The journey of an idea II

What I love about guitar making is that it's a practical subject, not a theoretical one. You can fantasise all day long about what an idea might sound like but the only way you can find out is to make it.

I made the first prototype in late 2007, from a fine looking set of Mexican Cocobolo and a fine old German spruce soundboard. The neck was a rather complicated affair made of mahogany and reinforced left right and centre with carbon fibre and graphite bars.

My old boss Stefan always drummed into me - "if you are doing an experimental guitar, make sure it's pretty!" and this certainly was. The shape I used was my new Model S shape and Dave Wilson rang up in the middle of the spray job just to tell me how amazing the guitar looked and everyone who had walked into his workshop had wanted to know more about it. The guitar looked utterly modern yet with a nod to the past. Well, things seemed to be going well, but there was just one small question to be answered...

The moment of truth came when she came back from Dave's and was ready to be strung up. How would she sound? Well the answer was......quiet and soft. There was so much bass! and not much else.

A friend of mine Niall Cain, a fine violin maker, suggested a change in the transmission. There was a fine bolt pulling the neck and soundboard together, and Niall suggested taking the bolt out and wedging a little bridge between the two. So I gave it a try. The guitar got louder but still no great shakes, and I knew as the soundboard was thin and flat (and therefore weak) it would slowly sink under the bridge pressure and get quieter still.

Back to the drawing board. But where to go next?