| Sergei de Jonge has been one of North America's
premier guitar builders for the last 35 years. He is one of the few
luthiers I know who has earned a reputation based equally on his depth
of knowledge of both steel & nylon string concert-grade guitars.
In my mind, this makes him uniquely positioned to design and execute
a "Crossover" style instrument such as the guitar I'm featuring today!
Let me start off by saying that this is without
any doubt, the finest sounding Crossover nylon string guitar I have
ever had the pleasure of playing. Sergei de Jonge's long experience
and natural facility with regards to manipulating the response of guitars,
in conjunction with an absolutely superb bear-claw figured Engelmann spruce
top, has produced an extraordinary musical instrument!!!
What does the term "Crossover" mean? It
is generally acknowledged to mean a nylon strung guitar designed for musicians
accustomed to playing steel string instruments. Steel string
players who want that nylon tonality are often not comfortable with the
feel of a classical guitar neck. In addition, they often demand
a bit more of a "point" to the attack transient ... a bit more space between
the notes ... a little more of a silvery overall tonality. This instrument
has very successfully addressed all of these details.
This instrument is perfect for the modern
Latin or Jazz flavored repertoire played by contemporary musicians.
The narrower 1 7/8" wide nut and heavily radiused fingerboard feel very
friendly, as does the easy access to the upper registers of the neck.
It is the sound of this guitar however, that is the really appealing
feature. Sergei has somehow built in an enhanced crisp response without
compromising the lushness that is so appealing from a "classical" or nylon
guitar. The transition from the wound D to unwound G string is as
good as any classical I have EVER played ... the tonal balance is perfect,
the dynamic range very wide and the fundamental-to-partial ratio impeccable.
This instrument is simply a joy to play! |
