“Homogeneity is actually the hardest thing to master, the ultimate challenge, the final frontier in lutherie!” Rosette of a guitar built in 1991. The very first guitar that he ever made is still kept in his studio.
thing that I certainly took on board from his work is the idea of always creating asymmetry, ensuring that there is differentiated mass and stiffness from one side of the soundboard to the other and – perhaps my greatest take-away lesson from him – his insistence on aesthetic excellence! Orfeo – How do you brace your guitars? D. F. - My usual fan bracing pattern has five struts to it and one oblique harmonic bar, like a simplified version of Fleta’s bracing. I add a triangular support so as to bolster the part of the soundboard that lies behind the bridge, and two small supporting plates in front of the bridge, that part of the guitar with a persistent tendency to sag. Depending on the type of wood that I use for these parts, whether stiff or supple, I can alter the sound of the guitar. I also ensure a solid structure around the fret-