budget favino sized?

Jack

About the ebay guitar--this might be nothing, but his shop logo looks an awful lot like the AJL logo with the J edited out in photoshop:

ebay:

AJL:

Not saying it's NOT legit, but something to think about. Maybe someone in Austin will go check them out...

best,
Jack.

Jack

Ha..good timing, Cale!

Pugs47

Jack,
I'm with you. I wrote a post probably 16 months ago on a Nolan Import I bought from ****. For the money it was the best non hand made gypsy box I had owned (of six to that point). Heavy laminates yes, but the build was unparalled on a sub 3k box. Great neck angle and top and back arch. And it projected with little overtones. I sold that to get a Hommage Import, (focusing more on rythmn) which is also a pleasent surprise. Doesn't have quite the neck angle or top and back arch. But its lighter and projects as well. On gigs, I consistently get comments from folks, surprised at the volume and crispness. I also got a chance to hear and play Kruno's Pigalle. Now that boy can make any guitar sing, but he had nothing but praise for it and his road guitar is a domestic Hommage. He had previously played two of the "Manouche" brand guitars I was dealing at the time and was underwhelmed, especially with the highs. Shepp from Ameranouche, also a phoenomenal virtuoso, played my Hommage import at my house and was equally surprised. His main axe is a Jimmy Rosenberg Dell Arte.
I owned a 255 and 300 Gitane. Both had many, many, many issues. Sure, with another three or four hundred in parts and set-up they're decent. That get's you into the 300 or 320 at about $1400. But the Music Link guitars, at $750' or $699 here, I feel for the money can't be beat. Both of mine, out of the box were giggable and the bridges were head and shoulders above anything Saga puts out stock.
Doesn't mean you won't occasionally get a dud, so buying long distance, with an approval period is a pretty good idea. The Dell Arte imports are the only Favino option sub 2k. And for gigs I much more at ease not having to worry about someone tripping and pushing a mic stand into the top of a hand made instrument (which has happened). It surprises me that they gotten such a bad rap. As with any factory manufactured proposition, there will be variances in quality. But cetainly the Saga Gitanes have had more than their fair share of clams over the last five or so years. They seem to have been given much more slack while they improved their quality control.
Also Buzz at Lark Street in Teaneck is a knowledgeable and fair guy and has been in the biz for 30 or so years having hailed from Albany. He always has a great selection of archtops and from time to time has SelMacs. I frequently stop in when traveling through on my way to or from Philly.
Ernie

Bob Holo

Wow... that's so blatant it's just .... jaw dropping - eye blinking odd. He didn't even bother to do a good job of it... he just put a black box over the "J" ....

Photoshopping Ari's logo? That's just not cool. I don't care who this guy is - that's just not in any way shape or form an OK thing to do. I sent Ari a note to let him know. Holy cow... but it makes me feel good now about shelling out all that money to trademark my name & logo as the name appears to be borrowed too:

http://www.artandlutherieguitars.com/

frater

Such a stupid thing to do: he should have chosen the ALD logo and blackened the D...

But give the poor guy some credit: this is the first time I see a walnut neck on a cheap GJ guitar... unless he has borrowed the pics too!

klaatu

frater wrote:

Such a stupid thing to do: he should have chosen the ALD logo and blackened the D...

But then it would have been asymmetrical.