WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP WOODS
Lutherie is the stuff dreams are made of...
The craftman's ability, the workshop's smells, French schellac...
Essential oils are released during binding.
Wood is a noble and natural material.
It lives, works and alters with time to offer all of its sonorous and attractive potential.
More than once, I've observed the tone modification of a guitar.
After three months, six months, ten months and even more...
according to the surrounding, the room temperature, hygrometry,
or the arrival of the wind.
The musical instruments lives in accordance with its different surroundings.
There's a hint of magic.
And finally the musician plays the first notes...
The workshop is first of all a functional place.
Space, adequate distribution of the tools and benches,
ventilation, natural light guarantee good conditions to build guitars.
These criterias avoid the nasty surprises and ensure stabilization
during the construction, as well as that of species drying.
The workshop represents much more than a workspace.
Spending there a great number of hours reflecting on fabrication strategies, studying, experimenting, modifying, listening,
observing different characteristics.
Comparing opinions with friends, luthiers, musicians...
Lutherie has constantly evolved during last centuries. Antonio de Torres determined the current forms and
characteristics used today.
There is a large diversity of approach in lutherie. Wood species used, types of assemblies, completions...
But also more personal criterias, research, intuition, experience, esthetic and harmony, characterize the richness of the instruments.
The marriage of certain wood species, characterizes qualities of an instrument.
No machine can replace the hand and the eye of the craftsman.
Woods for lutherie are carefully stored in the workshop, and ventilated in order to guarantee their
stability at time of their use and well after.
The average temperature is 18°C and humidity varies between 45 and 65%.
Instruments loose their brightness beyond 80% and below 30% risks of breaks are high.
A large number of wood species are used for lutherie but Masters selected few of them for their specific characteristics : durability, flexibility,
acoustic, density, rapidity of sound propagation and esthetic.
The most important thing is for species to be well dried (natural drying is the best), and that debits are on quarter (especially for the top plate and braces)
Rio rosewood (jacarandá Da Bahia)
This splendid specie of wood is protected since 1992. Its cut is severely sanctionned.