| I first met Sergei de Jonge in 1973. At
the time I still didn't know which end of a chisel was the sharp bit,
but Sergei was already building professional guitars and yes, already
experimenting with strutting patterns, body shapes and alternative
tonewoods. When I first set eyes on him, he was sitting cross-legged
on top of one of Jean Larrivee's benches in Jean's very (very!) small shop
on Mt. Pleasant Blvd. in Toronto. Sergei had just returned from spending
a few weeks in the desert in Nevada ... fasting with some native American
Indian friends ... and was excited to be back breathing rosewood dust and
plotting new guitar designs.
I've been lucky enough to follow Sergei's career
over the last thirty-three years and can honestly say that he is without
a doubt one of the most fearless, innovative and resourceful ...
I was going to say guitar builder ... but these qualities stretch
to every aspect of this man's life! He has always been right at the
very cutting edge of fresh design issues and has helped popularize innovations
such as double-tops, side ports, lattice bracing and alternative exotic
woods. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure the term "thinking outside
the box" was coined to describe Sergei de Jonge!
Sergei is currently in China (and then Japan)
for a few weeks, checking out the musical instrument scene and generally
satisfying his constant thirst for knowledge and new experiences,
but before he left, he shipped us this magnificent (AND I MEAN MAGNIFICENT!)
instrument!
This is one of those guitars that has so many
interesting design elements, your eyes don't know where to look first!
The mitered purfling joints, sculpted bridge, spalted maple
rosette, burnished ebony fingerboard and bookmatched 3-piece peghead
veneer all invite closer scrutiny. The extremely rare flamed
Redwood top not only visually compliments the warm coloration of this dramatically
figured Pommele Quilted Bubinga, but also adds a degree of overtone
complexity that is rarely achieved. Simply put, this guitar
is the complete package ... exquisitely figured exotic tonewoods meticulously
crafted by a journeyman luthier into a powerful and sonically engaging
musical instrument that reveals layer after layer of tone the more it is
played!!! |
