Robert Conti / Peerless Guitars
DocDosco
I don't post often. I guess I should pipe up more. I lurk here reading
posts when I can though.
I sold a Peerless Monarch 40 and a Leela 40 (the smaller Cremona to a
gent in NJ). He also bought a Conti. He likes them all. (boy, don't
you wish you could drop the $ for 3 guitars at once!). Maybe I can get
him to share his conclusions on the guitars.
The Conti guitar is a very specific design by Robert, a 17" thin line
with extra frets, and a tuneomatic bridge. He was very particular to
get it the way he wanted it and I was told a lot of back and forth
went on until he got the model the way he liked it. It is a nice
guitar, no doubt. He told me at NAMM, he went solid pressed top for
feedback issues and the fact the guitar is not really meant to be a
'acoustic' guitar. He wanted to get the best amplified tone without
any carved top feedback problems. That is my understanding anyway. He
apparently also uses light strings and extremely low action.
The Peerless Monarch /Renaissance are priced much lower. No ebony
woods though. The Imperial, Cremona, Contessa are carved tops, ebony
wood and are in the 2K range. All nice instruments at that price. The
Renaissance is now laminate. Peerless could not remain with the
chambered body on a $1000 guitar. I had 4 after NAMM and sold off 3
immediately. All 4 are excellent guitars. They still have great tone,
the necks are true, the finish spectacular. For a grand, you can't
beat this guitar.
Hope this helps...
Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco.com
Doc's Peerless guitar website
http://www.jazzguitarzone.com
sheetsofsound
Phil T
> Hi blackcat and everyone,
>
> apparently also uses light strings and extremely low action.
>
> The Renaissance is now laminate. Peerless could not remain with the
> chambered body on a $1000 guitar. I had 4 after NAMM and sold off 3
> immediately. All 4 are excellent guitars. They still have great tone,
> the necks are true, the finish spectacular. For a grand, you can't
> beat this guitar.
>
Are you saying the Renaissance *was* a solid wood guitar but is now
laminate ? Also, I don't understand the reference to "chambered body",
for this guitar. My understanding is the Renaisannce is a full-hollow
(maybe with a sound post under the bridge?), like an ES-330.
Tom Sacold
blackcat
Doc's summary ( he ought to know! ) is pretty accurate however, the
Renaissance Custom ( I play one every day ) is not 'chambered' but
fully hollow all solid maple ( pressed ) with a slender sound post
just below the Tunomatic. The only ones available in the UK ( all
sunburst with gold fittings ) are odd examples where the dealer still
has one in stock. Guitars'mJazz are currently showing a flamed blond/
maple example on their website at $999. Go get it! The current model
is all laminate with nickel/chrome fittings.
DocDosco
A chambered body is a hollowed out body. If you Google chambered body
guitar you will get an idea how they do it The cost was prohibitive, I
was told, as they had to route out a full piece of wood to the exact
hollowed body size and if the blank wood had any flaws, they had to
discard the whole chunk of wood. It was costing Peerless more than the
price of the guitar to make them that way. (or so I was told by Brian
Pato, at the time, their staff jazzer).
So they went laminate. I don't know if they went pressed solid for a
while or not, However, Peerless makes a good quality laminate.
(similar to their Manhattan) Peerless does good laminate work on
guitars. Like Sadowsky makes with his high end laminates, these are
not simply cheap plywood, but properly aged and constructed laminate
woods. (my plug for Peerless quality).
I don't know if you got an older one or a newer one. You would have to
check the serial # with Peerless. However, the laminate Renaissance
models I have all been very good. I never much noticed a difference
between the old and new when I used to set them up to move them,
although I never took one out on a gig. I still have several kicking
around here and these are the some of the best playing and looking
ones I have had come through here to date.
Sorry for the long winded explanation.
Cheers,
blackcat
Doc,
I am not about to gain say you on Peerless since you may recall that
you first introduced me to 'Brian' when I bought my Jazz City direct
from the factory prior to organising dealers in France and the first
wave of endorsees in the UK. Nor am I a luthier, but I have been
around guitars on and off for 40 years and as an industrial designer
and former teacher of materials science/technology have a good
appreciation of how most things are made.
I must admit that previously I had thought of 'chambered' as a body
having hollow 'cells' and not being 100% hollowed- out! Certainly
there are no external clues to this with the Renaissance Custom which
was purchased around 2007/8.
Additionally, brochures at that time and the Korean web site only
referred to an all-solid maple body and neck. I have just looked (!)
and I am not convinced that the grain pattern follows through
consistently either from back/front to sides which of itself would
suggest a 3 part body construction in the traditional manner.
I have to accept what you say about Peerless laminates, but supportive
of the marque though I am I was not of the opinion that there were as
thin or as 'clever' as those used by Taylor and other makers where an
adhesive that remains flexible is used thus allowing a certain amount
of micro-movement in the top. That alone would have put that model
over the £1k mark from the outset I feel sure.
Either way, the newer guitars represent great value for money but most
definitely sound different to their ancestors.
