1960 Robert Bouchet SP/CSAR

Paris-based Robert Bouchet built just over 150 guitars in his lifetime - they are prized for their sound and appearance as well as for their rarity. This guitar (#73) is built in his later style, featuring his innovative "lateral" brace which passes beneath the saddle-side of the bridge, notched to accommodate the 5 fan struts - of which the outermost two pass beneath the lower harmonic bar. This design noticeably increases sustain, dynamic range and tonal color/modulation, especially in this particular guitar. It also has a dreamy, elegantly beautiful quality of sound - very hard to describe. It 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 is certainly one of the most collectable classical guitars in the world today along with Hermann Hauser I and Antonio de Torres. It has two repaired cracks on the top, which are structurally stable and repaired long ago. This is an excellent example from this period.