Corvus

Some guitars I build as tools to serve the needs of a particular musician, some I build to pay the bills, and some, like Corvus, I build just to see if I can.

The body is finished in a unique way, similar to Chou-sugi-ban. By that technique, a piece of cedar is kissed by fire, then the loose carbonized part is brushed away to reveal the toasted wood underneath. In this case though, I left the charred surface intact, and chemically stabilized it so it was hard, tough, and wouldn’t leave charcoal marks on everything.

The finish treatment is not the only shocking aspect of Corvus. The pickups, controls, bridge, tuners and even the neck itself are almost entirely surface-mounted. Speaking of that neck, it is a radical, highly experimental profile with an extremely thin cross-section, and concave back; perfect for those who play fast and light, especially tappers. The jumbo stainless steel frets are Plek-processed too, so the action and playability are as absolutely perfect as the laws of physics allow. In the end, this radical design results in a super resonant, highly ergonomic guitar that weighs in at less than 3-1/2 lbs!

It’s equipped with two Lace Alumitone pickups. Since each has its own voice, timbre as well as volume are infinitely adjustable via two separate volume controls, tucked unobtrusively under the edge of the pick guard. In this way any variation between clarity, grit, depth, warmth, and bite can be dialled in.

The bridge and tuners represent the state of the art in both cases. The bridge is made of 3-d printed metal, while the tuners are the machined version of my Wrap-Lock concept, with ball-bearing thrust plates for easy operation and long life. Corvus includes a heavy-duty Nanuk 985 case and matching display stand.