FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Classical Guitar Vintage

Question:
I there anyone out there who knows of a luthier who might be interested in making a guitar that is classical in appearance (shape, fingerboard width, scale) but made for steel-strings (heavier bracing, soundboard material, truss rod)? I remember playing some baroque pieces on a steel-string a long time ago, I enjoyed the harpsichordish tone of the steel strings and the sustain, but the narrow fingerboard and string spacing was a distraction.

Answer:
As far as a steel string classical goes, lots of luthiers, small builders, and even some of the major manufacturers offer guitars that fit (or come close) to this description. A traditional 12-fret 00 style guitar is very similar in size to a classical guitar (Martin originally built them to be played classical style with gut strings), a 0 is smaller. A 000 is a bit bigger, but still comfortable. Getting a full classical-width fret board (e.g., 2 at the nut) will probably require a custom order, but 1 7/8 nuts can be found, and 1 3/4 are relatively easy to come by. Many of the 00 and 000 guitars in Martin's current catalog are 14-frets-clear of the body designs with 1 11/16 nuts, but the OM's have 1 3/4 nuts, and the vintage models with slotted headstocks (e.g., 000-28VS) are typically 1 13/16. Some of the smaller (0 and 00-sized) vintage Martins and Larson brother instruments (particularly the less fancy ones) are (relatively speaking) surprisingly affordable, given their brazillian rosewood construction. These often have 1 7/8 nuts.