The Duncan Africa Society operates the Suubi Trade School in a small, dusty town called Mpigi, Uganda in East Africa, just 30 km outside the bustling city of Kampala. Our guitars are amongst the finest available today. There are just 50 of these worldwide, so if this one has your jazz juices flowing, you should get out there and snap one up fast. We fight poverty by creating exquisite guitars by hand in our trade school, located in Uganda. Otherwise - and it seems churlish even to raise such a point - it's an exceptional piece of work at a very fair price. Indeed, the fact that players as diverse as Martin Taylor, James Dean Bradfield, Bill Nelson and Big Jim Sullivan happily endorse them should be enough to reassure doubters.īeing picky, we'd say the headstock's scarf joint could have been concealed under the finish a little better - perhaps the 'bursting could have crept down the neck a little further. Nothing short of stunning in the looks department, it also plays superbly and wouldn't disgrace any top recording artist. But compared to £6,000-plus for a Gibson L-5, it's a steal. With a street price of two grand or so the Leela 40 is no bargain-basement beauty.

Set the tone to around 30 per cent and the balance between extremes is perfect: the traditional tone remains, but the level of articulation means more modern jazz or bebop solos are served - the merest hint of amp drive sounds great, too. This setting is fantastic when played fingerstyle, or with a pick for smooth lead lines. Knock it back to zero and we're in Joe Pass or Johnny Smith territory it's as warm as a 18-tog duvet and extremely convincing. With the tone pot wide open we're greeted with a pleasing, slightly nasal voice through a Fender Blues Junior - enough to power through any jazz ensemble. 'Compared to the £6,000-plus cost of a Gibson L-5, the Leela is a steal' Stephen Sondheim: an unfathomable talent and a titan of human creativity The composer and lyricist was matcheless in his invention and peerless in his field There are few people whose death.

Rare and peerless guitars review