Another Steel String Concert Classical?

This was a special guitar for a special player – Danny Ross.    

So what was different about this guitar?   

It’s a special permutation of my Steel String concert classical; in effect two guitars in one, in more ways than one! 

Confused?  

First, Danny requested a guitar that combined the sound of a breathy, light weight guitar with the singing sustain engendered by the extra mass behind solid rosewood.  In fact, a combination of two guitars that Danny tried out in my workshop.    

OK, I reckoned I could do that!

Second, Danny plays in many different tunings and so needed a guitar that had a full-on sound in both standard tuning and dropped tunings.  So that required my standard nut and saddle intonation for the set-up Danny plays on in standard tuning, with drop-in replacement nuts and saddles for when he wants to play in dropped tunings with other string sets, using strings as big as 0.064” for the sixth string.

OK.  That’s do-able, too!

Furthermore, I reckoned that if I could hit the exact main top resonant frequency I was aiming for, then, using my adjustable “heavy sides” technique, I could also hit the next lower target main top resonance which would optimise the acoustics of the guitar for the dropped tunings i.e. two guitars in one.  Again.  

So that’s what I built.

In addition to this, Danny wanted a stage guitar that sounded like a real guitar; i.e. like a studio mic’d acoustic guitar sound, which could be reproduced on stage. 

00 sized guitar

Occasionally I build guitars in more traditional styles.

This guitar came about through finding a "perfect" top in Engelmann spruce which, due to its size and the positioning of a single knot could be made only into a 00 sized guitar whilst eliminating the knot from the template area.  I mated it with some outstanding Madagascar rosewood and completed the scheme with abalone purfling.  Although it features traditional X-bracing it was "super-charged" with a compensated nut and saddle to yield a powerful guitar in the fine 00 tradition with an extra-sweet and tuneful sound.

Occasionally, I build older style instruments, like this 00 sized guitar

12-fret 12 string

I designed and built this guitar for a customer wanting a 12-string guitar with a difference.

Many 12-string players de-tune and use a capo on fret 2 to get back to standard tuning whilst dropping the string tension.  This effectively turns the guitar into a 12th fret neck joint instrument.  So why not use a shorter than normal scale length with a twelfth fret neck joint and put the bridge in a better place to drive the top?  So that's what happened, along with light weight lattice bracing and nut and saddle compensation for all 12 strings.

The result is a very powerful instrument which plays in tune thanks to the special compensation and stays in tune thanks to its 12 Gotoh tuners.

Whilst this is hardly in my "steel string concert classical" category it is a killer instrument for anyone wanting a really user-friendly 12 string with a truly enormous sound.

I fitted this one with a B-Band pick-up system for hassle-free stage use.