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Quite often a tailor made project, where the player freely designs the instrument, ends up being called with a meaningful name for the owner. It was that way in this project, formaly called La Cruzada, but it had previously a different name that I will use to inspire this article. In all projects there is always little details we kept in secret, things only the luthier and the player know. One of them, the original name of this project: Alquimia. And from that concept, I will tell you this story. A guitar that is indeed a carefully balanced mix of many ingredients, made more with an alchimist's mind rather than a luthier's one.
"Mixture is the only plath to purity . La Alquimia origins with Arabic Al-Khimiya, and this comes from the ancient Greek χυμεία (Xymeia) , representing the mixture."
LA TAPA
This piece is picea abies and have a well balanced mix of silky grain and bearclaw, two very sought after features on a professional instrument. First one is the way in wich nature signs the best wood cuts, second one being an element that makes every top even more unique. Sound, handcraft, aesthetics, musicality... Starting with the most important part of the guitar, we begin the hard journey until achieving the perfect mix...
DIGITAL ROSETTE
Everything starts with a drawing, with a sketch... All taken to the digital world to be brought back to the real world combined with some of the most traditional elements. From the very first time I talked to his future owner and knew this guitar wouldn't be conventional and at the same time I was sure it would be pure and classic. Possible? We'll find out... The background of the rosete was hand painted in tourquoise over pearl white. Standing over it, with an extense simbology in the Alquimia world, suns and moons using the latest digital printing technology of course matching the colour scheme in the bindings
Pearl details on the bridge, framed with blue and white maple matching the background of the rosette
Pyramid wing bridge detail
PYRAMIDAL BRIDGE
Those details hardly seen are the ones that make the difference. This bridge wing were shaped like a pyramid, but you can only see it when the light hits the bridge at a certain angle. All hand made, this bridge is lighter than the equivalent with rounded wings. This was explicitly requested by the customer after reading the article of the Nyx guitar that inspired this design here.
WEDGE INLAY
Mitters are a well known decorative element on artisan instruments. The sides tail joint is decorated with a wedge matching the rest of the guitar: cocobolo and maple, blue and white.
HEADSTOCK
Headstock reveals the flamenco attitude of this instrument. It is veneered with the same PauFerro we will see in the body. Tuners are planetary type, made in USA by PegHeds, with pearl inlays on the tips
CUSTOM MADE PURFLINGS
Purflings on this guitar match the rosette rings, made with black squares. Lines around sides and back are also blue and white like in the rosette
FONDO
PauFerro with a fine sapwood detail, looks like an opening to a new universe. Hard to describe, just let the picture talk
ONE-PIECE HEEL CAP
Just a little detail of this instrument. The back extends over the heel and the bindings frame it continously
Heel cap detail
FEATURES
- Top: German Spruce
- Body: PauFerro
- Neck: Spanish Cedar
- Fretboard: Ebony
- Headstock: PauFerro
- Bridge: Indian Rosewood
- Bindings: Cocobolo and maple
- Decorations: Maple and white perloid
- Tuners: Clavijas PegHeds
- Nut: 53mm
- Scale: 655mm
- Frets: 19 completo
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