DS1 TIRGA BEAG

april 2018

 
 
 

I have had this guitar in my mind for some time now. I wanted to revisit a guitar that I made for Matheu Watson seven years ago. His signature Dana fan fret has a heart of gold, a warmth in the midsection and an incredible focus. The guitar was made of African Blackwood and Swiss Spruce. However, it was the Wenge neck that really made the difference. When you have an already focused wood like ABW and combine it with a massively dense neck, the outcome is an uncompromisingly direct instrument. The Swiss Spruce pulls out the warmth, making the bell-like notes rounded and simply beautiful.

I had to go back...

I set out the plans for this very special guitar, with one major change. In 2016, I visited my friend Stefan Sobell to select Malaysian Blackwood sets from Stephen Keys. All of the 30 sets I bought that day were amazing and beautiful. However, there were a number that just had something 'extra'. These truly master grade Malaysian Blackwood sets have been put aside for guitars like this one.

A new technique which I have learned is 'hot sand fading'. This is the process of carefully heating wood up in hot sand until the colour changes. The hard bit is not setting it on fire which is very easy to do! On the guitar the hot fade was used for the Crail Elm detailing and bevel. 

 

 
 

 

 

Materials

  • Back and Sides - Master grade Malaysian Blackwood

  • Soundboard - Master grade Swiss Spruce

  • Rosette - Hot sand fade Crail Elm and Wenge

  • Bindings - Ebano and Scottish Sycamore purfling

  • Front Purfling - Wenge and Scottish Sycamore purfling around the soundboard

  • Linings - Cured spalted Beech

  • Bevel - Hot sand fade Crail Elm

  • Neck - Wenge

  • Fretboard - Ebony bound with Ebano with 0.3mm white line

  • Fret Markers - 9ct gold dots with 9ct gold Circles at 12th fret

  • Frets - Jessica wire with semi-hemispherical fret ends

  • Headstock - Figured Malaysian Blackwood grafts with white veneers under sheaths

  • Handmade tuners in gold and blued steel by Keith Robson

  • Hand-carved solid Ebony bridge with Ebony pins

  • t. hand-cut from solid 9ct gold sheet

 

 

SIZES

Scale - 645mm (25.4”)

Frets to body - 14 

Body length - 495mm

Max body width - 402mm

Depth - 118mm

Width at nut - 45mm

Spacing at saddle - 59mm

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