2023 Holo Nouveau D Hole

Bob has made a name for himself over the years as an aficionado of the Franco-Italian guitar designs of Selmer, Maccaferri, Busato, Favino, etc. He spent years studying vintage Selmer style guitars including nearly every Selmer, Favino, and Busato that has come through our shop. He has taken on the challenge of making new guitars that have the elusive and ineffable qualities heard in the very best vintage Selmer type guitars. Few will doubt he has been incredibly successful in his quest, as his guitars are now in the hands of many of today's leading players: Rocky Gresset, Stephane Wrembel, Mathieu Chatelain, Neil Andersson, Antoine Boyer, Alfonso Ponticelli, etc. Bob has essentially been a "luthier for the stars" these past few years...but now you can take home one of these gems yourself!

This rare D hole Nouveau model features Selmer like dimension:15 3/4" body with a 3 13/16" body depth and a 670mm scale. The top is redwood, the back and sides are Indian rosewood, and the neck is walnut. Hardware includes an RM tailpiece and set of Schaller Classic Deluxe tuners. The action is set at a very low 2.8mm which, along with Bob's fastidious fret work, allows for easy, buzz free playability across the entire guitar.

This D hole version of the Nouveau model features a somewhat smaller D shaped soundhole than what Maccaferri used. Bob took great care to balance this instrument's tonal response as to avoid the problem that befalls so many D holes: too much bass and a wet, diffuse sound that lack clarity. This D hole produces somewhat more bass than an oval hole, but still retains much of the treble response and precision that you'd expect from a petite bouche. As a result, this is a highly versatile instrument that excels in both lead and rhythm work, and has the flexibility to venture well outside the world of Gypsy jazz, sounding good playing folk, swing, and even modern jazz.