2012 Freschi Reve

This finely made 14 fret oval hole was constructed by up and coming Italian luthier Mauro Freschi. Mauro's precise workmanship has caught the attention of many professionals, including the legendary Nous'che Rosenberg who is now an endorser. A wonderful mix of new and old, Mauro's guitars feature modern innovations such as a headstock accessible double action truss rod, ergonomic D shaped neck, and scarf joined headstock while retaining many traditional features such as laminate back and sides, lacquered interior, and a zero fret. The result is a great sounding instrument that is both practical and affordable.

This instrument has numerous features normally only found on high priced models: Schaller Classic Deluxe tuners, a laquered interior, and highly figured Movingui back and sides. The SB tailpiece is interesting as Salvatore Bilard was a famous Parisian maker of tuners, but to my knowledge did not make tailpieces. I have never seen a tailpiece with "SB" stamped on it, so I can only wonder if it was made by Bilardi or, more likely, is a posthumous tribute to his work.

Built just earlier this year, this instrument shows just a few signs of wear. There is some pickwear and a few dings on the binding. The top had been chipped around the bass bout and a few small splines have been added. There is also an improvised 15th fret dot that was done with a bit of glue or whiteout. The frets have virtually no signs of wear.


The sound of this instrument is crisp, dry, and generally very traditional in tone. It projects nicely without the annoying overtone ringing that plagues so many lesser guitars. The perfect sound if you want to play traditional Gypsy jazz with the classic tone that Django and so many others had back in the day.

Extremely rare to find a handmade European instrument at this price. One of the best deals in the store!

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. 4% for International orders.