NEWS

August 2011

In the past few months I have been scouring the country trying to find  some native timbers to use as a suitable option for Kauri soundboards and necks, after much research and patience sourcing the quality  timber needed. I can now offer Kahikatea (white pine)(Podocarpus dacrydioides) as soundboard option and Matai ( Black pine)(Prumnopitys taxifolia) as a neck option. I chose these particular timbers for their inherent structural properties with relevance to guitar making.

Kahikatea.

This pine was formerly the most beautiful tree of lowland swampy forests throughout the country; but the stopbanking of rivers and the draining and conversion of swamps to pastures have caused the forests of kahikatea largely to disappear except on the West Coast. The tree has been noted for the density and purity of the stands it forms in swampy areas. Here it is a truly gregarious species and a few hundred stems per acre of mature tree are common. When peaty swamps are drained, kahikatea tree stumps in similar densities are sometimes exposed, indicating earlier forests. It is also present in forests other than swamp forest, but in these it is rapidly being cut out.Kahikatea grows to heights of over 150 ft and is the tallest of New Zealand forest trees. In diameter it is seldom more than 3 to 4 ft and the trunks have a long slender appearance topped by a smallish ragged crown.

The timber has many excellent properties including the absence of odour. This caused it to be in great demand for butter boxes, cheese crates, and tallow casks in the days before fibre-board containers. Consequently there was then a sizable export trade in the timber to Australia and Europe. With a density of between 400-450 kg/m3 and a modulus of elasticity or stiffness at 10.7  its comparable to sitka spruce at 430-455kg/m3 and stiffness of 11  which is one of the more commonly used and highly regarded steel string guitar soundboard materials used today. 

Matai.

Matai grows throughout the lowland forest areas, to an altitude of 600-700 metres. Mature matai is one of the finest native species, renowned for high yields of clear heartwood timber of excellent finishing grades.The tree grows up to 20-25m in height with a 1.3m diameter at breast height. The sapwood is well defined, and of a minimal band.Most of the timber is heartwood, of straight grain, easy to split with a fine uniform even texture.

Matai has a density of 610kg/m³, and a 8.1 modulus of elasticity.It exhibits fairly low shrinkage, from green to 12% moisture content to dry it will only shrink 3.5 % tangentially, and 1.9 % in the radial direction.This high dimensional stability and hardness made it the timber of choice in the 1950's where it was used for bridges, construction, framing, weatherboards.The hard, reddish-brown wood also made excellent flooring timber, which happens to be my source of this timber, with all these atributes it certainly is a quality timber choice for guitar necks.

Febuary 2011

Be sure to check out your local Rockshop in March for the release of the first boutique production guitar built  in New Zealand. It features all New Zealand Woods NZ Macrocarpa top and neck, Swamp kauri back and sides, puriri bridge and fretboard, paua inlays, innovative mitred joins, Koru soundhole and oval soundport. The Koru will be available in two designs venetian cutaway and non cutaway model both with piezo under saddle pickup and optional Fishman infinity system. (see photos and video below).

 My good friend playing the Koru prototype.

January 2011

Big Thanks to Ted Lottman the designer and creator of  the New Zealand section  at the MIM,  for sending me a photo of the completed exhibit. (see below)

10th August 2010.

This October I will be exhibiting at the Singapore Guitar Show so if  you are in the area please drop in and see the beautiful instruments on show.

8th Febuary 2010

Well im finally back on the tools after a long relaxing holiday in South Africa.

This year i am planning launching a limited edition mid priced steel string guitar,as i want to make my guitars more accesible to Kiwis,i have just about finished the first prototype,and am very excited about how it sounds,it will certainly shock a few traditionalists.

I have been working for the last few years on an innovative new bracing system,i have pre approval for a patent but still have alot of work to do to finish it,so that will occupy any free time i find between builds.

Video and pictures are up of the two guitars i created for the Musical instrument Museum in Arizona,on the Guitars page.

Cheers for now,

Christian.

7th June 2009.

Kia Ora Everyone,

I thought it was about time I put up a news page to keep you all up to date on developments in my designs, materials etc.

