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Artists who play instruments by this builder: Henry Kaiser, John Cale

Special Offer: In response to the economic climate the owner of this wonderful series of guitars is offering a limited time 40% reduction to offer players a chance to own these very special limited edition guitars.

Just off a showing at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California. The Nouveau Series is a special project developed by author and musician Paul Schmidt and luthier Michael Spalt. A series of electric guitars that transcend the six string and blend it seemlessly with true art. The series was inspired by Art Nouveau and these instruments are at once art and the most serious of musical tools. Michael Spalt and Paul Schmidt spent several years developing the idea, finding artwork and artifacts, sketching, collaborating and finally building these exquisite gems.

The pieces are based on the Klein acoustic shape with inclusions of art nouveau artifacts, natural woods, bone and the finest hardware. Not only are these instruments stunning visual works of art, but they are ergonomic masterpieces as well. The bodies feel immediately familiar and the solid Rosewood necks, with there flat sheen, feel played for 50 years. The BoneTop pickups are extraordinary - Gorgeous hand crafted Bone bobbins died in a variety of colors with Alnico magnets for the Bridge and Ceramic for the Neck. They voice is stellar, clear and loud with other-worldly sustain. Each instrument also has it's own custom case that continues the guitars individual statement as well as a signed copy of the book 'The Nouveau Series' by Paul Schmidt.

'L'Image Profile'

"This image of a 'golden woman' is from the back page of 'L'Image' - a magazine of the period (this issue/image from the late 1890s) that depicted art and commentary of the day. I chose this image not because the artist was well-known (the magazine did not even note the artist), but because it was captivating, engaging, and cut from the same spiritual cloth as all of the more well-known artists and pieces in the Series. After several hours of viewing art with a seasoned art dealer who had been working with Nouveau prints for decades, this little wonder appeared and all but jumped into the family of art I'd been gathering. I was immediately reminded of Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings of water, not because the image replicated the style, but because the depth, intensity, and quality were of the same family." The cream and mossy green image is framed with more Klein rosette artifacts which resemble her stylized hair, and the same rectilinear theme of the frame is represented in the extraordinary jewelry-like Abalone and silver body and fingerboard inlays. The woods are Poplar, flamed Maple, Crushed maple, and Macassar Ebony. The colours wed nicely - note the Poplar in the upper bout and its resonance with the colour of her hair and the neck pickup.

The overall atmosphere of gentle is enhanced by the blonde Maple and the dark mustard Poplar hues. The woods, shapes, and colour choices simultaneously reflect and enhance the strength, character, and beauty of the lithograph. The knobs are from a 1940s radio and the switch is Catalin."

Click here to read about the Nouveau Series on builder Michael Spalt's website.

Click Here to view the book 'The Nouveau Series' by Paul Schmidt.

Click Here to view photos from the Museum Showing at the Museum of Making Music.

Special Offer: In response to the economic climate the owner of this wonderful series of guitars is offering a limited time 40% reduction to offer players a chance to own these very special limited edition ...read full description

Artists who play instruments by this builder: Henry Kaiser, John Cale