The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Just wanted share my new guitar day experience at Bryant Teniers shop yesterday.

    A year ago I asked him to build me a D'Angelico type non cut - which is Bryant's Broadway model - but we added some upgraded appointments such as gold hardware and the vintage pick-guard material.

    The goal was to use locally domestic wood like John D used and incorporate Johns bracing - recurve geometry - blending all of that with the Gibson Lloyd Loar period
    hand rubbed finish.

    The outcome far exceeded my expectations and was by far the best NGD I have ever experienced. That includes 37 years of buying custom made guitars by every notable builder - including Jim D'Aquisto and my good friend John Monteleone .

    I have attached a few pics - and you can go to Bryant's Facebook page to see a small video clip of me playing. Please excuse the playing I was emotionally overwhelmed with joy and my head was spinning.

    Steve L

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  3. #2

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    Oh my goodness. It's beautiful. I got one just like it.
    We can a-b them some day soon. Over some pinioli cookies.
    JD

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
    Oh my goodness. It's beautiful. I got one just like it.
    We can a-b them some day soon. Over some pinioli cookies.
    JD
    Joe,
    In all of my years of buying guitars- none have brought tears of joy - but this one did .
    I picked it up ....strummed one chord and it was that lush rush of warmth - sustain , presence and natural reverb that blew my mind.
    Its appearance and tone are truly reminiscent of the early DA / Loar L5 period.

    Can't wait to share with you one day.

    Steve L

  5. #4

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    beautiful color, looks great.
    more pics please

  6. #5
    Here is the link to small video on Bryant's Facebook cover page:

    https://m.facebook.com/trenierguitar

  7. #6

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    Hi Steve,

    What a gorgeous guitar, congratulations!

    Is it 16" or 17"?
    (It looks kind of small in your hands ;-)

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by JazzNote
    Hi Steve,

    What a gorgeous guitar, congratulations!

    Is it 16" or 17"?
    (It looks kind of small in your hands ;-)
    It's a 16.5 lower bout. Same as snakehead L5 and DA of same model. In my opinion- His guitars really capture the true essence of a bygone period of the greatest acoustic orchestra Archtops made.

  9. #8
    Jazz Note,
    Thanks for the kind words. In person this guitar is strikingly beautiful - with a tone matching its beauty.

  10. #9

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    Very nice , clips sounds great too. Major congrats ! Enjoy to the max. Here's my 1st year 16,5" DA !

    Trenier Broadway (DA copy)-image-jpg

    Trenier Broadway (DA copy)-image-jpg

  11. #10

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    You Sir not only have Great Taste, but are Very Smart as well! Who needs a cutaway when there's obviously no money above the 3rd fret!

  12. #11

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    WOW-WEE Steve !!! You are a great guy. You deserve that fabulous guitar.
    I am super happy for you ! Right on my friend. What a masterpiece.

  13. #12
    Here is another new pic

  14. #13

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    color is killa, I tell ya.
    and I dig the unbound holes.
    how does it sound compared to your snakehead?

  15. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    color is killa, I tell ya.
    and I dig the unbound holes.
    how does it sound compared to your snakehead?
    Compared to my snakehead- it's warmer sounding and the same volume - but more sustain-AND ITS NEW. When the lacquer dries it's going to be something from
    another planet . I wish you could all play this guitar.
    Last edited by QAman; 04-08-2016 at 02:40 PM.

  16. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by jads57
    You Sir not only have Great Taste, but are Very Smart as well! Who needs a cutaway when there's obviously no money above the 3rd fret!
    Jads57,
    Your exactly correct. The early non cuts were the best- the standard from which all else evolved. Thank you !

  17. #16
    I wish you could play this - it's truly beyond words both visually and tonally.

    Bryant used (inexpensive) wide grain Adirondack spruce and placed the wide grain in the recurve area to make the top more flexible. As he said "'inexpensive domestic woods" yet it's all in the design which was created nearly 100 years ago.
    Thanks for the kind words.

