I've heard the "Growling Old Men" guitar. That is John Lowell who is a great player and an all around good guy. I've heard his up close and on stage in the duo format with Ben Winship and in a Big Bluegrass festival on stage with "Kane's River." Making no allowances for John's strong right hand and clean playing style, his Proulx's (he has both rosewood & mahogany) are very powerful guitars. Even in the full band environment when he takes a break the guitar is very "in your face." The tone isn't my personal favorite but there's no doubt that Mario Proulx makes a very strong modern sounding instrument.

I played one of his OMs that impressed me enough that I got on his list a couple of years ago. Strangely, I've attempted to contact him several times over the last months to check my progress, and never gotten any response. I did manage to contact them by phone last week, but was asked to send the request by email, which I've now done twice with no answer.

Scratching my head a bit.

Mario is in the midst of building my OM/D (coco/lutz).

I will post a review once it is done. I simply cannot wait. If anyone wants to chat about his guitars off-list, just shoot me a line: eruditefool12@hotmail.com

Two guitars came from Mario Proulx (prounouced Proo) last week; my OM/D mahogany/red-spruce and a South East Asian Rosewood/red spruce similar to Bryan Kimsey's, from the same bacth of wood as I understand it.

I had him do some work on the bracing of the 'hog, and it was enormously improved. The SEA Rosewood instrument is in a class by itself though. It's range cannot be told from a dread, yet it has the clarity and balance of an OM/D.

THIS is what all the fuss about Mario's instruments is about. The Franklin is a much richer instrument, but a more than twice the cost.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr. Bill Miller, St. Louis,

I heard Bryan Kimsey play his OM/D at camp bluegrass and then he played a Bourgeois that I owned at the time.

It had 3 things:
Volume
Unique Tone
Volume

Not everyone likes what they hear on a Proulx and some desire nothing else.

I'll be taking the SEA Rosewood OM/D Proulx to Winfield, if anyone would like to try it there.

I expect to sell the mahogany/adi OM/D "comfort" prtotype this fall. Just thinning the herd.

Bill

Bill - you have a PM.