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We met Loïc Bortot of Bouchereau Guitars at the 2016 Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, and a few days later we came home to North Carolina with a sweet little Mistral OM (https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/new-bouchereau-mistral-ziricote-lutz.html) in tow. That Ziricote-and-Lutz beauty wasn’t long for this shop, however, before we sent it on to its new home with one of our clients. We immediately snagged a slot in Loïc’s build schedule for the next one. We’re happy to report that our second Mistral (this time with Quilted Sapele and salvaged Sitka Spruce) is soundly underway! Loïc has already sent a few photos of the build so far, and will continue to provide photos so we can document the process here. We’re hoping to take delivery in the next month or so! Stay tuned.

Back and sides – Quilted Sapele
Top – Salvaged Sitka Spruce
Scale length – 25.4”
Nut width – 1.7″
Lower bout – 15 1/2”
Body length – 19 3/8”

Quilted Sapele back, Spruce braces.

Installing the Bouchereau label for Mistral #012.

Here’s a shot of the back and sides, recently joined to the top plate.

Closeups of Loïc’s Florentine Cutaway miters. Clean and well-executed!

Closeups of Loïc’s Florentine Cutaway miters. Clean and well-executed!

Closeups of Loïc’s Florentine Cutaway miters. Clean and well-executed!

11/22/2017:

Roughing in the saddle intonation.

Before first stringing.

Closeup of Loîc’s two-tone heelcap.

Sapele back and sides, freshly polished.

Freshly polished and strung up!

Stay tuned for further developments

Paint us pink with excitement: we’ve got another Al Petteway signature model on the way from one of our all-time favorite builders, Bill Tippin! As you know, Al’s left his mark on virtually every steel string demo we’ve ever recorded, but this special Crescendo actually bears his physical mark on its own special label below Bill’s. We supplied the Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides (it was a great excuse to sift through our secret stash and dream of future builds), and Bill supplied the rest. We’ll document the build process throughout the various stages, so stay tuned for updates! See immediately below for a few links to Al Petteway signature models Bill’s built for us in the past.

https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/tippin-crescendo-built-for-al-petteway.html

https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/tippin-crescendo-al-petteway-signature-acoustic-guitar.html

https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/tippin-crescendo-al-petteway-series-000.html

https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/tippin-crescendo-al-petteway-signature-acoustic-guitar.html

Back and sides – DG’s personal Brazilian Rosewood
Top – Swiss Moonspruce
Scale length – 25.5”
Lower bout – 15 1/2”
Body length – 20 3/8”
Body Depth – 4 5/16”
Standard nut width – 1 3/4”

Side assembly in the Crescendo mold clamped to a bench.

Close up of Tippin’s spreaders which keep the sides firmly squared up agains the inner rim of the mold.

Gluing the back to the side assembly: 30 clamps.

Binding strips, dark Brazilian Rosewood against even darker Brazilian Rosewood.

Bill’s spliced some textured sapwood between Abalone strips for an endgraft with an organic flair.

Bill’s iconic soundport, beveled to reveal the reinforcement layers underneath.

A Ryan-style arm bevel has here been routed to receive bindings. Installing a bevel is an intense feat of engineering, one which Bill has mastered handsomely over the years. Bill sourced this fine example of Moonspruce from Switzerland.

10/11/2017 Update:

Koa

Koa arm bevel

From Bill: “The heel to body joint has been beveled back to allow more access to the extension frets (upper register) also the heel profile has been swept in some providing no edges to interfere with access in the cutaway.”

From Bill: “The heel to body joint has been beveled back to allow more access to the extension frets (upper register) also the heel profile has been swept in some providing no edges to interfere with access in the cutaway.”

Koa arm bevel to match the other Koa appointments

Fossil Walrus tusk surrounded by Mother of Pearl sparkle, Blue-Green Paua trim