Romantic Era Inspired Guitar Project

This was a Romantic era inspired build that was way too fun making and in the end I wish I could have kept for myself. The guitar itself was an amalgam of ideas inspired by guitars from the Romatic era and not a specific copy of any specific instrument. The template was taken from an anonymous Italian instrument c.1840 and I would say that the bridge and headstock shapes are René Lacôte inspired. It is ladder braced in the fashion of so many instruments of that era. The main materials are torrefied Swiss spruce for the top and European flamed maple for the back and sides.

While being Romantic inspired in look and sound, this plays more like a modern classical guitar. The scale length is 650 mm and the width at the nut is 52 mm. Most of the instruments from the period have much smaller dimensions and this setup is much less of an adjustment for classical players. We also went with a tie bridge with 18 holes instead of what would have more typically been a pin bridge from that era. From afar the 6 pearl dots on the bridge invoke the look of pins. The other very modern addition was the use of some Rickard Cyclone 10:1 tuning ratio machines. They are definitely heavier than pegs or the 4:1 planetary pegs but are very smooth and less finicky in use.

The guitar is shipped and I can’t wait for the customer to get it and get his feedback. Sorry there are no videos or recordings but hopefully some will get posted in the near future. Also, I’m taking orders for guitars to be completed next year so please feel free to contact me if you want to get on the list. Pictures are below.

…and here are some videos thanks to Cameron

A Love Letter to St. Lucia

This is a really unique custom instrument for a customer who is a fan of St. Lucia (the island) and wanted a guitar that expresses that feeling. Every detail is a product of that collaboration. We started with a small jumbo sized instrument with African Blackwood and Redwood. We also designed the custom inlays that show off the Pitons, St. Lucia’s iconic mountains, in abalone and reconstituted stone as well as inlays that express the shape of the St. Lucia flag. That motif is carried down the fretboard in abalone and all the way to the custom pinless bridge that also boasts a bright burst of abalone. There is an arm bevel and binding in beautifully flamed maple and that is dressed up with gold hardware and EVO gold fretwire. I really like the asymmetrically carved heel and back of the headstock. The final touch was the installation of a K&K Pure Pickup. I also want to thank KOZM Guitars for lending his services in cutting the bulk of the inlays which saved me many hours work hunched over cutting inlays by hand.

Also, a nice accessory for most any bridge, but definitely required for this pinless design was a nice top protector to keep from dinging the top while changing strings.