Jeroen Hilhorst Concert guitars
The Contrabass Concert Guitar sounds one octave lower than the normal guitar.
It has 6 strings and a string length of 90 cm.
I developed this guitar for a guitarist that wanted a contrabass guitar with the strongest possible projection.
The sound is very strong with a beautiful tone that reminds of the cello and the double bass.
The Contrabass Concert Guitar is quite large and heavy:
The lenght is 128 cm, the lower bout is 46,5 cm wide, and the weight is 5 kg.
The soundboard is a double top. This will vibrate better because it is lighter (it is partly hollow).
In the construction of the guitar I have gone to some extremes to create a very high stiffness, which will minimize the loss of energy.
The extremes:
- Solid ebony neck, reinforced with graphite
- Double sides, triple back
- Internal reinforcements in indian rosewood and beech
The guitar has an elevated fingerboard, which is good for the sound, but also creates more distance between the strings and the soundboard. This makes playing easier, especially for the contrabass guitar, where the strings are plucked with bigger movements.
The guitar has an armrest
on the egde of the soundboard. This prevents damping of the vibration
of the soundboard by the arm. It is also comfortable for the arm,
and will prevent medical problems in the arm.There are 19 frets on the fingerboard.
The guitar is varnished by hand with a durable finish, rubbed out to a high gloss.
The soundboard is French polished with shellack.
The machineheads are of a high quality, with aluminum rollers and black buttons.