The Guitar What Goes In Is What Comes OutANDR S Segovia, Carlos Montoya, Chet Atkins, Hendrix and Page are names renowned to millions of people worldwide. What do they have in common? They have entertained audiences by playing a fragile, wooden, stringed instrument, the guitar.The beautiful sound of the guitar is heard around the earth, played by amateur and professional alike. One of those responsible for its increased respect is the late Spanish concert guitarist Andr s Segovia, who took the guitar out of obscurity and turned it into a classical concert instrument.Why is the guitar so popular? Without doubt it's because its sound, whether in the flamenco, classical, modern style or electric its magic creates differing moods. But another reason is that it is so easy to carry.Whatever may be the reasons for its popularity, the way a guitar is constructed makes a big difference in the sound. The best guitars are usually created with great love and care by a person known as a luthier. Let us visit a luthiers workshop in Boston, U.S.A., and watch the making of a guitar.
As we are welcomed into his workshop, our attention is drawn to the enormous quantity of wood. But this is not just any sort of wood. Each piece has been carefully selected and stored for future guitars. Spruce and cedar for the top; rosewood, mahogany, and maple for the back and sides; and mahogany and Spanish cedar for the neck. For flamenco guitars Spanish cypress and sycamore are usually used for back and sides. Picking up a piece, we notice that it has a date marked on it. Our luthier friend explains: I prefer not to use any wood until it has dried naturally for about five years. Why is that? Because years of experience have proved that the age, the quality of the wood, and the luthiers skill determine the final characteristics of the guitar.
Lets watch over our luthiers shoulder as he builds a classical guitar. Guitars generally fall into two categories: Classical, or Spanish, and steel string. What are the differences? He answers: The differences between the two are many, but the choice of string material is the easiest way to distinguish each type. As its name implies, the steel-string guitar has metal strings. It is made in many sizes and shapes. On the other hand, on the classical guitar nylon or animal intestines, catgut, is used for string material on three strings and metal-spun silk on the other three.Our luthier prefers to have each customer visit his shop so he can listen to him play. In this way he can tailor a guitar to its client. How? Our builder explains: I watch how strongly they attack the strings, the type of sound they produce. I also want to know how they will use the guitar. Then I can adjust the building procedure slightly to match them personally. Do they play softly? Then I make certain parts of the guitar thinner or smaller so that it produces sound more easily. Are they aggressive? Then the guitar must be made slightly heavier.
The Loving ConstructionThe body top, or sound table: The actual construction begins by selecting the woods to be used. Our luthier picks carefully through a stack of spruce and occasionally holds a piece close to his ear and taps it with his finger. He is listening for many things; is the sound clear, loud, musical, and of long duration, or does it respond with a dull thud? Almost all body tops and backs are made from two matching pieces of wood. They are sawed from one board and then opened up like a book. In this way both halves look alike and have the same musical potential.The rosette: The top is thinned to approximately 1/8 inch, [3mm] and the beautiful sound-hole reinforcement, or rosette, is carefully fitted into a channel cut for it. The rosette is made from many pieces of wood of different colors and is one place where the luthier can express his artistic ability. It often requires one full days work to make and inlay a rosette. When the glue of the rosette has dr ied thoroughly, the top is thinned further, usually to about 1/10 inch. [2.5mm] The top is now cut to the outline of the guitar, and all the reinforcing braces are glued to the underside of the top. These braces are important to the sound production and the physical strength of the guitar. Most luthiers agree that the top produces most of the sound and is the single most important part of the guitar.Rosewood from Brazil is usually the first choice of the luthier for the back and sides because of its beautiful grain patterns, variety of colors, and sound-producing character.
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