Guitars

My early guitars were relatively traditional instruments, featuring a center soundhole with X-bracing. Most featured pinned bridges. I built several models, all based on typical Orchestra, Grand Auditorium and Jumbo body sizes and shapes. I accessorized my traditional guitars with cutaways, arm bevels and soundports, but I grew restless with tradition and began to explore other possibilities.

I was very familiar with factory-made guitars and how solidly they were constructed, especially so after the 1960s. I knew I had the freedom to alter that construction, lightening the build and increasing the responsiveness of the instrument. A responsive guitar features more efficient utilization of applied energy, such as when the strings are plucked or the body is tapped. The objective is to produce quality sound without having to play so hard.

Early Models

Some early Cozad Guitars, all center soundhole, X-braced designs, but with small steps away from fully traditional construction techniques.

The Continental featured a double-X bracing pattern in an OM body size, but was otherwise traditionally built.

The Cannon Beach incorporated Spruce/Rosewood/Spruce laminated braces and a non-ladder braced back.

Thunderclap, a jumbo body, was one of my lightest weight guitars at 3.75 lbs, largely due to the use of carbon fiber for laminated braces, bridgeplate, and the Dragonplate D-tube instead of a truss rod. This was my first model to utilize a pinless bridge.

Continental

15" Western Redcedar / Rosewood

Cannon Beach

16" Bearclaw Spruce / Oregon Myrtle

Thunderclap

17" Sinker Redwood / Claro Walnut

The first thing I experimented with was bracing, both pattern and composition. For example, I envisioned a double-X bracing pattern for a Cedar topped OM, and was rewarded with a remarkably bright and lively instrument. I quickly moved away from ladder braced backs, and created several alternate patterns, each making its own contribution. I started laminating braces, combining hardwoods with softwoods, and adding carbon fiber.

Rather than continue to drill holes through the soundboard, I moved beyond from pinned bridges and embraced pin-less design. This forced me to increase my knowledge of the mechanism of sound; the measurable mechanical properties that start with the pluck of a string and result in a tear down a cheek and a shiver down a spine.

A major shift came when I moved past center soundhole soundboards. I stopped cutting out a 4" hole, removing critical structural support along the string path (which all but requires an X-braced design). I was suddenly free to pursue a deeper understanding of the acoustic properties and potential of the soundboard. By exploring new bracing patterns I was able to witness the increase in vibrational response of the entire guitar, and learned how to shape the sound emanating from it.

Enter the Dauphin...

Dauphin

A dramatic departure from traditional acoustic guitar design and construction, my Dauphin model introduced several new features:

No center soundhole
Elevated fretboard
Adjustable neck
Open headstock
Zero fret

Along with two of my own design:

Fountain bracing pattern
Shoulder port

Dauphin - front view

Dauphin - body

Dauphin - back view

Pushing even farther, I experimented with radically altering the upper bout. This involved re-engineering the curve from the neck to the lower bout, and introducing a removable leg rest. With a reduction in soundboard surface area I had to focus even more attention on the so-called "prime real estate" or "beach front property" of the section of soundboard primarily responsible for generating sound from the instrument.

For this model, I also modified the method of neck attachment, and walked down a path well-trodden in the solid body guitar world. Traditionally, acoustic guitar necks feature a heel that butts up against the body. If the heel is removed, the available attachment area remaining is the back of the neck.

Enter the Esprit...

Esprit

Building on the successful design of the Dauphin, the Esprit let me explore an entirely new body modification along and introduced a brand new neck attachment method.

Features include:

Fallaway design
Removable leg rest
Heel-less neck
Miter bracing pattern
Shoulder port

Esprit - Front view

Esprit - Body

Esprit - Back view