We built this beauty at Jonathan’s request. The shape is of course inspired by a classic guitar design, but with a slightly more modern approach. For the top, Jonathan chose a beautifully flamed “fiddleback” maple from our stash. We glued this drop top (= bent downwards in the armrest area) to a beautiful bubinga body. While this isn’t exactly a lightweight body wood, it delivers a super-solid sound foundation with incredibly long sustain and nice overtones.
A beautiful back can also be enchanting, so Jonathan requested the “sister top” from our stock as the backtop. We’ve cut the covers for the electronics and tremolo compartment out of the top to fit and later reattached them with magnets. This gives the back a super elegant and clean look.
Indian rosewood was used for the neck and fingerboard, both crafted from the same piece and thus fit together seamlessly. The neck heel, a “long tenon,” extends well below the neck pickup, thus providing optimal resonance transfer between the body and the set-in neck.
On the hardware side, we stuck with German selection: Schaller locking tuners, combined with the ABM tremolo, ensure optimal tuning stability. The Kloppmann pickups deliver a powerful and versatile sound and feel right at home in the high-gain range.
The finish of the Violette is naturally inspired by vintage Cremon violins and therefore exudes timeless elegance. We simply oiled the neck, which gives the rosewood a velvety feel and a super smooth playing experience. All in all, you could say it’s a Stradivarius on steroids 😉