Those that might have visited the Healdsburg Guitar Festival might have seen a lot of very nice guitars and meet a lot of really nice people. One particular vendor caught my eye and subsequently I purchased a few instruments from this noted luthier. I guess what I liked was Bill Gagnon's attitude and approach to the art and the fact that he was very forthright with his methods and building tactics. My instruments, contrary to the Snob title on my page, don't require a lot of ornate or intricate work - Mind you, some of Bill's work is very tedious and ornate - My needs are more along the lines of a relentless tone chaser. My application for the instruments that Bill built for me were fairly simple. I wanted a guitar that I could hook up to my solid state amplifier resulting in a booming dark tone with subtle high frequencies. I chose the Devant 19 inch shape and ebony finger board. Like I said, very simple! The end product is a high grade spruce top with maple sides and backing.
This particular guitar has NO fret markings on the neck board. The pickups are Kent Armstrong floating pickups. Schaller machine heads suit my tuning needs and a TKL case protects my investment.
Playing the instrument unplugged is almost as much fun as plugged in sessions. The top is touch tap tuned which seems to give the instrument a presence and bright sound. I run TL flat wounds but have also experimented with TL round wounds. Either way, the tone is unique and satisfying for my ears. At the time I purchased this instrument I was also looking at Sadowski and Victor Baker. I ultimatly had a great experience with talking to Bill and I let my intuition be my best guide. I do not regret this purchase and would seriously recommend that you check out Bill Gagnon's products before purchasing something else. Bill is located in Oregon. Check him out by clicking on his name - Bill Gagnon.
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