Chauvet & Favino (1950s) Model 1A || Gypsy Jazz, Manouche, Django, Gipsy Guitar

A very rare early Chauvet & Favino guitar, built during the short-lived Paris partnership between Jean Chauvet and Jacques Favino.

The guitar is beautifully made, with intricate body binding and a particularly elegant multi-piece maple neck with a rosewood spline. The instrument is 100% original and remains in excellent condition for its age.

It has a cedar top, maple back and sides, a rosewood fingerboard, vintage three-on-a-plate tuners, and a vintage tailpiece. It plays and sounds very well, with an action of approximately 3 mm.

The repair history is very limited: two repaired top cracks and a fret level. Please note that there is a red stain on the underside of the body, visible in the photos.

An exceptional early example from the Chauvet & Favino workshop and a rare opportunity to acquire a excellent sounding Jacques Favino guitar from his formative 1946–1956 period.

Background
Jean Chauvet was a violin-trained luthier from Mirecourt. He met Jacques Favino while they were both working at Busato, and the two men formed a partnership in 1946. Chauvet focused mainly on violins, while Favino produced double basses and guitars.

Chauvet–Favino isntruments began to appear under their name from around 1949. Their partnership ended in 1956, after which Jacques Favino continued independently under his own name.

Instruments from the Chauvet & Favino collaboration are scarce and historically important as they belong to the earliest phase of Jacques Favino’s development as one of the great French guitar makers.

Specifications
Workshop Chauvet & Favino
Luthier Jacques Favino
Year 1949-1956
Model Model 1A
Condition Excellent
Top Cedar
Back and Sides Maple
Neck Maple with Rosewood spline
Fingerboard Rosewood
Frets to body 14 Fret
Scale 64cm
Action 3mm
Tailpiece Vintage
Tuners Vintage, three on a plate
Strings Savarez Argentines 1510MF
Weight 1.5kg
Hard case Yes