1957 Robert Bouchet SP/CSAR

A breathtaking example of a truly great Robert Bouchet. Soundwise, this instrument delivers a dreamy, elegantly beautiful quality of sound - very hard to describe, and is at the same time also quite powerful and robust. The quality of the sound has an almost "creamy" texture to it - and the sensation of playing a guitar with this sound is very intoxicating and other-worldly. It has very quick and "plump" response and incredible sustain - two trademarks of a great Bouchet. Built in 1957, this guitar is placed historically in great company with famous Bouchets owned by Julian Bream (1957 - same year as this one), Ida Presti (1958) and Alexandre Lagoya (1959). This maker made just over 150 guitars in his lifetime, leaving far fewer in playable condition. About 10 years ago Alan Perlman did some repairs, primarily to the back to stabilize several cracks. The sides are untouched however, and the top has only 1 crack (repaired with two thin diamond-shaped cleats) near the waist on the bass side, as well as the two typical "side of fingerboard" cracks that are done with glue only. Bouchets rarely appear on the market, and are in the top-tier of collectable classical guitars along with Hermann Hauser I and Antonio de Torres.