Sue 5/11/17 Sue 5/11/17

Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 6: Double Top

Don't know what a 'Double/Composite/Sandwich Top' is? Read this article to learn about them and find out how to buy one for about $500 -700!!!

Introduction

Of all the classical guitar design innovations that have evolved over the past three decades soundboard design is the one that has probably had the most time, effort, and thought dedicated to its development.

Why is this? The soundboard is where it all happens. It's the engine room and apart from your fingers the soundboard is the single-biggest factor in determining and shaping the overall sound and characteristics of the sound that you produce.

Traditional Soundboard Design

Traditional soundboard design is based around the Torres fan bracing style (see my other article on classical guitar bracing here) combined with a single piece of wood. That's the short of it. Have a look at the image below to see what a traditional soundboard looks like.

1943 Hauser soundboard (pic courtesy of Mangore.com)

Double Top; Composite Top; Sandwich Top

A picture of a 'Double Top' by Steve Andersen (click the image to watch his YouTube video).

As you can see in the image above a 'Double Top' or 'Sandwich Top/Composite Top' as it also called has two extremely thin pieces of wood joined together by a central core. Matthias Dammann is the German luthier associated with creating the first double tops for classical guitars however, it is Gernot Wagner (also from Germany) that suggested to Dammann to replace the tiny filaments of wood that he was using as the core with another material known as nomex.

Nomex core with the upper board (picture courtesy of Ortega Guitars)

Luthiers will usually apply a thin layer of epoxy to the nomex and the add the wooden top and bottom afterward effectively 'sandwiching' the nomex in-between using a vacuum press to seal all the bits together. The result is an exceptionally stiff & strong yet light and durable soundboard with delightful sonic capabilities often described by guitarists as having increased volume, a wider dynamic range, and lower bass fundamentals.

Famous Classical Guitar Luthiers Building Double Tops

Matthias Dammann (watch a video of me playing a 1995 Dammann in Hong Kong)
Gernot Wagner
Jim Redgate
Robert Ruck
Greg Smallman (read my article on lattice bracing)

Famous Players Playing Double Tops

Jason Vieaux
Manuel Barrueco
John Williams
David Russell
Scott Tennant

How You Can Get Your Hands On A Cheap One!

As you've probably guessed guitars from those luthiers don't come cheap so start saving or alternatively can source some nifty double tops from Aiersi in China starting at around US$500. I came across them out of curiosity when I was living in China. Considering what you're paying you get quite a decent guitar that usually has all the bells and whistles including:

7 strings (if you want that)
Double top (obviously)
Armrest
Elevated fretboard
Soundport
Electrics
All solid wood
20th fret

I'm not endorsed by Aiersi but I do think they represent a good deal if you haven't got US$10k lying around under the couch cushions. I should point out that Aiersi do offer OEM which basically means that if you buy X amount you can put your own label on them and start marketing them as your own brand. I've got nothing against that personally but you can expect (and I have seen these prices recently) to pay about US$2k if you live in the USA or a similar amount in Canadian $. I saw a fellow classical guitarist YouTuber recently post a review of a new brand in Canada selling Aiersi guitars as their own brand for 2k (they just put a fancy Italian/Spanish sounding name on it). Do yourself a favour - just buy direct from Aiersi but be sure to do your homework with your local import government office and be aware of any import duties, taxes, and also check that the wood the guitar is made from isn't subject to any regulations.

Check out my other articles in the

'Modern Classical Guitar Design Series':

Part 8: Fanned Frets

Part 7: Arched back

Part 5: Lattice Bracing

Part 4: Armrest

Part 3: Soundport

Part 2: Indented Cutaway

Part 1: Elevated Fingerboard

Let your fingers fly!

Sue 5/4/17 Sue 5/4/17

Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 1: Elevated Fretboard

Elevated fingerboards or Raised fretboards are probably the best classical guitar innovation in recent years for player's comfort. If you're like me and you've struggled to hit those notes beyond the 12th fret and especially past the 15th fret then read this article and then more importantly - go out and buy yourself a guitar with an elevated fretboard!

Elevated fretboard design from Kris Barnett

Introduction

The design of the classical guitar as we know it today was bought into existence by Antonio Torres Jurado around the middle of the 19th century. This design is known as the 'Torres' and for many years it has stood unrivalled as the standard for making classical guitars. Other designs such as post-Torres and Hauser have also had an impact on classical guitar design. Their designs had traditional fretboards that run parallel to the soundboard and only provided several millimetres of clearance above the soundboard. In recent times some luthiers have begun to incorporate a bold and innovative classical guitar design aimed at making it easier for guitar players to play beyond the 12th fret of the guitar.

The Elevated Fretboard

Recently some guitar makers have moved towards a 'raised' or 'elevated' fretboard. In this instance the fretboard's distance from the soundboard is increased. This has several advantages:

It provides easier access beyond the 12th fret
Increased mass provides superior sustain
The distance from the strings to the soundboard is increased providing an advantage for the right-hand

This is me playing a Usd60,000 matthias Dammann guitar in hong kong

Makers that use elevated fretboard construction in their guitars include:

I had the wonderful opportunity to play a 1995 Mathias Dammann guitar when I was living in Hong Kong in 2016. The guitar featured a double top and it also had a raised fretboard. I made a video of me playing the guitar in the store. You can watch it here. I can say without hesitation that an elevated guitar fretboard is definitely the way to go. I can see no disadvantages whatsoever from having this style fretboard. There is no visual impact when viewed from the front - it is only when viewed from the side that you can see the elevation.

I play a Takamine TH5C with a cutaway at the moment so there is no requirement for a raised fretboard but when I purchase a new concert classical I'll definitely make sure that it has an elevated fretboard. I'd be a fool not to...