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  #1  
Old 11-09-2018, 05:03 PM
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justonwo justonwo is offline
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Default Build Thread: Brondel A-1c, Adi and Pernambuco

I first played Laurent’s A-2c model at Schoenberg – an Adirondack spruce and mahogany guitar that I subsequently bought. Shortly thereafter, I met Laurent at HGF 2013 and sampled a German spruce and Brazilian rosewood A-2 he was displaying at the show. That was along with an outrageously cool black-top C-4.

I’ve since played many Brondel guitars and admire his work for its gorgeous tone, consistency, and originality. He’s always trying something new with his aesthetics, and it usually winds up being subtle and classy. His guitars are extremely responsive. His neck profile is consistently commented on as being the most comfortable in existence. His workmanship is second to none. Plus, he lives in Maine, where all the best luthiers apparently come from.

Laurent made a Carpathian spruce and Madagascar rosewood A-2c for me in 2014 which has become a staple in my small collection of guitars. I like to use this guitar in particular for open tunings because the bass is so full and lush. I play this guitar just about every day. He brings a Martin tonal aesthetic to his work but with his own signature twist. I’m a major fanboy and believe he’s among the most talented builders working today.

I approached Laurent about building another guitar in 2016 at Santa Barbara. I’ve always liked the idea of having something with the same format as the A-2 but bigger. The A-1 is a similar 14 fret guitar but with a larger 15 5/8” lower bout compared to his standard 15” for the A-2. This will be the first time in quite a while that I’ve ventured into a guitar size that’s much larger than an OM.

I selected Pernambuco for the back and sides, and I suppose I owe Bruce Sexauer a debt of gratitude for introducing me to this wood. I believe I’ve played 2 guitars made from this wood, both Sexauers, and I really love the tone. I was particularly taken by the famous “exauer” guitar from HGF 2013. As Bruce has stated on this forum many times, this wood is particularly difficult to acquire in sizes sufficient for a guitar. Laurent was able to secure a nice quartersawn set for this build.

I chose Adirondack spruce because it’s simply my favorite spruce. I like the headroom and volume you get from red spruce, and I find that it gets unfairly characterized as stiff. In my experience, those builders who know how to work it can make it pretty sweet from the get-go. I like loud guitars and it tends to have the goods in that regard.

The orange of the Pernambuco will limit the aesthetics a bit to prevent too much clashing, but I’ve left the aesthetic details to Laurent. I think it’ll mostly be contrasting black. Simple without mixing too many colors and types of woods. I believe Mike D had an A-2 made with Pernambuco and I imagine the guitar will end up looking pretty close to that.
  • Model: A-1c (15 5/8" lower bout, 14 fret)
  • Top: Adirondack spruce
  • Back and Sides: Pernambuco
  • Nut Width: 1 3/4"
  • Bridge spacing: 2 5/16"
  • Bridge: Ebony
  • Bridge and end pins: TBD
  • Binding: TBD but probably ebony
  • Rosette and purfling: "Double arrow" design
  • Pickguard: Tortoise celluloid
  • Neck: 1-piece mahogany
  • Fingerboard: Ebony
  • Profile: Standard (slim)
  • Frets: EVO gold 55090
  • Tuners: Alessi bronze
  • Case: Hoffee














Last edited by justonwo; 11-09-2018 at 05:13 PM.
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Old 11-09-2018, 05:18 PM
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Final shots of the guitar:


























Last edited by justonwo; 09-23-2020 at 09:45 PM.
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  #3  
Old 11-09-2018, 05:20 PM
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Congrats!!! Looks like you are off to a fine start!
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Old 11-09-2018, 05:46 PM
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Excellent! Ask for the wicked German celluloid binding!
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Old 11-09-2018, 06:04 PM
Nemoman Nemoman is offline
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Congrats--looks like a beautiful back and side set.

Looking forward to seeing this one as it progresses...
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Old 11-09-2018, 06:22 PM
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Looking forward to watching this one.... Congrats, you have chosen wisely...
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Old 11-09-2018, 07:24 PM
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Laurent knows how to build a great guitar. I am certain this guitar is destined for greatness.

Steve
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Old 11-14-2018, 12:03 PM
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The top makes an appearance. Looks like a birdseye maple center strip for the back.







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Old 11-14-2018, 12:51 PM
Jamiejoon Jamiejoon is offline
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Looks great, Juston! Congrats. Nice set of pernambuco.
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Old 11-14-2018, 06:45 PM
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LOVE MY BRONDELS'
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Old 11-14-2018, 08:10 PM
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Killer! Looks like you have another beauty lined up, congrats!
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Old 11-17-2018, 11:06 AM
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Laurent couldn't get a pitch pocket out of the original top. So he joined a new one.

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Old 11-18-2018, 07:38 PM
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Looks like some accents are coming together. I actually don't know what Laurent is doing for the decorations. I left it up to him.











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Old 11-19-2018, 11:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justonwo View Post
Here's Mike D's German spruce and pernambuco A-2.









If yours sounds like mine (which it should), you should be very happy with it.
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  #15  
Old 11-20-2018, 04:44 AM
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Lovely, Juston. Thanks for sharing this with us.

But, uh, well, I just checked the AGF Custom Shop rules. A member is only allowed 2 simultaneous build threads. You've 3. The rules also state that the first member to point out another member's violation of the rule shall receive the excess build(s).

No need to thank me, AGF. Just helping to maintain order.

Oh, and Juston, let the 3 be built, bring them to Tom's Texas fest, and I'll choose one.

Thanks!
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