Classical Build Thread - Jeremy Clark Cedar/Gombeira
 

For some unknown reason I've been strongly gravitating towards classical music and guitar for about the last 3-4 years, don't ask me why but I have. (I think it all started when I was watching Bachoholic videos here on the AGF!) So I'm super pumped to have found a builder who I think makes killer guitars and is totally cool with the non-traditional features that I want. That builder is Jeremy Clark.

Jeremy is based in Montreal and specializes in making classical guitars. He has a unique aesthetic (especially in the classical world) and his guitars sound amazing.

The specs are:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4625/...20c2b6f2_z.jpgspecs by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr


Here's the wood for the job:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4741/...085a8f1f_z.jpgIt starts with a pile of wood by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr



The Gombeira back:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4673/...ae470d05_z.jpgGombeira by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr


Jeremy started on the guitar this week so far he has the worked on the sides - in Jeremy's words - What you are seeing in this shot is what makes up your structured sides prior to bending/lamination. There is the outer layer of Gombeira, the western red cedar core, and the inner layer of Alaskan yellow cedar. Based on the individual properties of the materials certain variables need to be tweaked to meet a particular target weight for the rim set.


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4699/...705b4af5_o.jpgimage1 by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr


And he's thinking about the back - When you requested a “disconnected” inlay on the head (like that other guitar) I knew I had to put my thinking cap on. The last inlay contributed to the visual theme of the back and added to the cohesiveness of the piece. With your guitar being inherently asymmetrical the question of how to best “divide space” was key. With a nod to Carmen Herrera this is where I’m at:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4706/...413db11c_z.jpgimage2 by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr


More to come!

It's because it's generally far more interesting to listen to etc. but don't tell anyone I told you that.
You will not be dissapointed.

Dense, glassy stuff...:)

http://www.wood-database.com/wamara/

I absolutely love Jeremy's work ... he is an AMAZING craftsperson for sure!

I have to fully agree with that David!

Gombeira is a new wood to me. Where does it fall tonally? Looks like it's going to be a great build!

I picked up my custom classical from Jeremy in October of ‘17. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever played. Loud, responsive, sweet, great tone.

I opted for torrefied maple with torrefied spruce. It was Jeremy’s first time using torrefied wood and he did a great job. It was also the first guitar he did a scoop/cutaway on. His builds are impressive, especially for classicals where most luthiers are staying traditional, Jeremy is willing to try new things and use imperical evidence and testing to back up his specs. The adjustable neck and multi scale on mine are a dream come true.

I’ll be watching this gombeira build closely on instagram, that wood is nice!

Gombeira is new to me too but I've had good luck following my luthier's recommendations when it comes to wood.

I wanted a really rich, ++ overtone sound and this was Jeremy's suggestion. He said - Gombeira is a really special wood and in my opinion is in a class with very few other woods. It has a much lower level of damping and a much higher velocity of sound than pretty much anything I’ve ever tested. From a sheer material properties perspective it makes wenge look like cardboard and wenge is no slouch of a wood. It’s incredibly rare and the trees don’t get very big. I had the chance opportunity to purchase a couple of narrow boards several years ago and I haven’t been able to find any since. The back on that previous Gombeira instrument is multi-piece (I think it was five actually).

Note that he was talking about Wenge, which was my original choice.

Here's a pic of the aforementioned previous Gombeira instrument of his:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4697/...1938f72f_c.jpgeu5g09clcznj0yaiqghq.wdp by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr



It looks great too!

Man that one is yours! It looks awesome.

That's funny because when I asked Jeremy about the scoop cutaway, he said I just finished one of those and was totally open to doing it. That was one of the reasons I thought he was the guy to do my build. I half expected resistance because you know it's non-traditional (Side note I did approach a different well known US based luthier and he wasn't interested in the scoop cutaway - he thought I should just get the standard cutaway instead. So I kept shopping).

If you don't mind here's a pic for everyone:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4744/...0f3bfd25_c.jpgsdfsdf by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr

The Gombeira beautiful. I have never heard of it either and can't even find it in the Wood Database. Love that back stripe too.

Yep, that’s my guitar! The scoop is a night and day dfference, especially when coupled with the elevated fretboard. Playing a 12 or 14 fret guitar back to back with this is a real eye opener. There is no perceptible disadvantage sonically.

I also approached a few different luthiers, some were open to my ideas, some wanted no part. But Jeremy was ready to tackle torrefecation and scoops and he was ALREADY building adjustable necks, multiscales, tornavoz, sound ports, elevated fretboards, modern bracing, and 12 hole tie blocks.

There are little hints that he does which go a long way, like on the bridge, the string holes are lined with aluminum ferrules so your strings don’t chew into the wood. He was familiar with my request to move the nut slots slightly away from the high ‘e’ edge of the fret board since some classical players have strings slip off the edge on them.

Tristan, if you have the luxury fly or drive up to Montreal to get your guitar. My wife and I combined it with a vacation to Montreal/Quebec City and it was great to meet Jeremy and talk shop with him.

That is a great idea! I've been to both cities and they are marvelous.

Here's the pics that arrived today. First is the a side in the laminating fixture:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4671/...31bb6798_c.jpgbending the sides by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr


And here's a peak at the back - the inlay is wenge:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4652/...bd7fb8f1_c.jpgthe back by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr

I love Jeremy’s work... I follow him on Delcamp from time to time. Thanks for posting!

Today's pic:


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4655/...2aeb652d_c.jpga block plane is a wonderful thing by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr

Today's pic - looks like wenge in there!


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4632/...16353978_c.jpgsneak peak of the rosette by Tristan Koehler, on Flickr