LANGEJANS

The guitars of Del Langejans have been seen in the hands of some of the finest contemporary acoustic players of the modern era, including the likes of Thom Bresh, Earl Klugh, and Muriel Anderson (the later two of which had signature Langejans models).  Formerly based in the Lake Michigan area, Langejans got his start as a luthier in the late ‘60s working from Irving Sloane’s seminal book on classical guitar construction.  After a healthy stint in guitar repair, Del eventually opened a guitar store (Del’s Guitar Gallery) and segued into a life of retail and lutherie.  More than 25 years later, he sold the business and trained his focus on building, just as the “boutique” market for individually-made and small production steel string guitars really began to take off. 

Though Langejans was primarily focused on steel string guitars, he also offered nylon string models.  Maintaining this difficult balance certainly put him in a rare class of contemporary lutherie (some others members would include, Dake Traphagen, Jean Larrivee, and James Goodall), as building to the needs of both voicings is quite challenging. Known for his refined craft and modern aesthetic sensibilities, Langejans was also not afraid to challenge convention. In particular, he was a proponent of rigid rim design, using heavier sides to mitigate woof tones and to create more interplay between the top and back.  He also frequently built acoustic guitars with rosewood necks, for increased stability.  Perhaps most famously, he built what would become a signature harp guitar for Muriel Anderson, as well as the highly unique and novel reversible, double necked “Duelette” for Thom Bresh.  Needless to say, Langejans guitars are certainly some of the most distinctive instruments to emerge during the renaissance of lutherie that we have all benefitted from over the last 50 years.  As such Langejans guitars are in league with some of the finest instruments money can buy.

Given his relationship with “crossover” players like Earl Klugh and Muriel Anderson (that is, players who are not classical guitarists per se, but who play nylon string guitars), this Langejans BRC nylon string was built with ease of play and amplified applications in mind.  Accordingly, explosive power and projection are admittedly not the emphasis of this guitar’s voicing. Rather, the focus is on producing exceptionally well-balanced and very clear notes that are more readily controlled in an amplified setting.  In conjunction with the aforementioned sturdy side construction this voicing is very effective when it comes to producing an amplified voice that is devoid of low-end rumble and woof tones, which are the most problematic in terms of feedback.  Moreover, the classic pairing of Western red cedar and Brazilian rosewood found on this guitar creates a wonderfully rich and colorful tonal palette for the player to work with, be it in an acoustic or amplified setting.  On a quick unrelated note, it also bears mentioning that this guitar had some input from Muriel Anderson, who also designed the fingerboard inlay.  In short, this Langejans BRC is an aesthetically and sonically beautiful example of a crossover nylon string that is ready to perform, be it on stage, in the studio, or, perhaps just hanging out in living room.

Condition

Overall, this guitar exhibits minimal cosmetic wear.  That said, we note several incipient cracks on the back that are, by all indications, merely finish cracks at present. Granted, in light of its brittle and porous nature of Brazilian rosewood is indeed more prone to such behavior than other hardwood; but, as it stands, we do not see cause for alarm here. Even so, we have tested these areas for movement and relief and have not found evidence of open cracks.  Additionally we performed a moisture test to see if moisture wicks through to the other side of the top, and, again have seen no indication of open cracks.  That said, while conducting the moisture test, we did take the opportunity to use a diluted TiteBond wood glue/water mixture as a precaution. Otherwise, we note that the truss rod (an uncommon, and arguably unnecessary feature on a nylon string guitar) is completely relaxed, but the neck relief is fortunately just what we’d like to see at a near-zero gap.   – EXCELLENT Condition

• Western Red Cedar Top
• 7-Fan Bracing
• Brazilian Rosewood Back & Sides
• Koa Body Binding with 2-Ply Side Purfling
• Paua Shell Top Purfling
• Marquetry Rosette
• Bloodwood Back Strip
• Bloodwood Endpiece
• Gloss Finish
• Mahogany Neck
• Gloss Neck Finish
• Slotted Headstock
• Ebony Fingerboard
• Abalone Shell Fingerboard Purfling
• Abalone Celtic Knot Fingerboard Inlay
• Ebony Headstock Veneer
• Ebony Bridge
• Sloane Tuners with Mother of Pearl Buttons
• Bone Nut
• Compensated Bone Saddle
• 650 mm Scale Length
• 51 mm Nut Width
• 8.75 mm String Spacing
• 3-Volt Active Pickup System
• Original Cedar Creek Arched Top Hard Case