I'm happy to announce that with every guitar sold, I now contribute a percentage to the Kauri 2000 trust who, since the beginning of the year 2000, have been replanting Kauri trees on the Coromandel pensinula - over 23,000 to date. These incredible trees once dominated our landscape, but after nearly two centuries of exploitation, only a handful of mature trees and small stands are left. I'm  very passionate about protecting the Kauri tree and use 100 % recycled Kauri for my instruments. I encourage you to contribute and see the wonderful work  the Kauri 2000 trust does on their website www.kauri2000.co.nz  -

Unfortunately  to  add to the plight of the Kauri, they are now being killed by a microscopic  fungus commonly known as PTA, which appears to only affect Kauri. When infected, the Kauri leaves turn yellow and fall off, branches die and the canopy  thins. In turn, this is beginning to affect the whole forest ecosystem. Some trees are also developing lesions, like infected wounds, that bleed resin. These lesions can extend down to major roots and even circle the whole tree (called collar rot). Infected trees are dying, and PTA can kill both tiny saplings and giant kauri. Scientists now fear for the safety of New Zealand’s iconic 1,200-year-old giant kauri tree, Tane Mahuta, in the Waipoua Forest, Northland.  

New Fretboard and Bridge timber.

For the last few years I have been on the lookout for a native timber to replace the ebony fretboard and bridge I use to construct my guitars, but its been difficult to find a suitable replacement  without compromising the quality of the instrument. For many years ebony has rightly been regarded as the best wood for these components - because of its resistance to wear, compression strength parallel to the grain, and for it's black colour  which provides a uniform contrasting background for inlaying. However, as with alot of exotic timbers now, they are getting harder to source especially in the high quality needed to build instruments - and of course the price is now reflecting that scarcity. Personally that hasn't been my primary motivation to change timbers. I've always wanted to use 100% New Zealand timbers for my instruments, and now I can say just that. After rugged testing and research I've found  Puriri (Vitex lucens) New Zealand Teak or mahogany will make a fantastic replacement. It's an amazing timber, and worthy of a paragraph of background information.

Puriri is a tree which grows up to 20 m tall, with a trunk commonly up to 1.5 m in diameter, frequently thicker, and a broad spreading crown.The Maori used infusions from boiled leaves to bathe sprains and backache, as a remedy for ulcers, especially under the ear, and for sore throats. The infusion was also used to wash the body of the deceased to help preserve it. Puriri trees or groves were often tapu(sacred) through their use as burial sites and puriri leaves were fashioned in to coronets or carried in the hand during a tangi (funeral). Puriri timber is usually greenish dark-brown, but sometimes nearly black or streaked with yellow, it was often used for implements and structures requiring strength and durability. The Maori preferred other timbers to puriri as its cross-grain and density made for difficult carving, but puriri garden tools and weapons had a long life and legend has it that buckshot used to ricochet off puriri palisades. It was used in the construction of hinaki (eel traps) because it was one of the few timbers that would sink. The European settlers used great quantities of puriri timber for fence posts, railway sleepers, shipbuilding and house blocks, as it is ground durable without treatment for 50 years or more. This, as well as the agricultural desirability of the soil in which it grew, led to the depletion of once widely spread lowland puriri forests, and by the mid 1940's the supply of Puriri timber was almost exhausted. Puriri was also favoured for furniture and decorative wood work such as inlay veneers, as its appearance was "quite equal to the best Italian or American walnut. (Wikipedia)

Below is a picture of  my stock quartersawn Puriri timber with  Paua Koru position markers - it has some beautiful subtle movement in the grain.

New Stock of Ancient Kauri.

I have acquired a small amount of new  flamed whitebait Ancient Kauri,below is a picture which best represents its truly incredible grain.

Two Commisioned Guitars for instrument museum.

At the beginning of the year I was commisioned to build two guitars that best represent myself, my country and culture to feature in the New Zealand  exhibit at the new  Musical Instrument Museum,opening in Arizona in the USA next April. One guitar will be traditional in its design -  much like  the Ruru in my New Zealand inspired range. The other is a new design with a couple of notable features - a new bridge, head, soundport, and soundhole design. Both guitars will include the beautiful Ancient Kauri and Puriri  you see above. I'm about half way through construction and am hoping to have them finished by the middle of July,once they are finished I will put up pictures for all to view.

The musical instrument museum's mission statement:

With musical instruments from every country in the world, MIM will pay homage to the history and diversity of instruments and introduce museum guests to their varied and unique sounds. MIM will be an engaging, entertaining and informative experience, in which the uninitiated and the knowledgeable, the young and the old will feel welcome.Museum guests will gain an appreciation for both the musical similarities and unique differences among divergent cultures, countries, and ethnicities through state-of-the-art exhibits. Integrated audio and video experiences will enable guests to appreciate the sounds of instruments from around the world as well as to see these instruments played in their cultural context. For more information on this exciting new museum please view the website www.themim.org