Experimental Builds

Four of our eight annual guitars are designated experimental — builds that push beyond proven combinations into new territory. Different tonewoods. Unconventional bracing approaches. New reinforcement methods. Material combinations that haven’t been extensively documented.

Some become the standard approaches of future builds. Some teach us what not to do. All of them advance our understanding of what acoustic instruments can be.

We don’t experiment in shortcuts. We experiment in materials and design choices that need to be heard before they can be judged.

How we run an experiment

Isolate one variable. Where possible, experiments are built in pairs — two near-identical guitars with one element changed. The two bocote parlors below are an example: same body, same bracing, same construction; only the top wood differs.
Document everything. Tap-tone notes at every stage, weight measurements, plate-flex impressions, photographs of bracing geometry.
Listen long enough to mean it. Verdicts come after the instrument has settled, been played in, and been heard in more than one room.

See the underlying decisions in our build system.

Bocote Parlor — Adirondack Top

Experimental

Bocote Parlor — Adirondack Top

One of two parlors built in parallel with one variable isolated. Bocote back and sides paired with stiff Adirondack — articulation, separation, and the dark exotic midrange the wood is known for.

Bocote Parlor — Bear Claw Sitka Top

Experimental

Bocote Parlor — Bear Claw Sitka Top

The second of the paired bocote parlors. Bear claw Sitka top — visually striking, acoustically variable. Tap-tuned carefully through the figure to find consistency.