Sublet Grand Auditorium 2020, Engelmann Spruce & Flamed Maple

With just one look at the elegant, elevated aesthetics of Julien Sublet's guitars, and you may be able to guess that he's one of our Québec luthiers! Trained in the traditional European woodworking tradition, he came to Canada to study at the National Luthiery School before setting up his own shop in 2017, working alongside another TNAG favorite, Loïc Bortot of Bouchereau Guitars. Julien's approach takes classic designs and makes the lines more seamlessly curvy, opting for premium tonewoods and finishing off with Art Deco influenced aesthetics. Here with this Grand Auditorium, which he describes as the "perfect mix between a dreadnought and an OM, this guitar size offers excellent versatility", he starts with flamed maple and Engelmann spruce. This combination provides a clear, warm sound that couldn't be more perfect for recording, whether played fingerstyle or with a flatpick. Engelmann isn't the typical go-to for driving hard, but with this larger body size and maple, it has plenty of headroom for big, open chords and powerful strumming. The clarity of voice is excellent for complex, tight jazz chords, too. Delicate brass inlays and ebony binding add the perfect finishing touch on the rosette and backstrip.