Now this is a truly one of a kind instrument, fully specified and designed around the clients brief. This is a left handed 8 string fan fret baritone guitar in all Koa with a sound port. Normally, baritones are tuned to a low b (B1), but the client wanted it to be tuned to A1, with an additional high string, and a doubled course in the centre of the neck. Although this all seems unusual, the tuning is still able to use all the chord shapes you would use on a standard guitar (just imagine your guitar having 7 extra frets, and that’s the tuning it would be in)

A 28.2”-27” scale length was used to make sure the lowest and the highest string had suitable tension at the desired tuning. The 514 body size was used to make sure there was plenty of air volume and size to help the low notes develop and sound full. The sound port was included to improve the aural sensation to the player, allowing the sound to project as clearly to the player as to the audience.

A Beautiful 6 piece Koa set was chosen, and paired nicely with a Koa front and back head veneer, Koa bound ebony fingerboard, and Koa bindings. The inside of the instrument, like all Empire series, also has the neck and end block as well as the supporting side twigs laminated with the same material as the back and sides to make the inside of the instrument as beautiful as the outside.

The range of notes along with the doubled centre string gives this instrument a huge range of high end shimmer with deep rumbling bass notes, with the extra strings also improving the natural resonance and sympathetic vibrations of the instrument.

This sort of instrument is perfect for long sustained fingerstyle chords (and even slap bass as the demo video shows!).

Fitted with a K&K pickup, Gotoh 510 machine heads, an oil and wax finish and a Hiscox Hard case

Full details at the bottom of the page.