UNRESERVED. Lukas Brunner is a master guitar builder from Lavin, Switzerland whose work is constantly evolving. His "outdoor guitar," a concert-quality instrument, offers a removable neck for travelers. This unique, one-of-a-kind 8-string guitar offers Brunner's own "flying top" bracing system. The action is adjusted by an adjustable Allen screw between the braces and the alpine spruce top, which is laminated for stiffness in the center (imagine a cross-grained bridge plate feathered into the top). The braces never actually touch the top, and this adds resonance. The fingerboard extension is also "flying"; it does not contact the top and this further reduces damping.

Instead of a traditional sound hole, the "air conditioner" offers three sound ports on the bass side. Each has a removable "vent door" that matches the curve of the side. Insert the pin on one side and press it into the rubber block on the other side of the hole far enough to put the pin on the other side of the vent into its side of the hole. The rubber exerts enough pressure to keep the vents in any position chosen while eliminating any buzzes or vibration. Each of the ports has a perfectly crafted wooden "lip."

Also notable is Brunner's signature "twisted cutaway." The compound curve follows the curve of the side and also the angle of the neck block.

As an 8-string, this instrument was conceived to have an extra high string and an extra low string with a standard guitar "in the middle." The fingerboard is ebony under the standard six strings, and Rosewood under the outer strings, making it easy to see "the guitar inside the guitar." The fan frets offer the advantage of longer bass strings and a high (.08) string that isn't under more pressure than it should. 24-frets offer a full range from piano-like basses up into the "mandosphere." String spacing is slightly narrower than standard to accommodate the extra strings and facilitate faster picking.

For fingerstyle jazz enthusiasts, this unique 8-string offers stunning good looks, easy action, a 6-octave range, a "chimey" tone, and superlative craftsmanship. Lukas Brunner has established a fine reputation among European builders, and this one-of-a-kind Rosewood art guitar will surely become more and more collectible as time passes.

Like new with hard shell case.