Tom King, Modern Gypsy Acoustic Guitar (ART, OBJECTS 2022)

Photos:

Tom King

Video tour

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This acoustic guitar was commissioned to be packed with unconventional design features both inside and out, and built with cutting-edge construction methods. Its body shape is a nod to traditional gypsy jazz guitars of old, while the offset soundhole, right-angled cutaway and hollow headstock give a contrastingly modern first impression. The soundboard was constructed using a ‘double-top’ technique to optimise sound projection, sandwiching Nomex honeycomb fibre between two thin layers of European Spruce. Rather than conventional X-bracing, the soundboard utilises ‘Falcate bracing’, wherein multiple thin layers of spruce are steam-bent and then laminated to specific curves that optimise the guitar’s natural resonant frequencies. The back is uncharacteristically braceless, relying on layers of Caribbean Pernambuco and Western Red Cedar laminated in alternating grain directions, with a hollow Nomex honeycomb core to provide even stiffness and improved sound reflection. The sides are designed to better withstand years of string tension by laminating the outer Pernambuco showpiece to multiple layers of kerfed and solid Western Red Cedar full-height linings. The neck’s heel has been carved from Honduran mahogany in a wave-like pattern that is aesthetically pleasing while also being functional, providing better access to the high frets. The guitar body contains three bevels along its edges that allow a greater degree of comfort and playability. They, along with the end graft and heel cap, have been veneered with eye-catching buckeye burl that has been carefully burned at its ends via the sand-shading process to blend into the ebony bindings. The fully-removable bolt-on neck contains multiple carbon-fibre reinforcements, custom buckeye burl inlays, and semi-hemispherical fret ends. Lastly, the internals were stained to a dark patina using a homemade iron acetate solution.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.