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Ensor Guitars- Rustic Inspired Concert- FINAL PHOTOS & VIDEO
My client was drawn to my recent walnut/cedar concert,
but wanted to put a different twist on it. First off, he's primarily a classical player. So he wanted it to "estimate a classical" in a few ways- mostly the feel of the neck and the string spacing. Also, he wants a mellow tone without the brashness typical to steel strings (at lease when compared to nylon strings). Secondly, he wanted to have a "rustic" aesthetic. So we started with the pairing of walnut and cedar as well as the concert shape. From there, he put his own spin on the look. Raw materials (subject to change): Let's get started: The original idea for the rosette was radial brazilian kingwood. That idea was quickly abandoned for something that fit in much better with the rustic theme: Plates: This is going to be an abridged build thread, but should be fun regardless. Follow along. More coming soon.
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Chris Ensor Last edited by CaE; 04-19-2018 at 10:31 AM. |
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Lovely walnut!
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What differences would you notice with that back bracing compared to a more standard ladder brace configuration?
Also, what is the little square located between the two lower braces on the top?
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1995 Maton EM725C - Solid 'A' Spruce Top, QLD Walnut B&S, AP5 Pickup 2018 Custom Built OM - Silver Quandong Top, Aussie Blackwood B&S, Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend Pickup 2021 Faith Neptune Baritone - Solid Englemann Spruce Top, Solid Indonesian Rosewood B&S, Fishman INK3 Pickup 2022 Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar |
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For good luck.
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Fred |
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That's some beautiful "rustic" wood there Chris! Looking forward to the progress!
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Quote:
The "little square" is a center seam reinforcement. The rest of the top seam is covered. But below the bridge plate, it's pretty open. That little square is just a little bit of insurance.
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Chris Ensor |
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Wow! Love your recent build pics. Will enjoy following this build as well,Mike
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The original plan was to use myrtle purfling everywhere. When I went to lay up the purfling for the top, I thought, "How boring!" I suggested to the client that we try radial myrtle. I had a piece that had some really nice color variations in it. He agreed it was a better choice for the top. We stuck with "regular" myrtle pufling for the rest of the body.
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Chris Ensor |
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Thanks for posting. I really like the less-bright, less-contrasty bindings and rosette. It's subtle but still very visible. Personally, I really like guitars that do not scream with decoration, but reveal their appearance more quietly. Wonderful. I saw Eric Bibb a while back, and one of his guitars was a Pedros that was similarly bound and finished in this lower-contrast manner. I loved that one at the time, and really like yours. I find cedar tops to be beautiful, too and wonder what the tone of your will be. In my experience, cedar has been airy and dry -- I really like that -- but on this forum it often gets described as "warm" and not complex... which I don't really understand. I'll be interested in how this one sounds! Beautiful work.
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Hey Chris,
What type of walnut is that? Mark
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Guitars; Esteban -"Tribute to Paula Abdul L.E." Arturo Fuente- Cigar Box"Hand Made" First Act-"Diamond Bling" Main Street- "Flaming Acoustic" Silvertone-"Paul Stanley Dark Star" Daisy Rock- "Purple Daze" |
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The neck on this guitar is black walnut multiply- to match the black walnut used for the back & sides. The plys are myrtle and indian rosewood- to match the binding and purfling used on the body.
The neck is profiled with a wide, flat D like profile- per the customer's request.
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Chris Ensor |
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Quote:
Beautiful walnut and interesting back bracing. Two questions: 1. You have explained your back bracing above, do you feel this bracing pattern makes the back more 'alive' than the standard 3 or 4 straight line ladder bracing? 2. How is it possible to achieve a mellower tone leaning towards the Nylon guitar spectrum in a steel string? I am curious to this as well, as I find most steel strings too brash and zingy, but nylons too dull... Thank you
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myspace Artist page: http://www.myspace.com/kabeern Youtube page:http://www.youtube.com/user/Kabeern |
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Quote:
-The back bracing I use is indeed considered a "live" bracing pattern- which is reported to contribute more "color" to the tone of the guitar. -The first thing we did to achieve the tone the client was after was to choose the correct wood combination. Walnut and Cedar- to both my and my client's ears- results in a nice, mellow tone (cedar in particular). Also, the client chose a very specific type of string that has a mellow tone palette. Additionally, the top was tuned in a way that gives the bass and mids more strength. And lastly, I used a maple bridge plate as opposed to the osage orange I typically use. All of these factors will help achieve the tone he's after.
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Chris Ensor |
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Good looking guitar Chris. Cedar/walnut will sound great. Loving the neck too, I think myrtle accents are a cool choice.
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Kinnaird Guitars |
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Everything..the previously completed one, the design, the wood choices, and the sound profile goal, is extremely appealing.
Curious about the string choice? I suspect this is one people would particularly appreciate hearing a sound sample once completed. Last edited by Ct20; 02-26-2018 at 12:06 PM. Reason: spelling |