Construction 

The main body of my work centres around my variation of an asymmetric fan bracing used by Hernandez y Aguado (in itself a variation of the famous Ramirez design). This design stiffens the treble side of the soundboard using a diagonal bar. The fan struts are longer, lower and thinner towards the bass. My own variation brings the bass fan struts gradually more parallel to the grain of the top and includes a Harmonic bar which is arched over the bass side, extending movement into the waist area.

I build a strong double reflex into my guitars, which I feel increases evenness and power across the lower range. Double Reflex tuning refers to the practice of tap tuning the top and back plates into a coupled relationship where the main tap tone of one is close to the other.  This causes the main resonances of each plate to react together in such a way that instead of having two dominant resonances between them the resonances are spread to give a wider spectrum of lesser resonances. This has the dual effect of lessening wolf notes while strengthening the bass register and without muddying the treble. In order to achieve this coupled relationship my guitars have very mobile back plates. This I facilitate by the use of a light x-brace across the lower bout in place of the more usual ladder bracing. This "live" back also contributes a distinct character to the sound.

This combination of light soundboard and mobile back is built into a stiff  frame in order to rob the system of as little energy as possible. To this end I employ a double side. That is: a full thickness Sycamore side laminated to the standard side, giving a total thickness of 4mm. This, in combination with laminated linings, gives a superbly stiff superstructure.

Originally, one consequence of this stiff side was that the sound could be quite directional, with the player having a different experience to that of the listener. To regain this lost sense of intimacy between Guitar and Player I like to  include a small soundhole in the side in the upper bass bout (commonly known as a "soundport"). This helps to retain the sharp focus of the double side whilst giving a more immersive experience of the guitar. Although this is optional, as is every detail, I have yet to meet a player who doesn't prefer the sound with the port open. The position of this port makes a great difference to it's effect. This particular position tends to emphasize the upper midrange, producing a satisfying "blossoming" of the sound when uncovered. The more usual arrangement of one hole on either side of the heel gives an effect that, to my ears, is a little bass heavy.

The neck is stiffened with a carbon fibre insert and extends right up to substantial, non scalloped upper Harmonic bar. This gives a very stiff neck and neck/body joint, which has a marked effect on projection in the upper register. This is especially noticeable above the 12 fret, where the fingerboard has the same solid support as in the lower registers, allowing notes on the highest frets to really sing! I have recently developed a new neck joint, to aid playability above the twelfth fret. This is my variation on the raised neck idea which has become fairly popular in recent years. In my version the body slopes away on the treble side only, giving the same access as a fully raised neck but losing less internal volume, and with considerably less lost airspace than with a cutaway. This also has the advantage that from the vantage points of both player and audience the traditional aesthetic is maintained.

I use a twelve hole tieblock in a fairly light bridge with a medium saddle height (11mm). The twelve hole tieblock allows a steeper break angle over the saddle without increasing the overall height of the strings over the soundboard. This would risk overloading the top, giving a more explosive sound but with less depth. Some players worry about the practical issues of stringing a twelve hole block. In fact, it’s easier than the standard tieblock, and also allows you to vary the break angle by tying strings normally, using only one hole. 

Intonation is carefully compensated at the saddle and nut. Nut compensation is particularly important for those who do not wish to use a carbon third. The fingerboard is set up with relief in the bass (as standard, I set the relief for those who play quite hard, though this can be tailored to the individual) and a gradual twist towards the body end of the bass side. This allows an even saddle height, and thus torque on the soundboard, for all six strings. The fingerboard is self-bound with ebony. This maintains the traditional elegance of the unbound fingerboard, whilst removing any risk of protruding fret ends. The fret ends are hemispherical, to further enhance the playability.

The bindings, purflings and rosettes are all handmade by myself and are selected in order to best complement the character of the particular back, sides and soundboard being used. I tend to make the central mosaic tiles in small batches and inlay them directly into the soundboard, rather than making the rosette in a mold and inlaying the whole thing at once. This gives me the freedom to vary the surrounding elements to achieve a different feel using the same mosaic. I produce new mosaic designs regularly, and occasionally hold back some tiles from previous designs to give variety in following years. Occasionally, the central tiles are replaced with a particularly interesting solid wood piece. For purflings I favour a fine rope pattern and I tend to use natural veneers with the occasional dyed line. I also like to keep the purflings thin and discreet.