| When Michael Greenfield came to Toronto last
week to deliver this remarkable C3 double-top prototype to its new owner,
I jumped at the chance to pop off a couple of shots of it. Michael
has been experimenting with an offset soundhole, negative neck angle,
double-top nylon string for a few years and this is the first one that
he has finally allowed for sale!
The nucleus of this instrument is the "double-top"
soundboard. Michael came up with the idea over breakfast 3 years
ago with Evan Davis (PhD in Acoustic Physics). "We drew it up on
a napkin! The idea is essentially to create an acoustic radiator
by using a series of concentric circles sandwiched between two very
thin membranes. The top is also lightly braced with an asymmetrical
elongated fan and several radial fingers too." Although the "double-top"
concept has been around for over a decade, Michael's use of delicate
wood concentric circles between the two skins is quite unique and seems
to produce an exquisitely responsive musical instrument with a very broad
palette of tone colours!
Michael also uses a negative neck
angle to good effect to not only give easier access to the upper frets
but to also drive the top more like a harp than the traditional Spanish
guitar. The slightly longer scale length is to address the more modern
repertoire which demands more alternate tunings than the standard dropped
D!
As with all of Michael's instruments,
the tonewoods on this guitar are breathtaking! He apparently out-bid
the late, much respected, Mike Longworth for this set of Brazilian
rosewood when it came up for sale around ten years ago! The
build quality on ALL of Michael Greenfield's instruments is flawless and
I mean FLAWLESS! |
