The Joys of Spring
With the inaugural String Break exhibition just around the corner, it’s time to announce that I have made something unique to celebrate the occasion. Alongside the All Mahogany Parlour Guitar I will be showcasing this special instrument. In part inspired by the dramatically colourful artwork by Drew Millward and the bright vivid colours that Spring shocks us with each year. It has also been a wonderful opportunity for me to experiment with a number of ideas that I’ve had brewing over the last ten years since graduating from Newark School of Guitarmaking.
This guitar has totally exceeded my expectations. Exceptionally clear, a lovely sustain and bucket loads of power.
An Innovative Approach
At its heart, it’s a standard OM model.
The first thing that any player will realise is the absence of a heel. Again, during my Newark days, I was introduced to the remarkable archtop guitars of Ken Parker and also I had the privilege to be shown and play a 1900s How-Orme guitar belonging to Nigel Forster - Thank You Nigel! What these guitars have in common is an adjustable action neck joint. Where How-Orme opted to use a hinge and a screw to rotate the neck to change the neck angle, Ken Parker uses a single, sliding mortise and tenon to raise and lower the neck in relation to the string. At Newark I built a guitar following Ken Parker’s method. The benefit of this is that the action can be adjusted with the strings at full tension in a matter of seconds without altering the tuning.
As a “flat-top” steel string guitar maker however, Ken Parker’s design presents a few challenges. To accommodate the depth of the neck and fingerboard and to achieve the correct height of the string at the saddle (from the top of the soundboard) it is necessary to re-imagine the geometry of the guitar, specifically it’s side profile. By leaning the soundboard down towards the body join, as opposed to the back upwards towards the neck it is possible to overcome this difficulty. Some years ago, at the Holy Grail Guitar Show in Berlin, I asked Ken if he minded if I use his design, or at least a design inspired by his, and he had no problem with it - “It’s just simple engineering” or something along those lines. Thank You Ken.
Adjustability
Access to the adjustable neck mechanism can be found beneath the rectangular inlay piece on the back of the neck. A simple turn of an Allen key can raise or lower the action according to your preference. This allows the neck to be adjusted on the fly if needed with respect to seasonal changes, string choices, altered tunings & playing styles.
I Beam Bracing
I’ve taken the opportunity to experiment with the bracing. Even before arriving in Newark as a student, I was obsessed with “I beams”, a structurally optimal way of constructing a beam with regard to its stiffness to weight ratio. In a world where marginal gains all add up to only a few percent “better”, I feel that the I beam is a logical choice to use when constructing guitars. I have utilised this bracing design for the main X brace of the soundboard and for all of the back braces.
Colours
Aesthetically, I wanted to introduce colour where I have typically used a restrained natural palette. I wanted to create a seemingly random use of colour and where my brain wanted to “fix” things, I just let it flow. Creating the multicoloured purfling was great fun and I couldn’t be happier with the result. The logo was a challenge, but I’m pleased with how that turned out too!
How does it play?
It’s genuinely a joy. Notes seemingly jump out of the guitar, it projects and sustains with glorious confidence. Being able to dial in the action according to whatever tuning you’re using - on the fly - is a real treat. It also mitigates any need for a neck reset in the future. The elevated nature of the fingerboard also gives you great access to the upper register even without a cutaway. I’m blown away by it and I hope you will be too.
