Materials and structural
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Quality Guitar making timbers are becoming more and more difficult
to obtain. Some are no longer commercially available.
KIF Guitars are constructed from various materials collected
over many years, however the timbers involved are selected for
their STRUCTURAL performance and beauty rather than traditional
and/ or scarcity value.
A typical example of the dictates of fashion can be seen within
the separation of the Spanish Classical Guitar and the Flamenco
Guitar. Both instruments evolved from the same form, but the
availability of beautiful and hard Brazilian Rosewood from the
early Spanish colony allowed an ‘Upper Class’ instrument
to be built that was outside the reach of poorer musicians.
The new model incorporated the use of metal machine heads instead
of plain wooden pegs. The ‘Peasant’ musician was
left with a very basic Guitar made from readily available cheap
timber (Cypress etc.).The music also separated from the original
Indo/Islamic style (Flamenco) into a more European style of
‘Court Music’.
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Sound boards |
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All sound boards are made from high quality Sitka Spruce from
Canada. An option is available for Western Red Cedar or Alaskan
Cypress.
The spruce tops are thicknessed between 3.2mm to 2mm according
to requirement.
The 12 string guitars and Acoustic Bass guitars also use a 2.7mm
laminate top individually pressed for KIF Guitars. Thiscan allow
a guitar to be built with the top, back and sides in the same
wood or colour.
All solid tops are spray-sealed INTERNALLY for stability.
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Body Construction |
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The Sides are made from a choice of solid wood thicknessed
at 1,8mm to 2.2mm, or a lightweight home-pressed laminate of
4 layers with a finished thickness of 1.3mm.
The Backs are solid, or laminated. Two types of laminate are
used. One is a 2 layer parallel laminate, the other a 3 layer
cross-laminate.
The internal bracing of both top and back is totally untraditional,
and allows the laminated material to be used with minimal change
in sound quality. Furthermore, it facilitates the contouring
of the optional ‘Cutaway’ design for higher string
access. Some of the solid woods will not bend to the same tight
curve.
The laminate guitars are lighter and stronger, and have a far
higher stability than the solid wood models. However, the solid
wood backs and sides can be humidity controlled for stability
in almost climate.
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Bridge and Saddle |
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The main bridge component is part of the bracing inside the
Guitar. The visible component on the guitar top is solely a
string retainer (and ‘saddle’) which is bolted in
place with 2mm stainless-steel bolts, and is thus removable.
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Internal Bracing |
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Internal bracing (Strutting) is of a design unique to KIF
Guitars. It is lightweight, and transfers string energy in a
totally unconventional way allowing for a greater tonal band-width
whilst maintaining volume.
This results in a highly sensitive soundboard which responds
very accurately to whatever the musician does to the strings.
The guitars suit ALL playing styles.
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Neck construction and fret board |
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All necks are made from a minimum of three pre-cut pieces.
There is no heel.
Each neck is cut and shaped by hand for the client, with ‘fittings’
when possible.
The necks are BOLTED on to the Guitar, and are fitted with a
‘Tilt’ system to allow adjustment of the string
action height without altering the ‘Saddle/bridge’
height. (NB Tilt system not yet available on 12 string or Bass.)
Bass Guitars use a fully adjustable Bridge for intonation and
action height.
Finger boards are made from any suitable, hard wood. These include
three different Ebonies, and five different Rosewoods. Occasionally
Bird’s Eye Maple is requested and used. However the maple
must be lacquered to avoid staining.
Scale lengths available are 25.5” and 26”as normal,
with shorter and longer options on request. Bass guitars are
32” and 34”.
Single or double acting ‘Truss rods’ are used in
the steel/bronze strung guitars.
The Nylon strung low tension necks are partially hollow and
use twin Carbon-fibre Rods for stiffness.
Machine heads are available to suit client requests. Most are
fully enclosed , and can be fitted with a range of wood, metal,
of plastic buttons. For the ‘purist’, wooden pegs
are an option on Flamenco and Classical guitars.
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Amplification |
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All acoustic Guitars are fitted with twin Piezo contact pickups
bonded inside the guitar under the bridge plate. There is an
option for magnetic pickups to be fitted PERMANENTLY between
the end of the neck and the soundhole as part of the soundhole
design.
A magnetic pickup can be used on Classical/Flamenco/Jazz guitars
if the Guitars are fitted with Hybrid Steel-rope-cored Nylon
strings.
All stock and Custom magnetic Pickups are supplied by Kent and
Aaron Armstrong, son and grand-son of Kent Armstrong.
Jack plugs are located in the SIDE of the instrument, and no
on-board pre-amps or controls are fitted.
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Timbers |
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Any suitable, available timber can be used. Below are some
of the existing stock that I have collected over many years.
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Necks |
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- Mahogany 50-100 yrs old. Some figured.
- Maple. Rippled, Bird’s Eye, Flamed or plain.
- Bubinga.
- Golden Padauk. Some rippled.
- Indian Rose wood. 60 yrs old.
- Pear. Rippled and plain.
- Alaskan Cypress.
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Tops - Acoustic |
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- Prime Sitka Spruce.
- Western Red Cedar.
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Backs and sides - Solid |
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- Rosewood Indian 60 yrs old.
- Rosewood South American Available and to order.
- Mahogany 50-100 yrs old. Some figured. (Some recovered
from old GWR Pullman Coaches!).
- Figured Maple (limited stock.. Best I’ve seen).
- Bird’s Eye Maple (AAAA)
- Rippled Pear
- Most available timbers to order.
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Backs and sides - Laminated |
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- Most available veneer quality timbers.
- Italian dyed and figured woodgrain veneers in most grains
and colours, these look absolutely stunning if you want
a coloured finish.
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Inlay and decoration |
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- Fret markers are in offset MOP/Abalone dots 4mm to 6mm.
- Soundhole inlays in binding lines, colours and MOP/Abalone
dots.
- A variety of Solid wood bindings and coloured inlay lines/patterns.
- Cellulose Ivoriod binding with coloured or plain inlay.
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