Taking inspiration from early American instruments, the Black Swan Parlour has been designed from the ground up to offer something different. Whilst the short scale-length and small body size will feel familiar to parlour guitar fans, its open and dynamic voice might take you by surprise. This is mostly thanks to its specially adapted fan-bracing which—although unusual for a steel-string guitar—provides a rich and complex tone with better bass response and overall projection.
Whilst I am happy to build this model from a range of tonewoods, I tend to favour home grown species such as English Walnut and Bog Oak. Photos and detailed specs of two recently completed examples are included below—one is English Walnut and the other African Mahogany.
English Walnut Parlour
Detailed Spec
Mahogany Parlour
Detailed Spec
Mahogany Parlour 2
Mahogany Parlour 1
Mahogany Parlour 11
Mahogany Parlour 7
Mahogany Parlour 6
Mahogany Parlour 9
Mahogany Parlour 10
Mahogany Parlour 3
Mahogany Parlour 4
Mahogany Parlour 8
Black Swan OM
Coming Soon!
Classical Guitar
Drawing heavily on early Torres instruments (FE19 in particular), this fan-strutted model is very light in construction and aims to recreate the sweet, lyrical sound of a traditional Spanish instrument. The body air resonance is therefore typically low and the guitar very responsive to the player’s touch.
I tend to build this model to commission only and am happy to do so from a range of tonewoods including home grown species.