  18. #17
    Another pic of back

  19. #18

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    Congrats Steve, may it inspire your playing for years to come. IMO, the best sounding guitars ever are the non cut archtops built by Gibson, Epiphone, Stromberg and D'Angelico. If we now have a modern maker who can build guitars with that sublime tone, the world is a better place for it.
    Last edited by Stringswinger; 04-08-2016 at 03:16 PM.

  20. #19

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    Bryant is really at the top of his game. Every new Trenier I see just blows my mind.
    I would love to fondle one. Man Steve it is very rare for a brand new archtop to have that nice acoustic reverb.
    Can you imagine what it will sound like in 20 years ? I love the sunburst ! That one is going to be a tough act to follow.
    May it serve you well for many years. Yes you need to show it to Garrett. He is a great guy too.

  21. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    Congrats Steve, may it inspire your playing for years to come. IMO, the vest sounding guitars ever are the non cut archtops built by Gibson, Epiphone, Stromberg and D'Angelico. If we now have a modern maker who can build guitars with that sublime tone, the world is a better place for it.
    Stringswinger,
    Thanks so much . I entirely agree with your assessment and have owned a 48 ' l5, 45' epi deluxe and currently have s 35' snakehead. Bryant Trenier is building traditional Archtops that sound like the best Archtops from the golden period.

    In the last 4 years - he has honed in on replicating both finish shading and tone - and the natural reverb just grabs your soul.

  22. #21

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    And just think... it will only get even better!

    I don't know anything about this recurved bracing. Can you elaborate?

  23. #22

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    Too cool. This is your second Trenier?

  24. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by HeyNow
    Too cool. This is your second Trenier?
    No- my third. And there will be more .

  25. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    And just think... it will only get even better!

    I don't know anything about this recurved bracing. Can you elaborate?
    This guitar has traditional parallel bracing . The recure is the carved area where the top and back meet the perimeter. John D'Angelico guitars contain a broad width of recurve - dipping below sides and transitioning gradually into the peak of arch.

    I believe - based on many studies that this enable the plates to vibrate freely and produce efficiency of sound transmission.
    I really should call my new guitar "Nothing left behind"'. When you touch the strings the sound leaps out of the instrument with the purest of tone - sustain and reverb typically found on 80 year old guitars. The volume is profound !

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Longobardi
    This guitar has traditional parallel bracing . The recure is the carved area where the top and back meet the perimeter. John D'Angelico guitars contain a broad width of recurve - dipping below sides and transitioning gradually into the peak of arch.

    I believe - based on many studies that this enable the plates to vibrate freely and produce efficiency of sound transmission.
    I really should call my new guitar "Nothing left behind"'. When you touch the strings the sound leaps out of the instrument with the purest of tone - sustain and reverb typically found on 80 year old guitars. The volume is profound !
    Yes, those guitars were made to cut through an 'orchestra' so the people sitting in the back seats of an auditorium could hear them driving the band-with no amps.
    My father (from whom I inherited my '35 Snakehead D'A) used to play 'house wedding' gigs back in the Depression, and the guitar was so powerful, they didn't have to hire a bass player, pianist or drummer.
    Other than the gold hardware, it looks just like my Snakehead '35 D'A, although the body seems to look a little fatter.

    My father was always under the impression that the Snakehead was a 16" guitar. I just measured it, and it seems to be about 16 and 1/4". John D. was famous for never making the same guitar twice. My father used to hang out in his shop, when Jimmy was the kid who swept the place up, and he'd trace a prospective owner's hand on a piece of paper, and make the neck/fingerboard accordingly.
    Lucky for me, the original owner was Duke Martin (AKA Hugo Cimelli), my dad's best friend who was was a little Sicilian guy like me, who had small hands, also like me. Duke was a jewelry designer who designed the New Yorker headstock designs for John D.

    Congrats on a wonderful guitar! Is Trenier friends with Roger Borys? They seem to follow the same aesthetic in their guitars.
    Last edited by sgcim; 04-08-2016 at 04:47 PM.