(By Belforti)

Unique creations

You’ll find below a detailed presentation of my pre-Belforti creations

These instruments were built during my time at the Crimson Guitar and Galloup Guitar Schools. These instruments, being either student work in the case of the Galloup school or personal prototypes realized prior to the launch of the final Belforti line-up, don’t represent the current state of Belforti’s craftsmanship. They are a true testimony of the progress and evolution of my guitar building philosophy.
While they are not going to be as they are presented here integrated in the commercial line-up, some features will be improved and interated again, and some details will be integrated or mixed in some models.

*All the names displayed below are placeholder prototype names and don’t represent what the commercial line-up will look like.

Belforti JB V1

The goal with this instrument was to stay close to the classic Jazz Bass shape and feel, but adding a little extra.
The modified body shape has been thought with ergonomics and confort in mind. The added leg cut allows for a classical guitar playing position, and the back leg carve as well as the heel contour makes it a truely confortabe instrument to play
The detailed specs are the following :
- Two pieces olive ash body
- Tamarind top
- One piece flamed maple neck
- Flamed maple fretboard
- Matching tamarind block inlays and headstock inlay
- Black holly contrast layers
- Two Aguilar AG 4J-HOT pickups
- Aguilar OBP-3 Preamp
- Scale Lenght : 34”
- Frets : 24 jumbo Nickel/Silver frets
- 12”/16” compound radius
- Schaller Tuners
- Schaller 3D Bridge
The sound of this bass can be describe as Marcus Miller’esque. Snappy trebles, dynamic and clear mids and a super growly low end.
The association of the maple fretboard with the ash body gives an amazingly tight and responsive slap sound.
All of that with your classic Jazz Bass versatility, this blend makes this bass usable in every situation !

BELFORTI HL5 V1-GOLD

The HL5 was thought from the beginning as an experimental headless design. Everything with this prototype was made with lightness and modernity in mind.
The heavily chambered body, headless design and ultra light poplar burl cap give this bass an amazing balance.
The body is a small profile design, with an ergonomic cut that is now common sight on headless instruments.
The encapsulated neck-through construction, with the ergonomic heel transition provide a very unique look as well as a perfect access to upper register
- Flamed maple chambered body
- Stabilized poplar burl top
- Flamed ash back
- 7 pieces Zebrano/Maple/Ebony neck
- Birdseye maple fretboard with decorative Kintsugi
- Ebony contrast layer
- Nordstrand Big Blades pickups
- Nordstrand preamp
- ABM bridge and headpieces
- 33” to 35” scale length
- 16” radius
- 24 jumbo bronze frets
This bass’ sound is overall very well balanced, super warm and deep due to the hollow architecture, with a perfectly clear high and mids and a snappy slap sound. The chambering gives it a very typical feel, and the whole instrument vibrates giving the player the sensation of merging with the bass.

The GSL* Archtop

*Galloup School of Lutherie

This archtop guitar was designed by the Galloup Guitar School
It’s a traditional archtop architecture, with a carved maple back, diagonal bracing pattern and double F holes.
The body size has a rather large footprint, but the depth is medium. The venetian cutaway gives it a smooth look while keeping a comfortable access to the upper register
- Hand carved spruce top
- Carved flamed maple back
- Maple/Maple/Mahogany laminated sides
- 3 pieces flamed maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Ebony headstock overlay
- Ebony saddle and pickguard
- Cream top and back binding
- EVO Gold Frets
- Vintage brown stained back, sides and neck
- Nitrocellulose high gloss finish
This guitar has all that you can expect from a traditional archtop guitar designed by the Galloup Guitars team.
World class clarity and a sweet mellow low end, it is a truly amazing jazz companion.

The GSL* Advanced Fingerstyle

*Galloup School of Lutherie

The Galloup Advanced Fingerstyle is the most advanced acoustic guitar available at the Galloup Guitar School, only surpassed by Bryan Galloup’s and Tyler Robbins’ own creations.
It is a state of the art acoustic, packed with delicate details and amazing under the hood tuning.
This guitar is with it’s multiscale architecture is designed to be crafted partly with a CNC. The neck, bridge and fretboard are machined precisely and enable the instrument to be as perfect as it can be.
The florentine cutaway, wood binding, back and side purfling, custom rosette and overlay gives it the perfect amount of aesthetic details.
Under the hood is a adapted X-bracing pattern, that has been voiced and tuned under Tyler Robbins’ supervision
- German spruce top (High Galloup rating score)
- Wenge back
- Wenge/Maple/Mahogany laminated sides
- Rosewood binding
- One piece light mahogany neck
- Custom rosewood/wenge rosette & overlay
- Ebony bridge with intonated bone saddle
This guitar is the ultimate fingerstyle machine, the tuning of the plates allows for a perfectly even sound all accross the fretboard, and the voicing gives it a state of the art sound profile.
The responsiveness and projection is miles away from the industry standards, only to be outshined by the finest craftsmen.
The multiscale design enables the player to play with ease in drop tuning, while maintaining the necessary evenness of tension and volume between strings.
Overall, the tone of this instrument is balanced, clear, full and the body dimensions provides a deep and room filling sound.

Belforti JBSC

This unique bass is a personnal prototype for the Belforti brand, that was designed with Bryan Galloup’s help and councelling, as well as the Galloup Studio team
Contrary to the other Galloup School designs, this one is entirely mine and represent the foundation of the Belforti Spirit.
The JBSC is a single cut Jazz Bass, with a modified and shrunken down footprint. The body and a majority of its parts are CNC machined, exception made of the neck.
The inlayed wooden pickguard, matching wooden knobs, modern fretboard inlay are subtle and elegant improvement over the traditional jazz bass design.
This bass, while being 5 string with a full 34” scale with 24 frets is very well balanced, without a neck dive.
- Slow growth figured amish walnut matching top & back
- Highly flamed maple core
- Amazonian rosewood contrast layer
- 9 pieces Walnut/Maple bolt-on neck
- Flamed maple inlayed pickguard
- Ebony fretboard with modern walnut block inlays
- Matching figured walnut overlay & underlay
- 24 Medium size frets
- PLEK’d
- Matching wooden knobs
- Aguilar AJ-5 HOT pickups
- Aguilar OBP-3 preamp
- Hipshot bridge
- Hipshot Ultralite tuners
- Nitrocellulose high gloss finish
The JBSC is a extremely versatile instrument. While this specific version is made for chord playing in mind, with a high C configuration, its can be made into whatever the player wants.
The tone is ultra precise, surgical and full. The sustain is top tier, and the first impression is that of a truly wooden feeling, rather than a metallic and electronic one.
The ergonomics are amazing, with a smooth and comfortable heel transition that matches the thumb curve.
The PLEK treatment gives the player and amazing feeling while moving up and down on the fretboard, with no resistance at all.
Feels like driving on an american highway !