Design & Philosophy

HomeDesign & Philosophy
Αfter many studies of the most successful traditional luthiers of classical guitar and also the most successful modern developments on guitar luthiery
i tried to bring the two worlds together by keeping the best elements of its approach.
My philosophy in the construction of a classical guitar is to merge the traditional way of building with the modern technologies.
As materials and tools have evolved, we should include them in our work.
By making use of new technological developments combined with respect for tradition we can achieve extreme precision every time
and this is crucial to understanding and developing the sound of the guitar.
The goal was and will always be the same, not to get away from traditional sound but to improve it as much as possible.
Below I quote some of the standard methods and innovations I use in my constructions.
The Top (Soundboard)

The top of the guitar we could say that has the most important role in the production of sound.

European Spruce
European Spruce tonewood is traditionally the first and the most popular tonewood that is used as the top of the guitar. Only the traditional guitar models are made of European Spruce.

Western Red Cedar
Cedar is a bright sounding tonewood, it produces warm sound and maximum volume. It is used on all Koumridis models double top, lattice and traditional.

My Wood Choices

The wood that is used to create a guitar makes a huge difference to the sounds that the guitar will produce.

Back and sides: Indian Rosewood, Cocobolo, Madagascar Rosewood
Fingerboard: Ebony
Neck: Spanish Cedar
Bridges: Indian Rosewood, Padouk

Laminated Sides

I use laminate double sides on all my instruments for optimum volume and sustain. It is critical that the sides are rigid and lightweight. This way all the energy of the top is focused and not absorbed by the sides.

Arched Back
  • Increased rigidity
  • Focused sound
  • Raises the resonant frequency
  • Increased sustain
My Rosette

Greek motif rosette consist of 3 basic elements. A central design with Olive branches and the fruit symbol of Greek land, and inner and outer rings of meander . These 3 parts are separated with only four natural colors and thicknesses of veneer strips.

Elevated Fingerboard

Fretboard’s distance from the soundboard is increased. This has several advantages:

  • It provides easier access beyond the 12th fret
  • With the elevation the cedar of the neck reaches all the way to the hall of the top. That helps the sound of the top to pass through the neck of the guitar and with the combination of laminated sides enhances the sound with more sustain
  • The distance from the strings to the soundboard is increased providing an advantage for the right-hand
Side Soundport
  • Personal monitor: A soundport can act as a ‘stage monitor’ allowing you to hear your instrument with increased clarity
  • Brightness: A soundport helps the guitar to sounds brighter with increased resonances and higher frequencies
  • Fine tuning: From a luthier’s perspective a soundport can enable ‘fine tuning’ of the instrument whereby the luthier can alter the size of the soundport to adjust the high frequency response attributable to the changing cavity resonance
Armrest

An armrest is a relatively simple design feature that serves three primary purposes:

  • It allows the soundboard to vibrate freely by reducing the damping effect of the forearm as it contacts the side and soundboard when playing
  • It protects the finish of the guitar from blemishing at the point of contact with the forearm
  • It can be more comfortable as it replaces the somewhat sharp edge where the soundboard meets the side with a more rounded contour
Bridge

All Koumridis guitars have 12-hole tie block bridge. That maintain a consistently steep string angle against the saddle, which assures a clear tone free of any buzzing that might come from a loose contact with the saddle crown.

Headstock and Tuning Machines

Tuning machines are more than accessories to the instrument.
ALESSI Tuning Machines combine faultless performance with consummate aesthetic beauty.

Playability

The playability of my guitars is very important to the guitarist. I use many techniques to make the guitar as easy as possible to be played. With special tools I separately measure every string at the nut and the bridge in order to be at the lowest possible distance from the frets.
The shape of the fretboard is carefully crafted for maximum comfort.
All frets are shaped one by one to the optimum level in order to avoid any buzzing.

Finish

Shellac is applied to the top on all kumridis guitars . back and sides Finished with Shellarc or  Nitrocellulose Lacque. The finish brings out the natural beauty of the wood and is so thin that is invisible with the naked eye.More importantly, because the finish is extremely thin, it does not inhibit the vibration of the soundboard. Every guitar has at least 14 very thin  application.

Guitar Case

Koumridis Handmade Classical will com with a Hiscox PRO-II-GCL-L Large Cl. Case or similar.

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