Brondel Spark II T w/ Ellisonics, Tobacco Sunburst

Brondel's penchant for combining artistry and tradition shines brighter than ever in his new electric design.

If you're a regular visitor to our shop or our website, chances are you've heard the name Laurent Brondel. The Paris-born musician and luthier spent his formative years in the business repairing and restoring vintage guitars, and eventually started building his own guitars, both acoustic and electric. This latest model pairing - the Spark and the Burn - marks his first original electric offering, and we're thrilled to be the shop to represent the next chapter in Brondel's illustrious career!

The Spark II has its origins steeped in the Golden Era Gibson solidbody we're all familiar with, but there's clear intention to shake up the design and bring something fresh to the table.

This is our very first Spark II T, which is the thinline version we'd previously only had in the Burn II configuration. It features a beautiful Carpathian Spruce top and chambered Honduran Mahogany for the body; a Mahogany neck and Macassar Ebony fingerboard complete the neck. Set neck construction with a long tenon ensures coupling strength and max energy transfer for a highly resonant and lively guitar. The neck carve is excellent as well - a medium/full C with that maintains a moderate taper up the neck. The headstock design is another new offering for Brondel, yet it looks like it's been a part of his guitar design landscape for ages. This 6-in-line style has ties some of the more progressive Kalamazoo designs of the mid 1960s - think Firebird and Trini Lopez Custom. It's tied elegantly together with the silhouette-like 'LB' logo. The thin open-style truss rod channel is almost undetectable - again, another artful design choice in favor of adding the likes of a "traditional" truss rod cover. Check out that stinger on the back of the headstock, too!

The body shape combines a slightly offset lower bout with softer waist lines and a treble-side cutaway that maximizes upper fret playability and comfort. The body sits very comfortably in a lapped position, which is not often the case with an LP-style guitar. The ergonomics were definitely a priority here, and the shape is still somewhat identifiable without being overtly derivative; that's hard to pull off in this day and age!

There's no shortage of quality components in this build, either. From the Ron Ellis Ellisonic pickups to the Music City Savvy wraparound bridge, the sound, tone, and feel get top marks here. The Ellisonics bring enhanced chime and top end clarity, injecting a little bit of a classic Gretsch voice into the equation.

Frankly, we're not surprised how great of a guitar model this turned out to be. Laurent is one of the best guitar makers in the business, and his newest offerings continue to prove that he'll be a part of that conversation for years to come.