Semi acoustic guitar

The semi acoustic (semi hollow body) concept is convincing due to the fact that the guitar can be used very broadly in almost every musical genre in an excellent way. It combines the advantages of a solid body with those of a classical guitar.

Due to the broad range of vibrations and acoustics, the sound is perfectly suited for jazz, blues, country and rock, for example. The low weight compared to solidbodies is appreciated as a benefit for the shoulder area.

During the development of the Capricorn, great importance was given to a low weight. This requirement was achieved by the semi acoustic concept, lightweight woods, headless and the titanium truss rod.

Since each part resonates when played, the weight of the individual parts naturally have a positive sound influence.

The biggest advantage, however, is the wearing comfort during longer playing periods.

Due to its excellent specific properties, spruce is considered one of the best woods for shaping the sound of an instrument. For several hundred years, it has therefore been preferred for making sound-forming elements such as the top of violins, pianos and stringed instruments. Narrow standing annual tree rings are considered to be of especially high quality.

For the Capricorn, the best solid Swiss alpine spruce wood is selected as top wood, individually and tonally subjectively evaluated. In addition, the tops are relatively thin in order to support an extensive sound spectrum, especially in the middle and lower frequency ranges.

During the prototype phase, however, a characteristic of spruce wood revealed itself, which led to a challenging task. Since it is relatively soft against damage, an innovative solution had to be found. A thick varnish that would have a negative impact on the sound was not an option. Extensive tests led to a thin protective layer of a wood that is compatible with the sound in combination with the spruce. The spruce remains the main wood of the top, while the protective wood layer ensures appropriate robustness. Subjective comparisons of various «protective woods», taking into account the fiber orientations, showed that the combination with yew wood was the best in terms of sound. This was not surprising, since yew wood is the hardest European conifer wood with excellent vibration characteristics similar to spruce. This is probably one reason why yew wood has long been highly considered in the making of instruments and arrow bows.

With multi scale, the string length increases from the high to the low E string. Longer strings have higher tension at the same tuning. This changes the sound spectrum so that the lower strings have a more extensive harmonic range and optimal bass response.

Overall, this principle offers tonal advantages. Its proof in grand pianos and harps, for example, supports the decision to integrate this principle in the Capricorn as well.

The difference in scale length chosen for the Capricorn between the low and high E strings, as well as the fifth fret as a neutral fret, creates a comfortable hand angle. Experience has shown that the typical fanned arrangement of the frets is hardly noticeable at all.

With headless concepts, the end of the neck often looks abruptly cut off. For design reasons, a small head was left on the Capricorn.

Combined with the lightweight titanium truss rod, this reduces the head weight and optimizes the balance of the entire guitar. Furthermore, the small head contributes to weight reduction and, due to the lack of mass, also to a better resonance characteristic of the neck.

Typically, truss rods are assembled from 5-7 non-stainless metal parts. For quality reasons and because of the high weight, it was decided not to use such a standard product. The truss rod of the Capricorn has been newly and innovatively developed.

The new truss rod allows a neck correction on both sides (dual action) and consists of only 2 modern manufactured parts. The main material used is titanium. Titanium has only about 50% of the weight of steel with high strength.

As an advantage not only a low weight results, but also a good balance. The shoulders will thankfully accept this during long playing time.

The string spacing between the low and high E strings is different at the nut and bridge. In addition, string radius also increases from the nut to the bridge. Geometrically, the strings lie on a cone surface.

If the fretboard radius is constant (as is the case with most guitars on the market), there will be differences in the distance between the lower edge of the strings and the upper edge of the frets. If you want to avoid these «errors» (differences) and achieve the deepest and most uniform string height possible, the fretboard surface must also have a cone surface (compound radius). Only then will the string arrangement and the fingerboard fit together optimally.

With the Capricorn, the radius varies along the length of the fingerboard. The advantages of this are minimal string heigth with maximum comfort for chords as well as for solos. Compared to violins, this principle is only natural.

It is hard to understand why stainless steel frets are not the standard. Based on experience, many guitarists are well aware of how conventional fret alloys wear out rather quickly. The fret ends inside the fretboard are made to be hidden.

With Capricorn, the extra effort required for manufacturing was gladly accepted in favor of appearance and durability.

Due to the fact that the varnish affects the sound, it was decided to hand polish the top with shellac. The appearance is unsurpassed and the layer thickness is extremely thin.

However, when cleaning the instrument, it is important to use only products that have been proven to be suitable for shellac. Under no circumstances should alcohol-based care products be used!

The Capricorn is equipped with two very interesting pickups. These are new technological developments from Kinman Guitar Electrix (visit Kinman).

Kinman is known for excellent and hum-free single coil pickups. The Converge 3 pickup allows switching these excellent single coil with the humbucker sounds.

By using push pull potentiometer, 8 different sounds are available. And this without any noticeable difference in volume.

For the complete hardware, the Swiss watch industry with its high quality was used as a benchmark. All these parts for the string tuning, resting and fixation are proprietary developments. The tuning mechanism and string fasteners are made of stainless steel for functionality and durability. The string rests (Bridges) are made entirely of solid brass. The DCL coating (Diamond like Carbon) provides the uniform exquisite look and feel.

In opposite to the common headless concepts, the string fixations were developed in a way that the strings can not be crushed. The string mounting is done gently little force by hand and without tools.

Each string has its own bridge, which transfer the string vibrations into the body. The intonation correction and string height can be adjusted individually as well. This allows optimal intonation and the lowest possible string action with the highest playing comfort.