Chartwell Guitar

2012 David Rouse #139

Woods: Figured East Indian rosewood back and sides; European spruce top. Spanish cedar neck. Rosewood purfling and binding. Nitro lacquer throughout.

Specs: 650mm scale, 52mm nut, 44mm string spacing at nut, 58mm at saddle. Rodgers tuners with brass side plates and black horn buttons. Rigid foam case with option for case upgrade.

Condition: excellent. David finishes his guitars with nitro lacquer with a slight matte finish, so the usual nail marks and playing wear found on French polished used guitars are absent. The back of the guitar has a number of tiny button scratches that can be seen if the guitar is held to a harsh light source. There are no structural issues and the setup is original.

Comment: as with the cedar Rouse, this experienced builder’s work is at the very top end of traditional luthiers, both in workmanship (it is hard to imagine a more beautiful rosette, for instance) and voicing. This guitar comes from England, where it was played by a highly skilled performer, as shown in the video, https://youtu.be/pDz3-x9XngY

I find little difference in the cedar and spruce Rouse here, as the cedar is also crisp and direct, as is the spruce. Trebles are very strong with striking metallic as well as over sound hole effects. Rouse uses a Spanish treble bar and six narrow fan braces. I expect the top is very thin, as the energy just pours out of the guitar. Overall, the voice of the guitar is most pleasing and inspiring. Clarity, balance, volume are all its attributes.

A new Rouse is in the $10k range.

An additional video is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dFfyWyY5CQ