Best regards,
Blackcat
DocDosco
Blaclcat,
Ah yes. Thanks for reminding me about Brian. I spaced out and forgot.
Actually until about 2 1/2 month ago my brain was pudding and I felt
like crap all the time. I went to raw foods, (no meat, dairy, western
processed food, sugar or cooked anything) dropped 40 pounds, and got
feeling good again. BIG difference in my health, energy and mental
acuity. I was amazed at how I badly I was poisoning myself with my
diet (digging my grave with my teeth, so to speak)
Anyway... I recall talk of a chambered Renaissance at one point, but I
am anything but a expert on guitar design so perhaps they were just
solid wood like the Monarch etc. Sometimes translation becomes a bit
garbled when communicating with the Koreans.
The Peerless people are in Germany this week. I will see if I can get
clarification on what changes have been done to the Renaissance and
when they occurred. They should be back in Korea next week.
I don't know the process they use for lamination, but I have had
Manhattan laminates here that sound incredible acoustically. Better to
me than the solid pressed tops and very close to the carved top
guitars, Not sure why. I am not a luthier either. I just string them
up and play them.
;0)
Doc Dosco
DocDosco
>
> Doc's summary ( he ought to know! ) is pretty accurate however, the
> Renaissance Custom ( I play one every day ) is not 'chambered' but
> fully hollow all solid maple ( pressed ) with a slender sound post
> just below the Tunomatic. The only ones available in the UK ( all
> sunburst with gold fittings ) are odd examples where the dealer still
> has one in stock. Guitars'mJazz are currently showing a flamed blond/
> maple example on their website at $999. Go get it! The current model
> is all laminate with nickel/chrome fittings.
Blackcat,
Just to clarify: the Renaissance 'Custom' has gold fittings with the
abalone trim, the Renaissance 'Standard' is nickel without the trim.
Flame maple addition to the sides and back is an called the 'upgraded
wood' version. I have this in sunburst.
If your personal Ren has a sound post then certainly you have a solid
top, as the post is used to brace it. The laminate top doesn't require
a post. Those early Ren models were all solid wood guitars. If one
could locate a pre 2007-8 model, it would be a great 'find'.
I am still a bit mystified as to why Peerless called the earlier
models a chambered design though. I am curious now myself and will ask
them next week, as I said.....
blackcat
Hi Doc,
Mine has all the trimmings and the gold! I now see that I picked it up
from the UK warehouse in 2006 - serial No.PEO705143. My French guitar
teacher ( who owns some amazing guitars including a 10K (€) 'on-off-
luthier model would not stop talking about the Peerless when I first
met him and said that it equalled (!) 'anything in his collection'. It
most definitely is of traditional construction ie sides + top/back
since the kerfed reiforcing strip runs right around the inside join,
top and bottom. For guidance, I sold my Tokai ES 335 after acquiring
the Renaissance Custom - left the Tokai streets behind.
'Brian' once told me that he changed his name according to which
country he was working or studying in! In London he was 'ken' (!) and
in Canada something else. Maybe he got 'chambered' confused with
something else!! Personally, I think he might have just been 'talking
up' and already great guitar.
I would be very interested to hear what they say about my 2006 ( may
have been made in 2005? ) model.
Glad to hear that you are now in fine form!
Best regards,
Blackcat
DocDosco
>
> Hi Doc,
>
> Mine has all the trimmings and the gold! I now see that I picked it up
> from the UK warehouse in 2006 - serial No.PEO705143. My French guitar
> teacher ( who owns some amazing guitars including a 10K (€) 'on-off-
> luthier model would not stop talking about the Peerless when I first
> met him and said that it equalled (!) 'anything in his collection'. It
> most definitely is of traditional construction ie sides + top/back
> since the kerfed reiforcing strip runs right around the inside join,
> top and bottom. For guidance, I sold my Tokai ES 335 after acquiring
> the Renaissance Custom - left the Tokai streets behind.
>
> 'Brian' once told me that he changed his name according to which
> country he was working or studying in! In London he was 'ken' (!) and
> in Canada something else. Maybe he got 'chambered' confused with
> something else!! Personally, I think he might have just been 'talking
> up' and already great guitar.
>
> I would be very interested to hear what they say about my 2006 ( may
> have been made in 2005? ) model.
>
> Glad to hear that you are now in fine form!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Blackcat
Yes, I am in fine form again and toot my horn about it every chance I
get (boring for most folks to listen to, I know).
Brian, or whatever his name is, was a bit of a charactar. Likeable
though. I guess becuase he had a real Korean name, his western names
were interchangable from place to place
I deal exclusively with the Lee family that owns Peerless. Usually
with Min, Mr. Lee's daughter. She is very warm and friendly (but sharp
at the sales business). Peerless in Korea are all very nice people.
It is rare to find a family owned guitar making business on the scale
of Peerless in our corporate day and age. I like that I am associated
with a family not dealing with some company sales rep that charges
every year.
I will check out your serial # with them and see if I can get a
timeline on the Ren. I guess we have both been Peerless guys for quite
a while now. How time flys, huh?
Cheers,
Doc Dosco