17″ Equity – 1st Gen -SOLD OUT

on’t play much jazz, but sometimes want to go there, and somehow my .strandberg* just isn’t right. I try to stay away from retail stores because there is ALWAYS something that catches my eye. But, I needed a set of strings and since I was near a store, I stopped by. As usual, I looked at used wall. There was nothing interesting. Walk away. Quickly. But… what’s that? Needing a ladder to get to it, there was a red wine archtop high on the wall. Conti? What’s a Conti? I’d never heard of them. I suspected that it was some Asian product, à la Cort (Nothing wrong with Cort. I believe they made my .strandberg*.) I found someone to get it down and I played for three minutes. I was meeting someone for lunch in fifteen minutes so I had no time to play much. I put it back.It was two weeks before I was back in that neighborhood. In that time I did some research and if you are reading this, you’ve done the same and I won’t bore you with the details of Robert Conti’s business model to bypass the middleman. None of his guitars would be sold in stores. No distributors. Instead, he sells direct to player. He asks his prospects to trust that the guitar he gives them will make them exceptionally happy. That’s a big ask. You can’t play one to see if you like it.Armed with this information and with more time set aside I went back to the store. While every other Conti customer needed to muster faith to buy, I had the luxury of actually playing one. The model is Equity, discontinued after the first production contract ended. The guitar played well and seemed well taken care of, 99% brand new. There were very few scratches, no dings. I copied the serial number and went home.I went back to the Conti website but could find no serial number reference, nor a support page, but I could chat online with Steve. I asked about the serial number, and he told me the guitar was built in 2013. He also said that from what he knew of the previous owner, it should have been well taken care of. Wow. Steve told me the guitar was solid wood, not laminate. He asked me about the price and told me it was a very good deal. So, I went back the next day and bought it.The next day I cleaned it and changed strings. It was clean but needed a little detailing. The cleaning process brought me closer to the instrument (LOL the truss rod cover on the headstock still had it’s original protective plastic covering). At every turn I was surprised and impressed by the build.I love this guitar and I consider myself lucky to have it.
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ivalent would probably cost around $5,000.00 or more.
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happy to receive this as a "gift from the travel gods!" I am proud to own this Conti Guitar which offers a such value for money. Having played classical guitar for many years, I discovered the world of the Jazz through Conti's videos and now the pleasure to play on his guitar. MERCI and BRAVO to this great teacher Monsieur Conti and his #1 team!
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w even the response is from the lowest note to the highest; he said he liked how "well balanced" the sound was from the guitar. My weekly gig lasts for four hours and the guitar is very comfortable to play for long periods of time. The action on this fine instrument is very easy on my left hand and that really makes a difference on a long gig. The guitar is very stable and stays in-tune really well. I have 4 gigs coming up this week and the Conti Guitar will be played at all of them! I want to take this opportunity to thank Robert Conti for his well thought out design which resulted in an outstanding instrument. Also thanks to Mike for outstanding customer service in every respect - you are TOP NOTCH!
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ly designed to facilitate playing in this area of the neck. I am very happy with only one pickup as I play mostly jazz and it gives the controls an uncluttered feel. As a contributing writer for Just Jazz Guitar magazine, I have been able to test and play many other guitars through the years, but this guitar is certainly one of the better ones I have played.
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3 or 4 times the price, yet Mr. Conti makes this excellent instrument affordable for the working class musician. Out of the box, the Conti Guitar delivers the feel and sound of an old friend that I have been playing for years. The only thing that I changed was the 3rd string G from a 20 wound to an 18 plain, because I do a lot of string bending in my style of playing which is Rhythm, Blues and Jazz. Any guitarist who is into fine instruments and takes his playing seriously, should give this guitar great consideration, and for Hollow Body players, it is The New Bentley of Guitars! Thank you Robert Conti for your vision, insight and friendship.
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even though I had to part with three good guitars. I had a Godin Multiac Jazz but it was far too heavy so I appreciate the lightness of this new guitar and its playability. The neck is perfect and flawless. I played a little blues with a slight overdrive on the bridge pickup and it responded very well. I also like the fact that it is a thinline design, as it's very comfortable. I played a concert last Saturday and I am quite satisfied. In summary, I love this guitar.
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st have for the serious Jazz and full tone player. Robert's customer service is second to none and the Conti crew goes well and beyond, no disappointments here. What an honor to have Mr. Conti bring it to the gig and sit in with me and play the guitar live. He brought the house down!
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more could you ask for? Mike, thanks to you for all your help; you are a real professional and it has been a pleasure to do business with you over the Internet.
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wishes to all, continued success and thanks again.
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table but of course it is shorter for efficient chords and increased warmth. Very nice. I am interested in what Mr. Conti's set up is. Must be extremely low based on where this guitar was when I received it. I'd guess straight neck with .01/.02 or less at the first. .03/.04 at twelve? This will be my primary guitar for everything but finger picking.
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