Friederike Linscheid
My overarching goal while making my guitars is to give them a certain consistency of expression while preserving their unique personality. For me, this results from a cohesion of sound and appearance of each guitar. Both are defined by form and material, which I select according to acoustic, static and aesthetic properties. Especially when choosing material for the soundboard, which is extremely relevant for acoustics, I complement traditional methods like tapping and bending with additional physical measurements.
Die grundlegende Konstruktion beruht auf der Konzertgitarre in spanischer Bauweise. Das Beleistungssystem der Decke folgt dem Konzept von Robert Bouchet, ist jedoch erheblich filigraner ausgearbeitet. Dezente konstruktive und optische Details gehen jedoch über den herkömmlichen Rahmen hinaus. So fällt die Decke oberhalb des Schallloches auf der Diskantseite ab, denn durch das damit erhöhte Griffbrett verbessert sich die Spielbarkeit und die Klangprojektion im hohen Diskant. Durch den relativ schmalen Umriss ergibt sich eine etwas kleinere Deckenfläche. Die Masse der schwingenden Fläche ist somit verringert und dies sorgt für eine gute Ansprache im Spiel. Zum Ausgleich dazu vergrößere ich mit hohen Zargen das Korpusvolumen, das den Bässen ihren tiefen Charakter verleiht. Die Zargen sind verdoppelt, dabei aber recht dünn, was, ohne zu viel Gewicht hinzuzufügen, dem Sustain zugutekommt. Alle Instrumente haben eine handpolierte Schellackoberfläche.
My concert guitars have great projection, a wide range of timbres, warm basses and singing trebles.
I give my guitars visual unity by using repeating shapes and materials and a reduced colour palette. I offer my guitars in two different designs: a more modern and a slightly more traditional model. Though nearly identical in construction, they differ slightly in shape, with the main distinctive feature being the rosette.
The basic construction of my guitar is that of a traditional Spanish guitar. The bracing of the soundboard is a lighter variation of that designed by Robert Bouchet. Though essentially traditional, my guitars come with some features established in contemporary guitar making. The soundboard descends in the upper bout on the treble side only, creating a one-sided elevated fingerboard to improve the playability and sound projection in the high trebles. The sides are thinly doubled to enhance sustain without adding too much weight. The rather small plantilla reduces the area of the soundboard, thus reducing the mass of the vibrating surface, ensuring good response. To compensate, the high sides increase the body volume giving the bass its deep character. My guitars have a french polished surface.
