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2006 Draleon Samois
Status: For pricing and hold status for this instrument, please check our Instruments page here. If this instrument does not appear on the Instruments page it has been sold, and is no longer available. Photos and descriptions of Previously Sold instruments may by found here. To be notified of examples of this or any other model in the future, please contact [email protected].
SN#: 10GD80, dated 6/06
Body size at lower bout: 15 3/4". Scale length: 25" (635mm) Nut Width: 1 3/4" Body depth: 3 1/4"
Materials: Bookmatched solid carved spruce top; AAA tiger flame maple back, sides, neck and binding; solid ebony fingerboard, rosewood headplate.
Hardware: All original hardware including solid ebony bridge; inlaid ebony tailpiece; gold 16X1 tuners.
Notes: The Draleon Samois is a hybrid gypsy jazz guitar that combines the Selmer style "Petite Bouche" cutaway with a solid carved archtop style body. Echoing the design of some postwar Parisian guitars, the Samois blends the projection of the gypsy design with the warmth and depth of the carved maple body of the traditional archtop jazz guitar.
This example is crafted of simply breathtaking AAA tiger flame maple, right down to the bindings, and the sundboard is carved of solid bookmatched spruce. The fingerboard and hardware are solid ebony, including the inlaid tailpiece and compensated bridge, whose user-adjustable height will be welcome to gypsy players weary of the iffy action common to fixed bridges. Neck profile is a solid, full D, in the Parisian style, and the gently radiused fingerboard another improvement in playability over the flat fretboards of many traditional European guitars.
Action is smooth and low with an adjustable truss rod, and the instrument is without pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear. The voice is full and forward with excellent headroom, allowing the Samois to be played hard without the rattle and splatter of many gypsy boxes. A striking and versatile instrument, as comfortable around the caravan as it is on the bandstand.
Setup: This instrument is strung with light gauge silvered steel strings, and will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference.
Case: Original black molded hardshell case.
