Hancock Archtop Guitars | About the Concorde

About the Concorde concept archtop guitar

By Sean Hancock

Summary

The Concorde is a concept guitar, designed around a set of principals different to those which I would normally use in designing one of our standard model jazz guitars. Like the ‘concept’ designs constantly being produced by other industries like automotive and fashion, the design of the Concorde is not necessarily intended to be commercial. I am certainly not representing it as a better option to traditional archtop guitar, but rather the expression of a set of ideas and an attempt to solve some of the nuisances of existing guitar designs.

One concept behind this design was to incorporate design elements of a traditional acoustic jazz guitar with those of a solid body electric guitar to produce an instrument with the best characteristics of both. Other important issues such as ergonomics, environmental concerns and commercial viability were taken into account during the design process.

The aesthetics of the design are a careful combination of traditional ideals and new ideas. Many visual elements are completely original including the designs of the headstock and soundholes.

Ergonomic Considerations

One problem with traditional acoustic guitars is the sharp corners of the body. These corners dig into the player’s body causing discomfort. The corners of the Concorde are rounded in a similar style to many solid body electric guitars; this treatment could not normally be applied to acoustic guitars because traditional construction techniques prevent it. The design of the Concorde does away with tradition in this respect in favour of a rounded profile around the edge of the body. The body is then finished using a solid colour to give the instrument seamless look as if it were carved from a single piece of timber.

Another common complaint among guitarists is strain of the back and shoulders, caused by the mass of a heavy instrument hanging around their neck for long periods of time. A key principal of this design is to reduce mass in every way possible. The result is a structurally sound, full size instrument with a mass which is around forty percent less than most archtop and solid body electric guitars.

Material Strategies

The basic material used in a guitar is timber. High-grade exotic timbers from all around the world are used in guitar construction. These are usually expensive and often difficult to obtain. Because the Concorde is finished in a solid colour, domestic materials, which would otherwise not be considered attractive enough, can be used. This leads to a reduction not only in to a reduction in material costs but also in administration costs due to time consuming purchasing procedures which are usually encountered when attempting to purchase high grade exotic materials. These materials are also more durable and stable against environmental changes than most traditional ones.

The adhesives used were also crucial; high strength epoxy resins were used for many of the processes where water-based white glues would normally be used. This has resulted in an instrument, which is structurally superior and less likely to fail due to extremes in weather, rough treatment etc.

Use of Sustainable Materials

It is believed by some that major way in which the guitar industry impacts on the environment is through the widespread use of timbers from old growth forests around the world. This has lead to a recent trend of using sustainable timbers in guitars as a way of marketing them as environmentally sound.

I personally don’t believe the amount of timber used in guitars makes a significant difference to the destruction of the world’s forests when compared to other industries. However guitars have a unique position in people’s minds and have one of the highest profiles of any item made from forest products. This means that luthiers as well as guitarists have the opportunity to make a statement through the instrument they make or play, which is much more important to the environmental cause than the actual amount of timber used, or not used to make the instrument.

Queensland Maple, a plantation timber which is sustainable, makes up over 70% of the materials used in this guitar. There is also room for improvement on this figure with experimentation on a plantation Hoop Pine soundboard which would bring the sustainable content to around 90%.

Economic Considerations

Commercial viability was a major issue during the design process. The cost of the materials used in this design is substantially lower than those used in all other types of acoustic guitars.

One way in which material costs have been reduced is in the timbers used. Because the instrument is finished in a solid colour, less attractive and thus less expensive timbers can be used throughout.

The labour component of most guitars is between 60% and 80% of the total cost thus a reduction in labour was a key goal with this design. This has been accomplished through the elimination of many intricate and time-consuming processes such as binding and purfling (decorative veneer) work. All other components have been designed so that they could be produced using timesaving technologies such as CNC machining.

I estimate that in a production situation, labour would be reduced by around 60% to 70% of that of a standard acoustic guitar, meaning the design could be produced on a large scale at a price that is very competitive.

View picture gallery of Concorde guitar

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