Seen here is a Turrentine Elegy N-60 concert classical built during 2019 in the shop of Zebulon Turrentine, in the Tennessee Appalachian mountains. The Turrentine Elegy N-60 features a Red Cedar top, lattice braced with strategically placed carbon fibre bars.
Concert
The Alhambra Luthier Rio Concert Classical Guitar is an excellent instrument, available only on special order. It features a Master Grade cedar top and solid Brazilian rosewood back and sides. The name of the model, ‘Rio’, comes from the Spanish name for Brazilian Rosewood – Palosanto de Rio. The Alhambra Guitar Company of Muro de Alcoy in Spain have built a reputation for crafting high quality nylon string guitars used extensively by students, educators and professional musicians.
Here we are looking at the Thomas Malapanis Classical numbered 26, and dated to 2004. The top is Red Cedar, while the sides, back, headplate and bridge are Cocobolo. The sides are lined with a Cypress or Sycamore facing, not the same as ‘laminate’ woods, a technique pioneered by Jose Ramirez III to help increase clarity, and still used on some higher end Ramirez models.
Here we have a Twisted Wood Aurora Soprano ukulele, with Laminate Koa for the top, back and sides. The neck is Mahogany with Walnut used for the fingerboard and bridge, and Mahogany is also used for the binding and rosette. This is a straightforward, intermediate level Soprano Ukulele, well built and the wood choices provide a full, rich tone with the Walnut on the bridge and fingerboard adding warmth and a hint of chime.
Here we have a Twisted Wood Koa Concert Ukulele. Built using solid Hawaiian Koa for the top, back and sides, the neck is Mahogany with Ebony used for the fingerboard and bridge. In a departure from traditional Ukulele construction, a pin-style bridge as found on steel string guitars is used. This type of bridge is much easier to restring than the tie-block type found on traditional Ukes, and on Classical and Flamenco nylon string guitars.