Sungha Jung Build Thread
For most of you, Sungha Jung needs no introduction. Hailing from South Korea, Sungha is one of the world’s most renowned fingerstyle guitarists, with a YouTube following of over 7 million people! His intricate playing style and musicality have captivated audiences around the globe.
Over the past few years we’ve been delighted to see and hear Sungha Jung demoing some of our guitars through our fantastic dealers in Seoul, WoodSound. His effortless touch and expressive sound pair beautifully with the tone of a Taran Guitar.
We’re now incredibly excited to share that we’ve been working closely with Sungha and have recently started crafting his very own Tirga Beag! Designed primarily for recording this custom build will highlight our signature Taran sound - crystal clear, well balanced, with rich, articulate trebles.
To achieve this, we’ve chosen:
Back and sides: Stunning Madagascan Rosewood for its depth and clarity.
Soundboard: Master grade Italian Spruce to capture every nuance of Sungha’s playing.
Neck: Scottish Walnut - a recent favourite of ours - adding a touch of warmth to complement the guitar’s clarity.
Starting The Build
The first part of our build process is to get the “prep” work done. This means joining the soundboard and back, thicknessing the plates and sides, bending the sides and getting the rest of the materials for the build roughed out (e.g. neck, fingerboard, headplates, braces etc.).
Once these elements are ready, we give the wood time to settle. Even with well-seasoned materials, the process of thicknessing and bending introduces tension — the wood needs time to adjust to its new form. Our warm and carefully controlled workshop provides the perfect environment for this stage.
Once everything has settled, the build will begin in earnest, and we’re looking forward to sharing the journey with you.
Constructing the Sides
With the wood now rested, our head luthier Zachie has set Sungha’s build in motion.
The way that our sides are constructed has evolved a lot over the past few years. While the core philosophy remains the same, we’ve made many subtle refinements - and together, those small changes make a tangible difference to the final sound of the instrument.
The principle is simple: we want the sides to be as rigid and lightweight as possible. This helps to ensure the energy from the strings stays focused in the soundboard rather than being lost to the sides. We often liken it to a drum, where the flexible drumskin creates the sound, and the solid metal rim and rigid sides helps to concentrate and direct the energy into that skin.
Our fully kerfed laminated sides are incredibly stiff and lightweight. Over time, we’ve refined this even further by adding internal linings. These linings act a little like the metal rim of the drum, reinforcing the structure and helping to concentrate vibration in the top.
The material choice for the linings is an important consideration as different woods can impart different tonal characteristics. For Sungha’s Tirga Beag, we’ve selected some beautiful Indian Rosewood for the linings. This pairing supports the clarity, balance and expressive trebles we’re aiming for - all hallmarks of the Taran sound.
We love to obsess over the details and one of our favourites at the moment is the profile that we cut into the linings. It’s a tiny element - but hopefully one that brings a smile to the player when they spot it.
We’re thrilled to have Sungha’s guitar underway and can’t wait to share the next stages of the build with you soon.