Presented here is a completely handbuilt guitar by the
English luthier John Hall. England certainly has a
tradition in guitar building. It probably has everything
to do with the earlier active luthier Louis Panormo
who worked and lived in London. Besides that the
famous Mrs. Pratten collection was there and also
some French luthiers that moved to England already
in the late 19th century caused a growth in interest
in guitar building (and playing). Tradition is the magic
word there though this guitar isn't that traditionally
built. Nr. 21 in 2022. Price 1750 Euro's. Deluxe
guitar case included
Oil finished as a whole it doesn't reflect the light
when photographing which is a plus here of course.
John Hall opted for a bear claw spruce top. Often
the presence of the medullar rays that are present
on a 90 degree angle of the wood grain do raise
questions with a lot of guitar players. I can tell
you that these medullar rays only will be visible
on a perfectly quarter sawn soundboard so in
fact a sign of superb quality.
In fact nicely built in every detail as the surroundings
of the soundboard also attest. Quite unique is the use
of black walnut for the fingerboard, though it is not
black at all. The explanation around these choice of
woods is that the maple wood used for the neck is
already quite heavy and together with an ebony
fingerboard it should have resulted in an unbalanced
instrument. Necks on guitars like these are usually
made out of cedar.
The Bearclaw spruce from Switzerland can be admired
here together with the securely executed purfling. John
claims to be very critical when the woods for sound-
boards are involved. The way forces are working on
the bridge and soundboard are in good hands as
John Hall was a professional engineer as well.
In fact old tradition as the big name in building up rosettes:
Vicente Arias also was a user of the color green in his work.
We have to find out more about this remarkable builder
as the guitar is really loud and can open up even more by
playing it frequently. The oil finish doesn't feel strange
to me as also the neck has been treated that way as well.
A little bit oriental in the choice of the headform
to my opinion but gracefully done anyway! I think
the head to be covered by an ebony layer.
The reinforcement stripe all the way up into
the head of this guitar is visible here. And the
knobs of the tuners can be swapped if wanted.
Used for the tuners are the Rubner (German) Hauser
tuners that work very well. Quite modest in engraving
but that is not always a bad thing.
The "American black walnut" wood can be seen here
again as the luthier used it for the bridge as well. The
harder bone cover of the string tie block mounted here
prevents any marks made by the strings under tension.
John doesn't make use of a bridgeplate as it adds little
to the strength of a soundboard. The lighter wood
used for the bridge is also a plus as it makes it
possible for the top to vibrate more freely.
The also oil finished back gives this guitar in fact a quite
natural look though maybe not at first sight. Traditinally
we are accustomed to a more shiny appearance. John Hall
used Indian Rosewood for sides and back and rather
surprisingly maple for the neck which is quite hard and
possibly may attribute to the nice sustain this guitar
has to offer.
No frills on the back, just giving the back a serene look.
I will try to get in touch with the luthier and I hope to
provide some more information around his work as
the man simply deserves it! We now have contact and
we will possibly visit him in Staffordshire in the near
future if we are welcome of course. But already
having e-mail contact, John appears to be a nice
and gentle person always willing to give more
information around his guitars. What I particularly
like is that he added specific building procedures
with a reason.
