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2000 Michael Dunn Belleville

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Serial #: 377

Body size at lower bout: 15" (380mm) Body depth: 4" (100mm) Scale length: 26 3/8" (670mm)

Nut width: 1 13/16" (46mm)

Materials: Solid fine grained Sitka spruce top; solid rosewood back, sides and and headplate; solid Spanish cedar neck; solid ebony fingerboard; solid rosewood compensated bridge with ebony saddle; clear scratchplate.

Hardware: Black Gotoh 16X1 tuners; machine-turned brass tailpiece with Brazilian elm burl inset, endpin jack.

Notes: Starting in the late 1960's, Michael Dunn virtually single-handedly jump-started the revival of Selmer/Macafferri style guitars in North America. An influential teacher whose students include accomplished builders Shelley Park and Chuck Shifflett, Dunn remains the single most imaginative builder in the history of Gypsy jazz guitars. Working in the Classical and Flamenco style of his Spanish teachers, Michael shapes each guitar by hand, without a form. With his restless creativity in design and materials, each Dunn guitar is unique unto itself, a work of visual as well as audible art.

Like most true show-biz legends, the Vancouver, BC luthier's overnight success took only about three decades. Having seen Michael's work at a trade show in the mid-90's, Nashville retailer George Gruhn promptly commissioned a Dunn gypsy jazz guitar for immediate delivery. As legend has it, the first customer to play that guitar bought it, a pretty good picker named Chet Atkins, who kept it until his passing.

This example is a version of the guitar Django himself played, with the bark and volume of the legendary Selmer "Petite Bouche" oval hole guitars. The top is made of solid bookmatched Sitka spruce, and the back and sides are crafted from solid Indian rosewood.The solid ebony fingerboard is made in the classical style, with a generous 1 13/16" nut width, and a broad flat neck profile that is inviting to play.

At just 4lb 5oz, the instrument is nicely lightweight and well balanced, and Michael is known for his elegant touches, like the purpleheart soundhole rosette, and engine-turned art-deco polished brass tailpiece. Dunn's guitars are known for their power and projection, and also show notably fuller bass response than many other gypsy guitars. This one is no exception with remarkable clarity and sparkle in the voice. The instrument has been maintained in wonderful condition, without cracks, pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, and shows only a few scattered finish dings. It's also pickup-ready, with an endpin jack pre-installed.

Michael's many fans will be happy to hear that his performing career is keeping him quite in demand. But it's also meant that after producing almost 600 individually crafted instruments, this prolific builder has recently announced his retirement from full time luthiery, and is no longer accepting new orders. Dunn owners tend to be keeprs, so this is a rare opportunity to acquire a unique creation from a visionary builder. Call now.

Setup: This instrument is strung with light gauge silvered steel strings (.011-.046). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference.

Case: Original deluxe arched black plush lined hardshell case.

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