’S GUIDE TO LEARNING JAZZ AXES OF INNOVATION CREATIVE NEW GUITAR CONCEPTS FOR THE MODERN AGE 102 Eric DiVito Ken Parker Bubbles Master Class model archtop 104 Derek Trucks Solo Transcription 106 Toolshed CREATIVE NEW GUITAR CONCEPTS FOR THE MODERN AGE By Keith Baumann ost of us don’t think twice when we plug and treble side of the top, or an X-brace pattern Mour beloved Strats or Teles into a digital similar to flattops. Materials tuner, run them through a DSP effects Bracing is an absolutely critical factor in shap- hen it comes to materials, tonewoods such processor, or even connect directly to a laptop ing a guitar’s tone, and the battle of stability- Was spruce, maple, mahogany, walnut and or tablet computer. But there is irony inherent in versus-tone has been raging for years. Techniques rosewood have all become widely accepted indus- this scenario—kind of like a driver in a Model T such as scalloping or shaving braces and tap- try standards due to their ability to produce warm, Ford talking on an iPhone. The fact is that despite tuning tops to maximize responsiveness are com- complex tones. Although there are numerous major advances in technology, the basic design of mon practices. But despite all these subtle varia- additional hardwood species now being utilized, the acoustic and electric guitar has been surpris- tions, most luthiers still rely on traditional brac- the industry remains focused primarily on wood ingly stagnant throughout the decades. ing methodologies. There are, however, a select as its primary choice for construction. The tonal Over the past 70 years, guitar culture and few who have strayed far from the pack and are advantages of wooden construction are obvious— instrument design have remained highly resistant attempting to test the laws of physics. just ask anyone who has ever picked on a vintage to change, with players and manufacturers slow to Mike Shellhammer was driven to find adopt new concepts. Although computer technol- a better way to brace an acoustic gui- Traugott 7-string ogy has greatly impacted the way we make instru- tar without causing significant dampen- fanned fret ments and generated an explosion of digital out- ing to the top’s vibrations. After 15 years board gear, players tend to stay stubbornly loyal of development, he created the Suspended to the classic guitar designs, choosing instruments Bracing System (SBS), which utilizes two that pay tribute to the legendary axes first intro- aluminum bars that are suspended from duced to us by industry giants like Martin, Gibson the soundboard, anchored only at their and Fender. Among such a conservative market- ends. This allows the entire top to vibrate place, innovation is an extremely risky proposi- freely while still providing the necessary tion. One has to dig deep to uncover those with stability. Shellhammer also felt that the the true grit to push tradition and blaze entirely traditional placement of the soundhole in new trails into the guitar universe. an acoustic guitar was not optimal since In seeking out trends in guitar innovation, we it weakened the overall structure, requir- stayed focused mainly on the instrument itself, ing the need for stiffer bracing. His design targeting concepts and technologies that occur relocated the opening off to the side, closer within the guitar and not through outboard gear to the player’s ear, which he felt had struc- or external software. Each represents a notable tural advantages and greatly enhanced the departure from standard methodologies. Our overall playing experience. research revealed several key categories where This radical new concept became the there is a significant amount of development as cornerstone of the Boulder Creek Guitar well as a noticeable interest from musicians. These Company, which has been manufacturing include innovative bracing patterns, new body a successful line of SBS-equipped guitars design concepts, unconventional construction for six years. According to Jeff Strametz, materials, fan fret models (variable scale length), CEO of Boulder Creek Guitars, “It was amplification/pickup technology and on-board very difficult to sell the concept to gui- DSP/MIDI capabilities. tar manufacturers since it was some- thing so foreign and completely different.” Bracing Strametz describes his guitars as excep- imply put, bracing a guitar’s top is a necessary tionally well-balanced, producing a tone Sevil on wooden instruments with hollow body reminiscent of instruments that sell for a chambers such as acoustic flattops and arch- significantly higher price tag. Martin guitar or strummed a Lloyd Loar L-5. So, tops. The braces’ main function is to strengthen Luthier Lukas Brunner is another innovator why look for alternative materials? To begin with, the soundboard so that it does not distort when who felt