Regular visitors to the Grouse Guitars website will already know that I hold Gerard Gilet in the highest esteem amongst Australian luthiers.

This delightful OO-size acoustic guitar, made by Gerard in 1995, is a supreme example of why I have the opinion I do of Gerard's guitars! Beautiful tonewoods , combined with flawless workmanship combine to produce a guitar that looks just as elegant and beautiful as it sounds. This is without doubt amongst the best-sounding acoustic guitars I have ever had the pleasure of owning. It is equal to the stunning O parlour guitar I purchased new from Gerard recently, but as one would expect has a fuller sound. It's loud, it's detailed, it's bloody superb!

This Gilet guitar shows some slight play wear (see the 'more pictures' link below), but overall has been incredibly well cared for. The main mark is on the back where a guitar stand has reacted with the thin nitro-cellulose finish, leaving a mark. This could easily be repaired by any competent luthier with a light sand and airbrushed new clear, but I find it inconsequential and prefer to leave it all original. After all, the guitar is already almost 3 decades matured, and has been well looked-after in that time. For the past 20 years it has hardly been played at all.

When I contacted Gilet Guitars about this particular guitar, they were not sure now whether the top was Swiss Pine or European Spruce. Back and sides are solid Brazilian Rosewood, which is legendary (rightly so in my opinion, which is why I will always have a Brazilian Rosewood guitar at the top of my own private instruments). The Rosewood sounds incredible.and  It even smells nice, something that will always identify a Brazilian Rosewood guitar! Gerard remembers purchasing the batch of pre-CITES rosewood from a bow-and-arrow manufacturer!

The guitar is set off beautifully with hand-inlayed Abalone purfling and rosette, which combine perfectly with the pyramid bridge, vintage-style fretboard inlays and slotted headstock combined with the 12th fret neck/body join. A very elegant guitar, with the beautiful tone I find only a 12-fret neck can give, which places the bridge at the optimum point in the lower bout.

The selling price represents a substantial saving on the price of a similar handmade guitar today, with the benefit of almost three decades of ageing and sensitive playing to bring out the full potential of this beautiful Australian-built guitar.

Sold to Steve