| Luis Alberto Feu de Mesquita's ancestry goes
back to Andalusia in the south of Spain where the birth of the modern guitar
has evolved through the love of skilled luthiers. Luis refined
his already highly developed woodworking skills while working with Sergei
de Jonge and has gone on to build both conventional nylon strung instruments
as well as Selmer Concert influenced guitars.
The Selmer company of France introduced five guitar
models beginning in 1932 ... namely the "Espagnol", "Hawaienne",
"Orchestre", of course the famous "Jazz" model, and the nylon strung
"Concert" that is the inspiration for the guitar that I am featuring today.
When Luis first showed me this instrument the
first impact was visual. What a gorgeous looking musical instrument!
The deeply flamed maple surrounded by exotic Snakewood appointments makes
for a very striking instrument indeed. Looking closer,
I was impressed by the high level of craftsmanship displayed, with tight
joinery and an expertly executed "Laskin Armrest".
I really didn't know what to expect from a Selmer
style instrument made for nylon strings and was pleasantly surprised by
not only the ease of playability but the open, unconstrained voice
coming from this beautiful "crossover" guitar. This is the perfect
instrument to achieve that nylon string jazz flavor! |
