Quest

This model was born out of my personal quest to build a guitar that utilizes more of the top to produce sound. The same way larger tom drums produce a deeper tonal response than smaller tom drums, this guitar’s larger area of vibrating top produces an outstanding bass response from my orchestra sized body. To further enhance the bass response this model also has a multiscale fretboard with a half inch longer scale on the bass side than on the treble side. The short scale on the treble side allows for effortless bends on the E and B strings. I build the Quest with a three eighths inch deeper body than a standard orchestra model to further enhance the bass and mids. The result is an exceptional guitar with the bass response of a larger bodied instrument and the warm mids and sweet trebles of the orchestra model.

The Quest comes standard with a Florentine cutaway for better access to the higher frets, a Ryan style arm bevel for enhanced player comfort, and a sound port that acts like a personal monitor for the player. The sound port in the upper bought along with the offset sound hole immerse the player in sound while still projecting exceptional volume to the audience in front.

I have created my own unique bracing pattern to maximize the tonal response I get from the larger area of the top contributing to the sound. This pattern draws from the positive attributes of several different long standing bracing methods. I used each of these to contribute to the overall voice of the Quest. At the heart of this bracing pattern are two bent laminated braces in the Falcate bracing style. Laminated braces are incredibly strong and help contribute to the outstanding bass response of this model. These braces counter the tension of the string pull and provide for stable intonation. The lower part of these braces follows the lines of my standard X braced pattern. On the Quest the lower X pattern is aligned at a slight angle to the center line of the guitar. This allows the braces to land perfectly at each end of the angled bridge to accommodate the multiscale. The upper half of the laminated braces extend up to the transverse brace in line with the string pull. The two laminated braces are tied together with a small cross brace above the bridge to stabilize them laterally. The rest of the lower bought is braced like a traditional X braced guitar helping produce those traditional mids and trebles. I use a brace across the bottom of the bridge plate to help balance the response of the instrument. The finger braces along with two additional braces are arranged in a radial pattern from the bridge in the upper portion of the top.

The result is an outstanding instrument in a comfortable sized body with its own unique voice. It is equally adept at strumming and fingerpicking. The instrument produces clear strong bass lines to go along with the balanced trebles and mids inviting the player to create beautiful melodic lines.

Body Length – 19.375 inches

Lower bought – 15 inches

Depth at the tail block – 4.5 inches

Scale length – Multiscale 25.4 inches to 24.9 inches  

Nut – 1.75 inches or choice

Saddle – 2.25 inches or choice

Fretboard radius – 16 inches

Neck joins body at the 14th fret

Bone nut and saddle

20 frets