dissatisfied with the traditional X-brace environmental concerns such as unsustainable placed under pressure by the strings. In order to design. Brunner noticed how gluing on braces harvesting have made some of these woods more vibrate freely and produce rich tone, a guitar’s top actually divides a top into several different sec- difficult, or at least significantly more expensive, needs to be thin enough to react efficiently to the tions that each vibrate unevenly. His solution to acquire. Furthermore, laws like the Lacey Act playing, yet stiff enough to resist any warping. The was to create the “Flying Top” bracing system. have actually made some species illegal to import. compromise is a pattern of thin wooden struts Traditional braces are replaced by an extra layer Availability issues aside, wood, among its many glued to the underside of the top. of spruce that is glued onto the center of the top benefits, also has some distinct disadvantages. As Most acoustic flattops utilize a variation of to create additional strength. Brunner then adds a good a sound transmitter as it is, wood is actual- X-bracing, which places the struts in an “X” pat- set of wood braces that are supported on the sides, ly quite inconsistent, with variations in structure tern across the soundboard (a technique that has contacting the top in only one spot. These floating and density throughout any given slab. In fact, been around since the 1840s). Archtop instru- braces, along with his use of a tapered top design, some will tell you that the most consistent thing ments generally use either a parallel bracing sys- leave the soundboard free to vibrate and result in about any wood is its inconsistency. To top it off, tem consisting of two tone bars placed on the bass increased balance, clarity and volume. wood is highly susceptible to climate changes such 96 DOWNBEAT JULY 2014 Andy Reiss plays a Martin Lewis as temperature and humidity. carbon fiber archtop With these drawbacks in mind, there were those who felt there must be a suit- able alternative to wood as a tone produc- er. The answer was carbon fiber (CF), a composite material capable of an extreme- ly high strength-to-weight ratio that can be molded into virtually any shape. Carbon fiber was already being used in rac- ing cars and sailing boat hulls before its unique resonance prop- erties were discovered by musicians such as Martin Lewis, who immedi- ately recognized its potential and began constructing stringed instru- ments with it. Lewis is now among numerous builders working with carbon fiber, but his company is the only one that currently offers Godin Montreal Premiere with an acoustic archtop guitar model. TriplePlay Unlike traditional instrument building in which a guitar is assem- bled from individual pieces, carbon fiber guitars are created from a mold, weak link that is susceptible to climate and stress,” and Emerald Guitars all produce CF instruments. with the back, sides, neck and Coomar says. RainSong also notes that not all CF headstock formed as one solid guitars are the same, as there are several differ- Fanned Frets piece. The top and fingerboard ent weaves and manufacturing methods that can (Variable Scale Length) are then added to complete shape the sound in various ways. “We do not try ny musician who has broken a string, or the instrument. Lewis choos- and replicate the tone of wood, but bring out the Astruggled to get their instrument to play es to form his necks separate- unique sound of the material,” Coomar says of his perfectly in tune up and down the fretboard, has ly, and then attaches them to the carbon fiber guitars. RainSong and Lewis are not been the victim of a little-known fact about gui- body in a more traditional fashion. alone in the carbon fiber revolution: Companies tars: The standard fixed scale layout used on near- The incredible tensile strength of the such as Blackbird Guitars, Composite Acoustics ly every guitar is inherently flawed. It’s a compro- material completely eliminates the need for top bracing or truss rods, although some manufacturers have chosen to include them. Martin Lewis Stringed Instruments has built 23 archtops in 17- and 14-inch designs. Lewis takes great care with every guitar he makes and actually tap-tunes each top. “I tap-tune CF differently than I would wood,” he says. “CF has its own sound—not as complex as wood, which has vari- ations in the material throughout. CF is so even that you get consistent vol- ume and tone up and down the neck.” RainSong Guitars also believes strongly in carbon fiber and was the first company to offer a full line of CF guitars. President and CEO Ashvin Coomar says he feels that the consisten- cy and repeat- Eastman AC822CE fanned fret ability of his guitars are rea- sons why artists like Leo Kottke play carbon fiber instruments.