Australian Red Cedar/Wenge classical guitar
Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 11:41 pm
Strung up my second classical guitar this evening. I'm reasonably happy with the sound and it's a lot better than my first. The previous one sounded more like a flamenco (which may have been the cypress sides, or maybe I went too thin on the soundboard). This one is more pleasant to listen to and has better sustain.
The main thing that stands out on this one is the volume - it is a super loud guitar. As I'm still learning the ropes I built it as a bit of an experiment "building on the edge" for volume. So it has a pretty thin soundboard, normal/slightly higher Hauser bracing, and a high saddle. I'm wondering if it will explode or belly or something similar someday soon.. will find out soon enough if I went too far! It weighs in at 1499 grams, which I reckon is pretty light considering Wenge seems to be quite dense stuff. Photos and a couple of quick sound clips from the iPhone below.
Soundboard: Australian Red Cedar
Back/Sides: Wenge
Bindings: Maple
Rosette: Purpleheart, Wenge, Camphor Laurel
Tuners: Rubner
Finish: French polish (4 days in... still a way to go)
Bracing: Hauser '37
The main thing that stands out on this one is the volume - it is a super loud guitar. As I'm still learning the ropes I built it as a bit of an experiment "building on the edge" for volume. So it has a pretty thin soundboard, normal/slightly higher Hauser bracing, and a high saddle. I'm wondering if it will explode or belly or something similar someday soon.. will find out soon enough if I went too far! It weighs in at 1499 grams, which I reckon is pretty light considering Wenge seems to be quite dense stuff. Photos and a couple of quick sound clips from the iPhone below.
Soundboard: Australian Red Cedar
Back/Sides: Wenge
Bindings: Maple
Rosette: Purpleheart, Wenge, Camphor Laurel
Tuners: Rubner
Finish: French polish (4 days in... still a way to go)
Bracing: Hauser '37