, get it on the condition that you can have your luthier inspect it. GJ guitar tops are under more stress than an American flat top, so make sure someone that knows these guitars inspects it before you buy.

artillerie_lourde

I have a sweet chorus and have been very pleased with it overall.