Gypsyguitars from the famous Favino family's workshop at Paris are next to Selmer guitars or those by B. Busato the most sought after (and most expensive) instruments in the field of Gypsyswing. From 1945 on Jacques Favino has learned his mastery in guitar making in the workshop of B. Busato. His son Jean-Pierre began to work on Selmer style guitars in 1973, together with his father and uncle, but also made dreadnoughts, classical guitars and creative designs of his own (i.e. the Tres Rosaces model).

Favino guitars are slightly larger than the classic Selmers and based rather on the body size of Busatos, the sides are deeper (see the well-known Favino reference model # 10 from 1965). The typical chrome tailpiece was adopted from Busato, too. The scale length is usually 670 mm, the nut width at the saddle is 45 mm. The top has been made of solid spruce, back and sides are made of (laminated) - probably East Indian - rosewood, as well as is the fretboard and the bridge. The neck is a Favino classic: 5-piece maple, with two narrow rosewood stripes for reinforcement. Favinos from this (post-golden, transitional) period generally have no trussrod.

The neck joins the body, as with Selmers usual, around the 13,5 fret. The string space is fantastically low for a Gypsy guitar, the frets show only little signs of wear. Right now the guitar has no PU installed. On the lower side a former jack output was expertly closed by a luthier long time ago. Otherwise this instrument is in a rarely clean condition and has only few minor signs of play wear. Although it seems to have been played well enough, it apparently always must have been treated very gently - which is a big exception, because most Favinos are offered in a rather battered state of a heavily used stage guitar.

This Favino has no serial number, but has the (very rare) black Favino label in the body, the neck heel is stamped with "JP Favino" (see pics). It produces that classic Favino tone that is honky, nasal, but full of character and beauty. According to the previous owner it might have been built in 1983 or earlier and always stayed in the Reinhardt family in southwestern Germany until 10 years ago.

Favino Gypsy guitars were and are played by: Tchan Tchou Vidal, Matelo Ferre, Boulou Ferre, the young Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo and Nou'sche Rosenberg, Häns'che Weiss, Lulu Reinhardt, Holzmanno and Ziroli Winterstein, Moreno Winterstein, Robin Nolan and many others.

It comes in a non original but great and brand new black dreadnought case (brand "James Neligan").

International bidders: please ask for shipping costs!

Private sale: no guarantee, no return!
Privatverkauf: Keine Gewährleistung, keine Rücknahme, keine Garantie!