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| Try designing a guitar bridge.
No really ... sit down with a blank piece of paper and come up with something
different than the standard belly bridge used for the last 70 years.
Yes, I know, we've all been subjected to some different designs
over the years ... things that look like small martial arts weapons or
like someone spilled a jar of blueberry jam on the top of your guitar ...
but I mean, come up with some different but TASTEFUL.
It's not easy is it? Well check out the absolutely brilliant
sculpted lines of Sergei de Jonge's bridge. It is brilliant in it's
simplicity. The outline is distinctive without being outlandish.
What really gets to me is the different facets that comprise the contours
and the precision in which they are executed. Brilliant!
For that matter, sit down and come up with
a body shape, a peghead silhouette, or any combination of acoustic
and aesthetic design elements that coalesce to become an acoustic guitar.
It takes a very good eye ... someone with an innate & intuitive design
sense just to put an instrument like this on paper, let alone fabricate
it ... and make it sound great! But this is only one of the areas
in which Mr. de Jonge excels. |
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When I think of Sergei de Jonge, the one
over-riding impression that has stuck with me over the last thirty years
is ... here is a man with a STRONG affinity for wood. On the surface,
this does not seem like an earth shattering pronouncement ... unless you've
worked with wood yourself. Any woodworker has a story about
that person who seems to effortlessly practice his or her trade ... as
natural as breathing. Sergei is one of those. He can
scratch the surface of a top, flex it, tap it, smell
it ... and get a strong sense of it's resonance and sound velocity.
Yes, part of this sense is acquired from over 35 years of experience,
but I'm convinced a large part of it was just there. To get
past a certain level in the pursuit of lutherie, you either have
it ... or you don't. Once again, this guitar proves that Sergei
de Jonge definitely has it!
When I opened the case on this guitar for
the first time, as much as I was impatient to play it, it was
impossible not to stop and ogle! You can't help but be mesmerized
by the Snakewood bridge, the intricate custom inlay, the swirling
patterns in the spalted maple rosette ... and that Brazilian ... oh mama!!!
Just the wonderful organic feel of the meticulously executed French Polish
finish is enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!
This is simply a tour-de-force that only a veteran luthier could pull off!!!
The great thing about playing a really great
musical instrument is, the instant the first note is sounded,
the analytical part of your brain switches off, and that purely subliminal
part of your subconscious takes over. You stop looking at joinery
and just let the essence of the sound permeate your psyche. Yes,
there are things you can quantify about sound. Is this guitar loud
(check). Is the sustain good and the response balanced and even (check,
check). Is there a strong note fundamental followed by an interesting
overtone series ... that doesn't interfere with the overall clarity of
the instrument (triple check mark). This instrument passes
all of those tests with flying colours but more than that, it has
that certain X-factor that is difficult to define ... whatever it is that
pushes a guitar across the line into greatness!!! (check) |
