| Custom Series | Testimonials | Bellucci guitars GALLERY |  |
| African Blackwood B&S,
Doble
tapa (Contreras style), Lattice Braced 270 years aged Sinker redwood
TOP Cutaway. Birds Eye Maple bindings, 16" radiused Ebony,
violin tie, armrest & decorated bridge. Soundport in upper
bout, 640mm fret spacing. Spectacular Mother of pearl inlay work
on the rosette, headstock, armrest, violin tie and bridge. Exclusive
aged process precision tuners. Embossed leather case included. MARVELOUS
!
The construction of an African Blackwood Double top is always an amazing challenge. I know from the start that several tools will become useless after working this amazingly hard African wood and other tools will have to be sharpened several times during the 30 days that it takes to build a masterpiece of this caliber. Every effort is worth all its weight in gold because the resulting guitar is ALWAYS a memorable work of art. The deep sounding voice of the African Blackwood coupled with the marvelous tone of the centenary Redwood creates a magic aura around the instrument that translates in the most amazing voice a player can imagine. Redwoods have been around since the times of the dinosaurs. They are among the oldest species still alive and are the tallest living creatures on Earth. Some trees in Southern California have been around since the days Jesus walked amongst us... The player cannot ignore these facts and whenever he embraces the guitar he is made into a better player. Yes, the instrument and the performer work as one and one enhances the other's potential. I used every artistic means to elevate this beauty to its highest possible status using exotic woods for the marquetry, Tahiti mother of pearl for the detailing on the bridge, tie, rosette and headstock. Listen to the Bach Prelude... A powerful and long sustained bass creates the perfect harmonic sustain for the first, second and third string. The amazing vibrato of this masterpiece become visible in the counterpoint third string and I am always Marveled by the human like quality and breath of expression that African Blackwood has to offer. The first string string carries the great melodic progression beautifully, offering subtle yet precious vibratos. The mid ranges are full of harmonics and overtones. The sustain created by the Brazilian rosewood double top is fantastic and the clarity of the lattice contrasts beautiful with the deep sounds generated by both the African Blackwood and the Sinker redwood. She's tremendously easy to play and the best concert cutaway you will ever find. |
|
|
The double top, was developed and introduced by Master Luthier Manuel Contreras the II at the end of the 70s and reached its peak in the 80s. The word "Tapa" in Spanish translates to top in English but it refers to the back of the instrument. Therefore, Contreras doble tapa is actually a "Double back".
|
 Radiused
or flat fingerboard?
The radiused fingerboard has been around the acoustic and the electric guitar since day one. The same is true for most instruments of the Stringed family of instruments (violas, violins cellos, bass). Radiusing (image above) makes barre and left hand stopping A LOT easier. The only drawback is that you will NEVER want to play a flat fingerboard after that. If you are having your custom guitar built, I am all pro radiusing the fingerboard. The standard fingerboard is flat. |
 Sinker
logs, are pulled from the bottom of lakes and rivers. Sometimes, scuba
divers are needed to achieve the extraction. Most of these logs are
hundreds of years old (In one of the pictures above, you can see that the
tree was cut with an hatchet). Due to a series of factors (The logs were
too big and heavy to be pulled out of the rivers or the logs were caught
by currents and were sucked to the bottom) these logs were trapped
by the muddy buttons of these water beds and this created like a time capsule
where the wood was preserved in fantastic humidity conditions that made
the wood season in a slow natural way during many centuries. Some of the
logs are selected for musical instruments construction. The sound that
these woods produce is unique and the grain has a beautiful coloration
that changes according to the type of mud present in the water bed. |
640mm or 650 mm?
Please allow a few seconds for the
image to load |
The hand embossed leather case is a work of art on its own right. Built by one of a handful of very talented leather embossers in Latin America. Its built following my specifications for the interior to fit Bellucci guitars like a glove. All Plush interior, key and accessories compartment. You can request an upgrade to a Cow hive front and back version. |
|
Copyright
©,
|
