Luthiery | Cloutier Guitars

• The following was posted on the Jazz Central Station online bulletin board and the rec.musicmakers.jazz.guitar newsgroup on 5/1/98...

• Attn: Guitarists: • After a long search for "the perfect guitar" (for me, anyway), I've just purchased a guitar from Steve Cloutier, a luthier who builds beautiful, hand-made acoustic guitars, particularly supportive of finesse, fingerstyle or gentle pick-playing (either amplified or unplugged). I play fingerstyle jazzy standards, picking out melody lines within the chords to the old chestnuts (Stardust, Moonlight Serenade, A Train, etc.) ... I occasionally wield a light/medium gauge pick as well. • I bought an Ibanez Artstar about a year and a half ago, but haven't found it too good for fingerstyle, and its tone isn't worth writing home about, either. I've been looking at lots of other archtops for about a year, but grew frustrated with narrow fretboards, poor intonations/tones, and prices. • My new Cloutier guitar (the "Greta"-- see URL below) is a masterfully constructed instrument in beauty, intonation, playability, and versatility. Steve has designed these guitars for maximum responsiveness and dynamicism in sound, with fretboards just a bit wider than normal steel-string or archtops-- and that extra bit of room for your fingers makes a great difference! • As his website describes, Steve is retiring from luthiery, devoting more of his time to performing and website construction. He's conducting a "Dutch Auction" at http://www.means.net/~treefrog/farewell.html... where prices on about a dozen models have been going down by $20 a day for over a month. (You'll note that the "Greta" model is marked sold; that's to me-- after I had Steve install the Baggs Dual Source pickup; you would not believe the rich & warm sound she makes through an acoustic amp.) • Disclaimer: I have never met Steve, and other than being one of his newest customers & introducing myself to him via e-mail & phone in that regard, have no ties or affiliations with him. I'm just telling you that these are some great guitars; beautiful far beyond what Steve can show in the .gif's on his site; versatile to many playing styles (provided you're not a power-chord banger); and they're going for a song-- their all in or under the $2K range, and some are much lower. An excellent price range for such well-made, hand-crafted, and beautifully sounding/playing instruments. • I'm guessing that, at the current prices listed on the Dutch Auction page, whatever slim profit margin Steve might have anticipated is long gone; at some of the prices shown, I doubt he'll fully recover his materials costs! • Check it out. • Greg Friedmann , solo guitarist

From: "David...., of Fort Wayne, IN" To: treefrog@means.net Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 13:14:22 Subject: Guitars Steve, The guitar has arrived safely, just tell me how the neck fits on and how you unfold the sound board. Actually, UPS arrived when no one was home and left it on my porch. Good thing I was tracking it as The neo nazi down the street might have had it inlayed with the stars and bars by now. I only dinked with it for a wee bit, but it has incredible sustain, great tone and the craftmanship is exactly what I've come to expect from you. More news tomorrow. Adios, Dave ----------------------- From: "David ...." To: Steve Cloutier <treefrog@means.net> Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 06:06:28 Re: Guitars Smooooooth Jackson! -------------------------------- [NOTE.... this is Dave's third Cloutier guitar. • Steve]

From: "J.E." To: "Steve Cloutier" <treefrog@means.net> Subject: It's here! Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 Steve, Got my guitar last night. It's safe and secure. I think it is wonderful with a gorgeously resonant sound. Thanks for making this one - seemingly for me! And yes, that walnut back is amazing. My very best regards, j

From: "J.E" To: "Steve Cloutier" <treefrog@means.net> Subject: A followup on my guitar Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 10:05:29 -0400 Steve, To remind you, I bought your redwood/walnut hybrid a couple of months ago. I have it within easy reach, and pick it up often to play it. I felt compelled to write you because I wanted to let you know how much I love the sound of this guitar. There really is nothing like it ... the warmth and sustain are amazing. I don't know how you acheived this -- maybe it is the bracing pattern, or maybe the choice of woods or maybe a combination. Regardless, this is a wonderful instrument and has quickly become my first choice when I play. I am even putting my beloved little Martin on the sales block. It just doesn't get played anymore. Best of luck in your career choice, whatever it may be. But, IMHO, you are missing your calling if you stay away from guitar design... J.E.

From: "J.E." To: "Steve Cloutier" <treefrog@means.net> Subject: Hello and happy holidays Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 09:53:10 -0500 Steve, My '94 Cloutier redwood/walnut hybrid is still going strong and recently won a guitar sound test in my family. The test batch was a '69 Martin D-12-20, a '97 Huss and Dalton CM (honduran rosewood/engleman), a '98 H&D CM(brazilian/adirondak) and a '98 Thompson T2 (sitka/Indian). Everyone loves the Cloutier. A buddy at a nearby music store really wants to play it after my description so I'll try to get over there. So, holiday cheer and best wishes and congrats on a job well done. Let me know when your CD comes out! Regards, J.E.

Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 17:10:27 -0700 From: R.C. <.............-tx.com> To: Steve Cloutier <treefrog@means.net> Subject: Arrival of #48 Hello Steve, UPS delivered the guitar on Wednesday afternoon. I was concerned that with the hot weather the guitar might have dried out, but the humidity in the case registered 52%. This is a beautiful guitar and I am very impressed. The tone,balance and response is delightful. Thank you for selling this instrument to me at such an unbelievable price. Sincerely, Roger P.S. I am considering having a strap button installed around the heel of the neck. Do you have any suggestions for placement?

• Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 11:51:50 -0400 • From: Bill Scott <WScott@....> • Subject: Omigolly the guitar arrived • To: treefrog@means.net • Reply-to: WScott@.... • Steve, • The guitar arrived today very creatively boxed. • I've got to tell you the guitar is more than I had ever hoped it would be. I've always been a fingerstyle player (30 some years) and have found wide necked Martins to be my kind of guitar. Your guitar, although built before I knew of you, is as if you built me the absolutely perfect custom guitar. The sound is resonant and sustaining, with wonderful separation. The neck is a fingerstyle dream come true, with the perfect combination of width and thinness. The materials and workmanship are first cabin in every detail. This will probably be the only guitar I will ever play in the future. I am very sorry that you are quitting the luthier business. • I do wish you the best though. And thank you! • Sincerely, • Bill Scott back

Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 13:45:08 -0600 From: R.N. <......> To: treefrog@means.net, Subject: thing of beauty Steve, Received the Guitar in great shape - did sit with it just long enough to know that it makes my Larrivee sound "nasty". Maybe I will become the first owner of a Larrivee Lamp! I will write more later. The instrument sounds and looks beautiful. -rjn-