CHARIS SJ ITALIAN SPRUCE AFRICAN BLACKWOOD (SOLD)
This Charis guitar is built with a lovely set of Italian spruce and African blackwood. The guitar is in pristine condition and is essentially brand new as it was kept like a prized collection.
Italian spruce has always been prized by luthiers for its clarity and great headroom. This light weight top projects harmonic complexity and offers tonal depth at the lower end of the dynamic range, allowing for resoundingly clear notes across a wide tonal spectrum. Aesthetically, like Swiss spruce, it enjoys the added advantage of a gorgeous colour and uniformity in grain.
African blackwood pairs very well with this top. Well regarded for its outstanding volume and power, the tonal richness of African blackwood has also been compared well to Brazilian rosewood by numerous luthiers, besting it in some ways.
A generally heavier and more stable wood than the more widely known Brazilian rosewood, African blackwood offers clarity, sustain, orchestral weightiness, sweetness, and plenty of reverberating overtones. It is black and sometimes found with gorgeous sap, but in the right light you will often be treated to faceted grains and variations of black, brown, purple, and red.
African blackwood is also amongst the densest woods in the world (and also one of the most expensive). The trees grow in isolated areas of the West African deserts and the trunks of these trees are twisted and small, making it rare to find fully quartered two piece sets that are aesthetically pleasing.
Premium tonewoods aside, this guitar is decorated with some of the finest pearl and select abalone. The fingerboard is covered with "doves in flight" inlay etched in pearl with matching flame koa binding and tuning buttons. Select abalone frames the guitar while a florentine cutaway and a perfect gloss finish gives the guitar a final touch of class.
Charis SJ decked in premium wood and luxurious appointments with a classy florentine cutaway. All our Charis guitars are built with only AAAA and Mastergrade woods.
Highly flamed koa binding and mother of pearl purfling across a lovely Italian spruce top.
Charis' unique "Doves in flight" fingerboard inlays comprises of nine doves etched intricately with mother of pearl. Stainless steel frets and mother of pearl purfling stretches across the entire ebony fingerboard.
Triple ring rosette decorated with curly koa and mother of pearl separated by black and white lines.
Ebony bridged polished to a shine etched with a pair of doves in mother of pearl. A bone saddle provides for additional tonal richness and sustain.
Fully quartered old-growth African blackwood back and sides with highly flamed koa backstrip running down the center adorned with highly flamed koa binding.
Ebony bridged polished to a shine etched with a pair of doves in mother of pearl. A bone saddle provides for additional tonal richness and sustain.
Ebony headstock with mother of pearl purfling complete with a matching koa Charis logo outlined in mother of pearl.
Gold Gotoh 510 tuners with matching curly koa tuning buttons provides for additional tuning stability and precision.
Custom-built lightweight Mainstage fibre-glass hardcase decked in plush red interior (Retail USD$850).
Front view of Charis SJ with Swiss spruce top and African blackwood back and sides.
Back view of Charis SJ with Swiss spruce top and African blackwood back and sides.
Full Specifications
Body Style : SJ
Cutaway : Florentine cutaway
Top : Italian spruce
Back & Sides : African blackwood (Fully Quartered)
Backstrip : Highly flamed koa
Bindling : Highly flamed koa
Rosette : Koa / Mother of pearl / Koa
Top Purfling : Mother of pearl Side Purfling : B/W Lines
Back Purfling : B/W Lines
Neck : Mahogany / Maple / Rosewood / Maple / Mahogany
Nut Wide : 1 3/4"
Saddle Spacing : 2 1/4"
Neck Profile : Standard
Scale Length : Standard Scale 25.6"
Heel Cap : Ebony
Fingerboard : Ebony
Fingerboard Purfling : Mother of pearl
Fingerboard Markers : Doves in flight (MOP)
Fingerboard Side Markers : 2mm dots
Frets : Stainless Steel
Headstock : Ebony
Headstock Trim : Mother of pearl
Headstock Logo : Koa with MOP outline
Headstock Back : Ebony with ducktail joint
Headstock Back Trim : Mother of pearl
Tuners : Gold Gotoh 510 with matching koa buttons
Bridge : Ebony with MOP doves
Saddle : Bone
Nut : Bone
Case : Cutsom-fitted Mainstage fibre-glass case with white granite exterior and red interior.
Retail Price: SGD$10,800