SUONAVERA (is an Italian name meaning: a true sound / plays true)This particular variation of timber species used in Suonavera with the IBS System demonstrates an out of the ordinary guitar sound with a deep warm tone and with exceptional clean long lasting notes. It makes an ideal studio session guitar for picking out a melody and or jazz and instrumental playing, whether it's plugged in... or not.
This model uses traditional timbers: Sitka spruce is used for the top and bracing, while the very rare species of Brazil Rosewood is used for the back and sides. The soundboards of all my acoustic guitars are made essentially stress free due to the IBS system and so remain near flat. The backs in contrast are worked into a curved plate, which helps in more ways than one to aid the process of reverberation and strong soundwave reflection. The Side-walls are reduced in depth as they round the shoulders of the body. The Edge-binding is well rounded for comfort, and along with
the rosette are made of real wood.
BELVOCE (pronounced in English as BELVOCHE and again is an Italian name for: Beautiful or Really Great - Voice).This variation of timber species used in Belvoce with the IBS System demonstrates a bright tone, with clean crisp notes, that also have long lasting tonal sustain. It too also features very well for instrumental, R&B and jazz playing.
This model also uses traditional timbers: the Soundboard and Braces are made of Sitka Spruce while the Sidewalls and Back-plate are made from Brazil Mahogany. Brazil Rosewood is used for the Fret-board and Bridge, while the neck is made from a denser specie of wood that is colour matched.
Other Models using different timbers for the Soundboard, Sidewalls, Back-plate and Neck are available on request. Other timbers I use are: Australian - Black Wattle, Coolabah Wattle, Papua New Guinea - Rosewood, American - Red Cedar, Tasmanian - Huon Pine and Boltic - Spruce.
Both models have a 25.5 inch scale length and are available by contacting me via email here.
MODELS WITH PRE AMPS
The above example of BELVOCE is fitted with a T65 B-Band HZZLess™ circuit Preamp and uses Emfit ® Electret thin film pickup censer strips, also from B-Band. The transducer censer strips are a permanently charged Electret film; essentially the film works like a condenser microphone however unlike the condenser microphone this relatively new material is highly resistant to feedback and has a wide dynamic range with a wide frequency response.
The systems I employ in my guitars have a combination of three transducers, an under saddle transducer (UST) and two acoustic soundboard transducers (AST) manufactured by B-Band. The UST employs a slightly raised longitudinal rib construction which ensures string contact, giving equal response and balance to all the vibrating strings. Unlike piezo transducers the Emfit material of the UST transducer is indeed very thin and does not affect the acoustic voice of my guitars, nor does it present the usual problems of piezo transducers, otherwise I simply would not use them.For the soundboard output signal, produced by my patented Indirect Soundboard Structure (IBS) System, I incorporate two AST transducers with braces located in appropriate highly active areas of the IBS System. Bass and Treble sides of the soundboard are picked up independently since the IBS System design intentionally separates the bass and treble sides of the soundboard to help create a cleaner acoustic sound.
Specs for the Preamps T65 and the A6T which I also use in my guitars along with specs for the UST and AST transducers are available from B-Band, a link is provided below:
http://www.b-band.com
Features of the T65 in brief are:
- A fast response precision chromatic tuner with a back lit LCD screen.
- An XOM (cross over mix) between AST and UST, transducers.
- 3 band EQ
- Notch Filter used to roll off problematic resonant frequencies up to 330Hz. Normally It can be used to help control feedback at high volume levels, but is very useful at any volume level in removing pesky oscillating resonance.
The above two amplification systems that I incorporate into my guitars with the IBS System feature the very latest technology in pickup censors and pre amplification systems. I have found them to be not only exceptionally versatile in the reproduction of the unplugged acoustic guitar sound, but are made of lightweight material that do not affect the original tonal sustain and well balanced performance of my IBS System acoustic guitars.
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