Projet Orange
Photos: Nassim Aboutanos
Early carved-top solid-body electric guitar
from 2002.
It is inspired by the original PRS Santana model. It was commissioned by Michel Vanier, a left-handed Montreal guitarist.
Michel happened also to be a print-maker:
-He asked for a pure, sharp, translucent orange colour for his guitar.
The silver maple top is tonally suited, and a perfect open canvas for colour work.
The mahogany back of this guitar slightly concave, so it hugs one's body and brings the fingerboard closer in for comfort.
The adjustable bridge, in white moose horn material, has cow bone saddles and stainless steel custom tubing as string anchors.
Paul Reed Smith (back in 1995) was an influence for André : Projet Orange sports a violin-like, smoothly carved -vault- top profile.
About the -Projet Orange-, Michel reported he plays his guitar every single day at lunch-time, and that it has been his best (print-making) workshop partner ever since.
This is the kind of story that keeps luthiers going in their work.
