Handcrafted Acoustic Guitars

I currently make one RNS standard acoustic guitar model, being a smaller bodied design aimed at comfort, playability and providing a focused but full tone, both acoustically and amplified.

I also offer a custom acoustic guitar build service to suit most requirements.

Construction is based on the traditional Spanish heel construction method. This features a neck/body joint where the guitar sides are built into the neck, coupling the two together as an integral, solid structure.

Neck showing Spanish heel joint slits for sides to be inserted

I believe this joint contributes to the focussed tone and sustain of these guitars whilst also allowing for the creation of a deeper cutaway, providing good access to the top frets.

View inside the Spanish heel, X braced acoustic guitar

Bracing is the traditional X pattern but built lighter to suit the smaller body.

Soundboard and back bracing

Each guitar is made with all solid timbers, which I mill myself from larger planks and recycled timber. Soundboards so far have included western red cedar, spruce and recycled hoop pine. As would be expected, the cedar provides a mellower tone than the spruce, as does the hoop pine. Backs and sides have featured Tasmanian Blackwood, Fiji Mahogany and New Guinea Rosewood. Bindings and rosettes are also made of timber featuring mainly Rock Maple, Australian Red Cedar and Tasmainan Myrtle.

A mix of timbers including Blackwood back, sides and neck, Hoop Pine soundboard, Jarrah fretboard and bridge with Apple headstock veneer

Necks are relatively slim and narrow for playability (43mm nut/50mm at the 12th fret), not dissimilar to an electric, aimed at allowing for easy chord work and acoustic lead more so than fingerpicking. Neck construction features a laminated design, with the main timbers used being Tasmanian Blackwood or Fiji Mahogany with Tasmanian Myrtle, Jarrah and Rock Maple laminates. This provides for a strong and stable neck, enhanced further with an adjustable truss rod. Fretboards are Indonesian Rosewood and have a 12'' radius, 21 frets and feature paua position marker dots. Scale length is 25.34''.

Each guitar also features a laminated, scarf jointed headstock topped off with a decorative veneer including such timbers as Tasmanian Blackwood, Apple and Bermuda Cedar. This provides a strong and attractive headstock even with the truss rod adjustment nut mounted in it. Gotoh small oval tuners are fitted.

Bone is used for both the nut and saddle, with the saddle being compensated. Bridges are hand carved mainly using Jarrah, which I find provides a good, solid but resonant string/body connection whilst adding an attractive pinkish colour to the otherwise fairly plain spruce or cedar soundboard.

Guitars can be supplied as acoustic only or can include the LR Baggs Element Active system for amplification. This system features a flexible, responsive undersaddle transducer, preamp/endpin jack and discreet soundhole mounted mini volume control. I find this system provides a very focussed tone in keeping with the natural acoustic tone of the guitar without the need or fuss of other on board controls.

For current guitars available to buy, please click on the 'For Sale' tab on the Menu bar.