| Imagine my surprise and elation when one of my
all time favourite luthiers walks into the store with not one but two of
my favourite models the Concert Cutaway with side port! It is similar to
unwrapping a Christmas present and finding two slightly different versions
of the toy you always wanted!!
As always Mr. Barry's unparalleled attention to
all the little details both sonically and visually sets these guitars apart
at a time when scores of talented builders are at the top of their game.
The core design of these two guitars remains the same with a tone defined
by a full punchy bass response, articulate shimmering trebles, soft yet
cutting midrange and layer upon layer of gorgeous overtones to support
the note fundamental. These large bodied guitars feature a curvaceous 16"
lower bout but the tight waist makes it feel like you are holding a much
smaller guitar and the cutaway gives the player great access to the higher
frets. Both guitars also feature a side port which provides the player
with a monitoring factor and augments the overall volume and tone production
by allow the top to move more freely due to the increased rapid air movement.
What sets these two incredible guitars apart
you may ask? Many of us may be aware that spruce and rosewood yields one
of the most sought after tone combinations in the guitar world but imagine
the beautiful tonal variations that are possible by carefully selecting
different species of these woods. One pairing features a master grade Engleman
spruce top and master grade Madagascar rosewood sides and back while the
other has master grade Sitka spruce top and Brazilian rosewood sides and
back. Madagascar and Brazilian rosewood are very similar in visual appearance
and tonal content which includes a zesty and sparkly articulation, scooped
airy midrange and dark, punchy bass. In this case the Madagascar rosewood
has reddish orange hues to go with its darker grain lines and the Brazilian
is a more deep chocolate brown with some vertical dark grain lines running
the length of set. The body binding and purfling on both of these instruments
beautifully frame the wood sets while imparting a subtle yet eye catching
design aesthetic.
While I am familiar with the tonal variations of Engleman and Sitka
spruce I thought that I should ask the maestro himself for his thoughts
on these two different species.
"Sonically Sitka Spruce has a higher "ceiling" volume-wise
and tonally. It is capable of retaining nuance even when strummed relatively
aggressively and is compatible with most playing styles. Engleman is a
softer wood..unlike Sitka its darker growth lines (often referred to as
winter growth) are much less prominent hence the clearer and creamier appearance.
These dark growth lines are concentrated areas of cellulose and add a great
measure of stiffness to the wood. Engleman has a softer, rounder attack
with a slower overtone release. Overtones "bloom" behind the fundamental.
Engleman tops are favored for more ambient fingerstyle playing."
An additional structural and tonal benefit on both guitars
is the use of billet split adirondack spruce bracing. The billet splitting
ensures a quarter sawn bracing without runout and provides more strength
and greater stiffness with less deflection. This translates into better
energy transfer which provides more volume, sustain and tone.
The Engleman/Madagascar guitar has a medium elliptical neck profile
with a wider 1 3/4" bone nut and 2 11/32" saddle spacing and is geared
towards the fingerstyle player. While the Sitka/Brazilian guitar has a
lower profile neck and more narrow nut and spacing both guitars are very
comfortable and I easily executed both fingerstyle and flat picking passages
on both instruments.
G.W. Barry has been designing exquisitely elegant instruments which
push the sonic boundaries of guitar building for over thirty years and
each piece seems to be better than the last. As a guitar lover and flat
top player I am inspired every time I pick up one of his guitars and I
can hardly wait to see what he builds next!!
Special thanks to David Wren for the photographs.
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