Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 7: Arched Back

A beautiful example of an 'arched back' classical guitar by Theo Sharpach.

Introduction

Classical guitars have been around in their present form for circa 200 years. Since that time their design has been an ongoing, constant, breathing topic. Unlike many other instruments from that time the design of classical guitars and guitars in general hasn't stopped evolving. Many luthiers are constantly striving to improve the design by making guitars easier to play, lighter & stronger with beautiful tones and aesthetics to match. 

One such design that has been gaining more ground over the past few decades is the 'arched back classical guitar'. 

Traditional Vs Arched

One of the best ways to describe the arched back of a classical guitar is to compare it to the traditional back which was for all intents and purposes - flat. The picture below shows a traditional classical guitar design with a flat back.

Traditional guitar back by Zebulon Turrentine.

Pictured below is a wonderful picture clearly showing the arched back and its radically different style. 

A stunning example of an arched back guitar from Ziata guitars.

From the two pictures above it is very easy to see the aesthetic differences between the two designs. Yet perhaps the most important point to consider is the impact upon volume, comfort, and tonal difference that an arched-back designed guitar has compared to it's flat-backed predecessors.

A little bit of history

Arched back guitars have been around for at least 4 decades and have been used quite regularly in acoustic guitar design by famous makers such as Taylor and Guild. Their use and integration into production-model guitars by such well-known and respected guitar makers is a definitive sign that the design works and has been accepted by the guitar community at large. Classical guitar makers have been a bit slower to adopt the arched back design but it is definitely gaining momentum and acceptance by luthiers around the globe.

Pros & Cons

At the heart of the matter is sound and more so the quality of sound. Many guitar makers in recent years have been striving to make classical guitars that have more projection and are louder than the guitars of yesteryear. There is a school of thought out there that believe the beautiful lively tones of Ramirez & Hauser has been superseded & replaced by guitars that have volume but lack the beautiful and somewhat earthy and wild sound of older instruments. This of course if purely subjective and there are posits for both camps.

Let's look at the Pros

• Increased rigidity - similar to the strength of an arch in a building or bridge
• Focused - the parabolic shape is said to 'focus' the projection of the sound
• Raises the resonant frequency
• Increased sustain

A rare glimpse at an arched back with 'braceless construction'.

McKnight Guitars

Let's look at the Cons

• Heavier than a comparable flat back
• Tend to sound 'darker'
• Excess sustain can 'muddy' up the sound

Where can I buy one?

Here's a nice list of luthiers that are making braceless arched back classical guitars with great results:

• Jim Redgate
• Kris Barnett
• Theo Sharpach
• Michael Greenfield

I have to be honest and say that the only arch back guitars I've played have all been Ovation guitars (which is about as arched as it gets!) so I'm writing this article based upon testimonies of luthiers and players. Please leave a comment below and also check out my other articles on modern classical guitar design innovations.

Check out my other Modern Classical Guitar Design articles

Part 8: Fanned Frets

Part 6: Double Tops

Part 5: Lattice Bracing

Part 4: Armrest

Part 3: Soundport

Part 2: Indented Cutaway

Part 1: Elevated Fingerboard

Let your fingers fly!

Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 6: Double Top

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!

Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 5: Lattice Bracing

A view of a lattice bracing system (http://www.guitarras-fogas.com)

Introduction

Up until a couple of decades ago most if not all classical guitars were constructed using the fan bracing method or variations thereof. Prior to that 'ladder bracing' was used in the smaller predecessors of the modern guitar. Once Antonio de Torres arrived on the scene the style of bracing for the soundboard changed with his radical new concept of braces splaying out in the shape of a fan. This style of bracing has been used successfully for almost two centuries and it is still probably the most common type of bracing used in classical guitar design today. However, in the 80s master Australian luthier Greg Smallman revolutionised the bracing system for the guitar soundboard by introducing a system known as 'lattice bracing'. 

The glorious phenomenon with the guitar is that it is still evolving. It is a work in progress and it seems as though the rate of change and experimentation with its fundamental design is an ever-changing thing. There is probably no other instrument on earth that is made with such wildly varying designs, shapes, patterns, styles, sizes, materials and so on. Guitar luthiers seem like a wild bunch always pushing the boundaries of guitar style, design, and most importantly - sound. 

What does a classical guitar fan brace look like?

In the picture below you can see a wonderful example of fan bracing used to support the top. The braces all 'fan' out towards the edges of the soundboard hence the term 'fan bracing'. There are several well-known variations to the basic Torres design:

• Amadeo
• Bouchet (pictured below)
• Cordoba
• Esteso
• Panormo
• Tatay
• Yacobi

An example of traditional 'Bouchet' fan bracing taken from Randy Reynold's website.

These innovations do have an impact on the tones and frequencies that are projected and amplified by the guitar itself. The traditional 'ladder bracing' ran at a 90degree angle to the soundboard grain produce a thinner, treble biased sound somewhat similar to that of the lute. The Torres 'fan bracing' combined with a larger body and thinner top produced warm instruments with an enhanced bass response and projection.

Enter Greg Smallman - Bearded luthier extraordinaire with his revolutionary 'lattice bracing' innovation. Three decades ago Australian Greg Smallman irreversibly changed the design of classical guitar bracing by introducing a system of overlapping struts all joined together using a combination of carbon fibre and balsa wood in a 'lattice' framework joined to a top that is much thinner than tops using the conventional Torres bracing. The result is a guitar with extraordinary clarity, even and consistent frequency response & fuller tone.

Pros & Cons of a lattice-braced guitar

Pros:

- Loud. An increase in volume offers the guitarist more dynamic possibilities

- Sustain for days

Cons:

- Non-traditional tone (sometimes described as nasal)

- Too Lound (is there even such a thing?)

Famous players that play lattice braced guitars

• John Williams
• Xuefei Yang
• Carlos Bonnel
• Timothy Kain
• Stepan Rak
• David Tannenbaum

Xuefei yang playing one of her greg smallman guitars in concert.

A wonderful example of the power of a lattice braced guitar can be heard in John Williams' documentary 'The Seville Concert'. John visits Greg Smallman at his home in NSW, Australia. During their meeting John plays a snippet of the third movement of the 'Concerto in D RV230' by Antonio Vivaldi after they've visited Smallman's workshop. The power and clarity displayed by that instrument during that wee snippet is undeniable.

In conclusion

At the end of the day the most important thing is how the guitar makes you feel. Choose a guitar that suits you not because it has some cutting-edge design features or because of its brand.

Check out my other articles in the

'Modern Classical Guitar Design Series':

Part 8: Fanned Frets

Part 7: Arched back

Part 6: Double Tops 

Part 4: Armrest

Part 3: Soundport

Part 2: Indented Cutaway

Part 1: Elevated Fingerboard

Let your fingers fly!