Quirky guitar design

WafflesOnHorseback

Came across this. Hideous? Or a work of art? What do you reckon? Must admit, I am not feeling the love for this fingerboard art but it's all subjective innit. Maybe it sounds amazing. Not heard of this maker before but his website shows some rather quirky designs. Be interesting to hear one. Couldn't find any demos on YT though.

https://www.thefretcollective.co.uk/guitars/p/prohazska-custom-holy-grail-guitar-show-parlour

Tannin

The two inlays lack class and would be much better applied to a loud, pointy, electric shred machine. 

That regrettable lack of taste aside, the guitar looks beautiful and very likely sounds fantastic - Limba should, by rights, impart a softness and warmth perfectly suited to that parlour form.

In my view, the artist lost confidence. The couple should either be properly naked, or else not depicted at all. As it is, they just look tacky. 

Shame, it seems like such a nice guitar otherwise.

Kilgore

I've seen this before. It's been on sale for a long time. So that may tell you something.

digitalkettle

This got rightly slated in a thread a few months back...can't find it though!

Deserves a second thread imho...crack on

WafflesOnHorseback

One can't help but admire the confidence of the "this is a fucking good guitar" inlay. 

Agree with tannin tho - nakedness snaking the entirety of the fingerboard would have been much classier. It's hard to make out what's going on here and if you don't have your glasses handy (as I didn't) it looks like the chap is performing solo with a Border Terrier on his shoulder.

WafflesOnHorseback

digitalkettle said:

This got rightly slated in a thread a few months back...can't find it though!

Deserves a second thread imho...crack on

Did look but couldn't find owt.

bugileman

Looks like nice guitar, some skill has gone into building that. But the inlay work is completely not working for me.....looks like a fat builder.....not a cool look. 

Cig35

WafflesOnHorseback said:

digitalkettle said:

This got rightly slated in a thread a few months back...can't find it though!

Deserves a second thread imho...crack on

Did look but couldn't find owt.

Search function isn’t that easy to use, but here is the thread:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/240317/this-guitar-makes-a-statement/p1

digitalkettle

Cig35 said:

WafflesOnHorseback said:

digitalkettle said:

This got rightly slated in a thread a few months back...can't find it though!

Deserves a second thread imho...crack on

Did look but couldn't find owt.

Search function isn’t that easy to use, but here is the thread:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/240317/this-guitar-makes-a-statement/p1

Well found!

I sometimes rely directly on the power of Google with a search term like:

site:www.thefretboard.co.uk statement

But I couldn't think of a sensible keyword.

Cig35

I actually used that Google function with the luthiers last name 

BillDL

It's still for sale, and I don't know how long it had already been advertised prior to the thread in January this year about it:

https://reverb.com/uk/item/47467650-prohaszka-holy-grail-guitar-show-parlour-2020-not-lowden-avalon

Obviously the inlays and rosette message aren't something many people would deliberately choose to have if spending five and a half grand on an acoustic guitar.  I'm sure it will be snapped up soon by somebody that likes Tyler headstocks 

digitalkettle

Cig35 said:

I actually used that Google function with the luthiers last name 

I thought I'd tried that...but now I remember using the luthier's name in the forum search function ;-/

WafflesOnHorseback

Cig35 said:

WafflesOnHorseback said:

digitalkettle said:

This got rightly slated in a thread a few months back...can't find it though!

Deserves a second thread imho...crack on

Did look but couldn't find owt.

Search function isn’t that easy to use, but here is the thread:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/240317/this-guitar-makes-a-statement/p1

Ah. Ta!

Soupman

If the luthier is willing to put those tasteless inlays on top it makes you wonder what he's done inside!
Not for me.
I also remember the thread, still unsold. Surprise surprise.....
 

 

steveh

Hideous.

And I don’t like the fretboard or soundhole inlay either…

ScreamingDave

Laughable tasteless.

GRBaldwin

If anyone knows anything about Balázs Prohaszka and his work, they’ll know that he’s actually one of the most talented luthiers around, doing things with wood & inlays that most luthiers wouldn’t even attempt.

This one, as mentioned before in the previous post about it, was built as a playful, jokey, tongue in cheek, (if you excuse the expression), guitar built for the Holy Grail guitar show in 2020 that was cancelled due to Covid. He built it effectively as a talking piece and a nod to his quirky sensibilities and slightly dark sense of humour. That’s not taking away from the fact that, like all of his guitars, it’s also a fantastic sounding instrument.

Of course, Balázs knows it’s not to everyone’s tastes and obviously built it as a one off, but to disregard it as laughable basically shows a lack of understanding of it and the art of guitar lutherie in general really. Check out some of his other work and you might get a grasp of the man’s talents.

https://instagram.com/prohaszkaguitars?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.prohaszkaguitars.com/

WafflesOnHorseback

How does thinking the inlay is laughable show a lack of understanding of the art of guitar lutherie?

GRBaldwin

WafflesOnHorseback said:

How does thinking the inlay is laughable show a lack of understanding of the art of guitar lutherie?

Because they’re missing the point that it’s just a playful piece of art in essence and otherwise an exquisitely built instrument. 

Anyway, not worth arguing over these things. I just wanted to express the quality of Balázs’s work to those that weren’t aware of him and to say that this isn’t a trademark of his work or anything, more a one off build as a conversation starter for a high level of luthiery guitar show.

Tannin

Did it succeed? Did it in fact start a conversation? 

Yes. Twice!

WafflesOnHorseback

GRBaldwin said:

WafflesOnHorseback said:

How does thinking the inlay is laughable show a lack of understanding of the art of guitar lutherie?

Anyway, not worth arguing over these things.

Oh. Righty ho. So you had the last say then shut it down after telling us in a patronising, slightly pompous manner that we don't understand the art of lutherie. So that's that and all's well and good then. 

Anyway, not worth arguing over these things.